What I learned about temporary handicap placards in California

I picked up my temporary handicap placard from AAA today (since AAA provides DMV services and in my experience is run much more efficiently).  I learned some interesting things about it that I hadn't known:

• I was given a form that designates who I am, my address, the ID number on my placard and the expiration date.  Apparently, I need to keep that with me (and with the placard).  If I leave the form in my car and take the placard with me in a different car and end up being questioned by the police about it, that will be a problem.  Good to know.
• Apparently, there's a lot of theft of these placards, especially by people in jobs such as valets, car washes, etc. So I was discouraged from keeping the placard in the glove compartment, and instead, to keep it in my purse.
• Cops apparently are not sympathetic if you place the placard on your dashboard instead of hanging from the mirror. The guy at the DMV warned me that they'll fine you $300 (or thereabouts) for the mistaken placement.
• Don't drive with the placard hanging from your mirror. (That one was rather obvious given its size. Hello visibility?!?)
• The placard allows you to park in on-street metered parking at no charge.
• The placard also allows you to park on streets where preferential parking privileges are given to residents and merchants (private off street merchant parking facilities may be restricted to customers and employees however).
• The placard allows you to park next to a green curb for as long as you wish. (Green curbs indicate limited parking times).
• Of course, you can park next to a blue curb authorized for handicap parking, or in parking spaces designated by that blue international symbol of access (i.e., a wheelchair). (That one I knew about also). 
• And, with the exception of gas stations that employ only one person, the placard also requires service stations to refuel at the self-service rates.

There are still the obvious normal restrictions -- no parking next to a fire-hydrant, no parking next to a red curb or where signs say "no parking", no parking next to yellow curbs or white curbs, or spaces that look like handicap spaces but have white crosshatched patterns (those are reserved for wheelchair and wheelchair lift access).

I am able to use the placard in anyone else's vehicle within California, so long as I have both the placard and the form that shows it's registered to me. But I can't lend the placard to anyone else if I'm not in the vehicle. Duh.

I feel uncomfortable having the placard -- like the designation makes my injury more official or something.  And I feel like I look like a pretty normal person, and for the most part, despite the pain, I'm not limping obviously.  I feel like I'll definitely be judged if I park in a handicap spot.  And the stupid competitive aspect of my personality is egging me to test my limits and try not to use it.  But I didn't get the placard for fun or to be lazy. I got it because I'm in pain, and because walking (at least for now) increases that pain.  So I'll suck it up and use it when I need it and I'll try to be a bit more compassionate before judging other people. It's not fun here on the other side.

As for hip news -- I called the office of Dr. Guanche again. Earliest appointment is in August. It's looking unlikely that I'll get to come in for an earlier appointment than the mid-July appointment I've got scheduled. No news from the Steadman Clinic or Dr. Phillipon. That's still expected, but I'd like to hear back as soon as possible of course.

I didn't try out the waterproof iPod Shuffle case and headphones yet because when I woke up this morning, the pain was pretty awful. My knees, especially, for some reason, also hurt today. Hopefully I can try them on a very simple workout tomorrow. I realized that the pool has floatation devices that are designed for your legs so that you can swim with your arms and not use your legs. I'm concerned that by squeezing my legs together that would actually hurt, but maybe not. I can try a lap and see how it goes.