2004-01-28 - 1:32 a.m.

If you happen to have your car parked on the even-numbered side of a certain main street in Somerville, you better move your car.

Yup, they're towing them all.

It's been a compelling viewing experience.

First, watching the 'ol TV, but hearing the sirens outside and seeing the lights flashing on my wall, a little freaked out.

Then, hearing the cop-car-bullhorn thingie, and not knowing quite what's being said, a little freaked out.

Then, seeing a car get towed and cop cars flashing up and down the road, a little freaked out.

Then, a little freaked out--what if the cops saw me watching from my window?

Then, remembering that there's a piddle of a storm approaching, welcome after the artic air in my view, realizing that the cops are towing cars on what they have down as a snow route.

Then, just watching it.

I got to see a car pull up, drop off a frantic passenger, and then see the frantic passenger frantically talk it over with a cop, and then watch the cop calmly explain the situation to the tow truck driver, and then the frantic passenger calmly drive his own car to park it elsewhere, and then frantically run across the street and into his building, presumably to warn his neighbors.

I got to see someone park in a space that had just been cleared, wondering if the person parking it thought hey, all the spaces on this side of the street are free--how odd just before locking the door and walking away.

Then I got to see cop cars warning folks that their cars were about to be towed, through their cop-car-bullhorns, shouting at closed-for-the-winter windows, at 1am, and I watched it 'till they went away.