some things (rated R)

Tonight, for the first time since I moved into my house (nearly 3 years ago),  I'm going to bed with the doors locked. (well, other than that time I accidently locked TLS out of the house and he had to come in thru the window...)

I have an odd neighbour. She mostly keeps to herself... I'm pretty sure she's got some sort of developmental delay... but who really knows. Tonight, I was sitting on my couch when a man came to my door. He was very abrupt, introduced himself as my neighbour's brother, and asked me to come to the porch next door... I thought from the shortness of his words/manner that maybe my neighbour was sick, or had something important that she wanted to talk to me about, so I told him I'd be a second and went to get my shoes. He hollered at me "beer or wine?" and walked away without waiting for an answer.

I then entered into one of the strangest conversations/situations of my life.

The brother was the rudest, most foul mouthed person I've ever met... seriously. Twice I nearly just walked away from the foulness that came from him. After 30 minutes I couldn't take any more... and I took leave, saying the mosquitos were too bad for me... but before that happened....

he insulted my neighbour COUNTLESS times, insulted LOUDLY two other neighbours out for a walk, admitted it was the first visit to his sister in 42 years- he lives a few blocks away, insulted his mother, bad mouthed his niece, made fun of the clients from his job, mocked my neighbour's dead husband, called every person in his conversation "shit for brains" or "fuck hole", turned to my neighbour and sneered/said (about me) "I'll be having her later"- then turned and stared directly at my breasts while he talked about hockey, and then finally, asked me if I liked to "fuck around".

That last one? I responded with my "work voice" that he was asking a personal and inappropriate question, and he responded with "I'll take that as a yes then" and asked some other lewd questions/proposed we go back to my house..  I turned to my neighbour and said "I understand why you haven't bothered to invite him over for 42 years".

I'm a little shaken by the whole thing.

The doors are staying locked. He's sleeping on her couch tonight, after she told him he couldn't.

I'm thinking that her family situation explains why she's so odd....

oh right.

thoughts of this week's earlier "you're just a big teenager" are running through my head, alongside encouraging remarks from training with our behavioral therapist today... there's some serious clashing.

add a dash of "you're such a busy girl" from two coworkers.

what do you get?

well, it's still me on the couch on a friday night looking at plenty of fish and blogging.

hic.up.

Growing up, in high school, I had chronic hicups. Not as bad as my friend Mandamanda, but bad enough that I got kicked out of my afternoon classes on a regular basis.

Years later, thru trial and error and watching my lifestyle, I discovered that it was a stress related thing (mostly). There are a few other triggers that are food related. Carroty things. I remember my mom saying that carrot sticks gave her hicups. Mostly it's carrot muffins or raw carrots for me.

I'm also a serious stereotype.

I just spent a lovely evening at the pub with some friends and I can't stop the hicups.



also- two things. I can't remember the first, but I'm sure it will come to me. Something about sea shanties.

The second- small town syndrome. I don't think I've ever seen our waitress from tonight- but in conversation she said something about knowing that I lived in the apartment over her boss a few years back. (yup, hanging at the crazy lady's pub)

The second "break in".. where "second" means the Third.

Ok, quick recap... Last Saturday night, my car was broken into (use the term "broken" loosely, as I don't lock my car... as there's nothing in it that they want... remember that very first time?)

The boys involved were found- as my neighbour is a detective/super sleuth , but nothing happened with the cops... well, because this is the 'Burg.

LAST night.. Yes, one week later.. Babykate comes to my door and asks if I know that my car's gas tank is open. Thinking she means just the door, I go out to close it.... and find that.. no, the gas cap is off too- not just an open door. 

My first thought is the kids have come back- who wouldn't? It's a small town, they know how they were found out- they feel like they need to do some pay back. That's my first thought. So, I turn to Babykate and say "I'm going to call and report this in case it's related".

As I start to walk back to the house, I see an officer at the end of the street talking to the Uncle - the Uncle of the kid from last week.... So, I decide to walk down there instead. I walk down and say "excuse me, when your done can I speak to you?" The officer says no. 

... and then tells me to go to the station instead. 

Doesn't ask me anything else... doesn't check to see if maybe what I want to say is related.

So, I walk to the station... because at this point, I'm halfway there... yeah... I live a little more than a block from the police station. Did I mention that the kid lives above a security company? 

Anyway.

I walk to the station.... and as I'm walking there, I pass the front of the building... standing at the front is the kid. The kid looks at me... then starts to laugh AT me. I don't even bother to say anything to him... I'm sure at this point he has something to do with my open gas tank. Two more police cars pull up as we walk past.

I sit for 45 mins in the front of the station, waiting for a cop... there are no chairs, they close the waiting room. I sit on the step. Babykate goes to meet the others for dinner (right... that's where we were headed before we were side tracked by the car issue). Officer comes, takes my statement.... It's now two hours later. The kid is in custody, I've missed dinner. I'm grumpy. 

AND now I have to get my car towed.

I'm not starting it in case they've put something in the tank. It's not worth having to pay for the engine to get fixed if they have put anything in there.

Life is complicated.

ok, this story is getting long... there's a lot more to write... including the part where I called the real estate agent and BLASTED her on the phone. (I will not be apologising.... I'm still convincing myself not to call her back... she was very much in the wrong.)

so, short version... I went for my walk/run later in the evening...  and who do we pass? That's right.... the kid. He's out of custody, and standing on a corner loudly and drunkenly telling some guy about the cop that hit him in the head. 

Right.

post 1030, time... 0130

I'm trying to get into a better sleep pattern.

I remember last year my sister saying she was having a hard time sleeping... and I remember thinking "that SUCKS... glad I don't have that problem!" 

I've never had a hard time getting to sleep... especially after that year of not getting enough sleep- it was like my body learned "if you stop moving, shut down". 

Lately, I wonder if my body has memory problem.

Tonight however... that's not what's kept me awake.

Ok, so I made the foolish decision to stay up and watch the end of Jumanji on Tv. I'd never seen the end of it (did you know it came out in like... 1995? I had no idea) When I went to see it in the theatre, it was with a few people from my youth group- and the film tore. So we only saw half, and they gave us free tickets to come back to see it... and I never bothered. Anyway... the Tv version is pretty choppy. They skipped a lot I think. Or maybe the original sucked. 

No, I haven't been kept up by visions of rhinos chasing me down from a board game (like the movie)... no, instead, I was just doing some chasing of my own.

The movie ended, I stood up. I looked for 'Touf..  he was out in the sun porch, so I thought. Nope.. not on the sun porch.

So I turn to go back into the house, but glance outside at my car.

funny.. it's raining.

funny, the rain makes it look like I don't have that dent on the side of my car...

funny, the rain makes my car look clean.

funny... the rain makes it look like the interior light is on in my car.

...

the light turns off.

I look down the road and watch two youth... I'm guessing 16-17, backwards hats, close to the same height, baggy pants, one in black, one in tan, both with backpacks... laughing and walking away.

I walk out the door and follow them.

nearing the corner... and I've gained considerably on them 'cause they don't know I'm there.... 

I call out "ummm, excuse me?"

One starts to look back... and... the other says NO... and they keep walking.. they get to the corner, and I see them start to run as they round... 

So I TEAR down the street (barefeet ... my flip flops broke today) and round... to nothing. I keep running (even though I hear laughter and shouting coming from inside the first door on the corner) just to make sure they aren't around the side of the building....

then... 

I go and stand on the street corner for 10 mins. 

A guy and a girl come out the door, walk to the pizza place, and come back... they didn't buy anything. They try to talk to me as they return (I'm standing in front of their house). I grunt. and glare at them... knowing full well they were sent out to see if I was sticking around.

I walk back to the house.

Put on a sweater.

then go back to standing in front of their house.

get bored after two minutes.

and go home and call the police.

I should have just walked to the police station. 

It's across the street... it's just they make everything a hassle when you go in there... 

And besides. I've heard that none of them are single.

That... and I'm still not wearing any shoes

too wound up to go to sleep now. 

cop car just passed the house for the third time.

Earth Hour

It's hard not to be judgemental.
Earth Hour has come and gone, how did you spend it?

My roomie and a friend sat out with candles, playing board games... I was still brooding from a rotten brood-inducing week (not that there was any one event... there's just been a lot going on lately, and no place/space to work thru it). So, I left for my walk.

We live in the 'Burg, a little waterfront town on Lake Ontario (ha! I had more than 800 visitors to the blog this month... I figure a little back story is likely in order). We live.... 4 blocks north of the lake... no really, I just counted (2 city blocks). We have a darling little downtown... and I spend most of my free time there... downtown, or at the beach.. walking.

Anyway, it's a retirement town, there's not much here for the twenty and thirty somethings, (unless you have kids) and there are days I resent it.. but that's not what this post is about....

I went for my walk... and I watched to see who didn't turn off their lights! Don't tell me you didn't do it too!
It was a great night for a walk, not too windy, not too cold... just perfect for strangers in the night, passing on the boardwalk. Later, a pirate book by candlelight... until I realised I have like three headlamp flashlights, then life got a whole lot easier, and I decided that I'm not going to use the lights in our house at least one night a month from now on... because it was fun....

and now I'm rambling... so I'll stop.

But, stranger on the boardwalk- I walk there most nights... we should hang out.

yum?

ok, so Mandamanda was in town this weekend, and we stopped by the little fancy place to have supper.
I hate expensive places... well, when they're expensive for no reason I mean... like.. the $48 steak.... who eats a $48 steak? really?

anyway, I was cheap. I had the red curry. I'd heard people going on and on about the red curry in the past, so I gave it a go.
It was good.
ish.

It had SO much cocconut milk in it, that with the rice...

it tasted like rice pudding.

curry rice pudding.

back to the date book

the other day at work someone asked me what it is I do with "all my time". She prefaced the question with something about her life revolving around her kids... and their hockey scheduals... then asked with this hint of pity what there was to do in the 'burg as a single person.
ouch.

now here lays my dilemma... there are 3 concerts, two activities and 2 get-togethers with friends I need to choose from for the weekend. What ever will I do?

an aside... anyone want to go to ptbo friday night? There's two bands I really want to see....
(including wee-dav-id).

bad vibes

ok, so today I was working inside the Pdot's Rec Centre, supporting some guys in their job there... also going on was the set up for a polling station which was to open at 12. the 'burg's station was to open at 9am... both times were listed on the notices sent to people... who reads the whole thing??? you scan it, find the numbers you're looking for, and that's it.
I'm thinking of writing a letter to the editor....

Mister grumpy pants was manning the outside portion of the station, "greeting" people as they came. The first arrival was at 11:15.

Arriving Man:: Hi I'm here to vote
Grumpy pants:: Well, you can't yet.
AM:: puzzled look
GP:: OBVIOUSLY you didn't bother to read past the first paragraph.
AM:: puzzled look
GP:: Because if you had, you'd see that it's 'burg that opens at 9, WE don't open till 12.
AM:: puzzled look... walks away

Mister Unhelpful (who's been wandering around asking people questions and getting people upset) wanders into the hall.
MU:: THOSE people in the gym rented it until 11.
GP:: They're still in there
MU:: They don't PLAN on leaving until 12... but they only RENTED it till 11... no one's kicking them out.. is that Pdot's general climate??? (look of disgust)

GP:: (with a triumphant look) Well, I just turned our first away.
MU:: oh really?
GP:: He couldn't be bothered to read the second paragraph, so he was early.... it's ok, he was only going to vote green party.


I don't even stifle my shocked "oh goodness".

Later I hear GP try to pull the holier-than-thou "you couldn't be bothered to read the second paragraph" thing on another guy (who arrived at 11:50) the man didn't play along, much to grumpy pants' disappointment... he was cut off with "I'm a few minutes early".
GP tried to redeem himself a few moments later with a story about the man who arrived in the last hour "irate that he couldn't vote, but hadn't bothered to actually read the papers."

I let out another "oh goodness".

must have been a slow night in the 'burg

ok, so last night, I run downstairs to the front porch to pick up the last of my crap... when I see this....

That would be two of the SIX police cars surrounding MY CAR!!!! ok, ok, not just my car, but also the van that they have pulled over and surrounded. There's NOTHING to do in the 'burg, so six of our (what? 10?) cars have to pull over a group of college aged boys who have been doing door to door sales for some energy company all night in the pouring rain.
shesh.