Proper parking protocol? And gear question?

[diffluere]

I usually park in my own spot. Since Gainesville is a scooter/motorcycle friendly area (for the most part) a lot of people just park up on the sidewalk, off to the side of the store. I don't like to do this because I'm still scared to ride up on something that's 4" tall and made of concrete. Some places have those ramps where you can get up easily. Some places, like the new Wal-Mart have scoot/bike parking. Some of my friends like to share a spot when we ride together, some of them think bikes should be allowed to take up their own spot and we park separately.

I try not to park next to bigass trucks or those white kidnapper-type work vans. I figure people won't see my bike around one of those and whip in to my spot and hit me.

I have one of those big metal u-locks used for bicycles, and I'll put it through my helmet's visor and around my sissy bar. If I'm at school ALL DAY I usually take it with me, because in Florida you never know when it might rain, and some college students are just jerks enough to try and pick the lock or mess with the helmet. Some people are brave enough to leave their helmets unlocked on the back of their bikes at school - not me!