An ambulance on our street

Following my morning coffee I walked out the front door as I usually do. To check the weather, look for signs of terrorist attack or alien invasion. You know the routine.
It actually took me a few seconds to notice the flashing lights. An ambulance was parked and flashing on the curb, just two houses down.

Me: "Hey Dani, you know anything about the neighbors two houses down?"
Dani: "Isn't he the guy that introduced himself at the last HOA meeting saying -"Hello, I'm your neighbor"."
Me: "Really?"

I go back outside thinking, "how could I not know anything about the humans that live next-door to my next-door neighbors?" and feeling a little embarrassed.
The paramedics appeared, exiting the front door of my immediate neighbors house. I've talked to this guy a couple of times. A nice guy, he's a beach cop. I never really met his wife who was laid out on the stretcher and being wheeled across the lawn.
I wanted to ask, "What happened?" , "Is there anything that I can do?".
But I stood there for a long second and feeling guilty for my lack of communal bond, I returned inside.

I hope he didn't kill her.

Rumors and rumors of rumors

Good God! Michuli is back, what the?...
Funny things may happen when you least expect them , yet hopefully, this will happen when you are in need of the funniest of things.
Ok, sit back and relax. We'll catch up eventually.
First, those of you who are still caught up on "what's in the box?", It was, and still is total crap! really, you are giving this poop, way to much power in the way of attention. I could easily make more useful items from the cardboard boxes that contain the embarassing array of poo within. With the aid of a glue gun, I can surely assemble items worth wondering about. so enough!

And so we continue,

What happened with your 30 day venture to a secure career?
All those who bet against this excercise in mindless futility, please collect your winnings now.

So, Michuli, how are you?, You know we've been worried.
I'm great, really!

What'cha been doin'?
Holy crap, how could I possibly remember it all. you realize, I've slept since then.
I have been trying to find (create) a happy place in the back yard. these photos are pretty much up to date.

The beginnings of this years TIKI Lounge

I have a feeling, I have already spent too much time here.

Girl on girl violation, hey, it's Spring

The newly renovated pond with a new hand carved TIKI

Girl on girl retribution, cause little guys fight back

a wider sense of the scene

one of the lounge lizards hanging in the banana palm

These are the first grapes to come up after 3 years

They will certainly become wine by the end of the season

Sorry for the bad focus, These are two frogs (bumping)
in the pond with strings of frog eggs, the offspring will play havoc
with the pump filter. I will probably turn off the pump and let the tadpoles
deal with the mosquito larvae.

The girls playing dress-up after Dani and I went to the grand opening of the new Buffalo wild wings restaurant in the neighborhood. We got to judge a celebrity wing eating contest. I will leave you with this thought, Never watch a 90 year old man compete in an eating contest, at least not from 13" away

And the day gets progressively stranger

Oddly enough, as I was writing the last post the FEDEX guy came to the door with a large box, It was addressed to my wife Dani, but the original address under the fedex sticker was to an independent film organization we used to belong to a couple of years ago but left. This was all very curious. Upon opening the box, we found it filled with $90.00 worth of crappy merchandise, from a company Dani and I had never heard of. The packing slip also served as a bill that asked for payment upon delivery. We called the company and asked that they have the package picked up. While talking to the customer service rep, I learned that someone had used my wife's name and old organization email address to purchase these items online. I assume the person who placed the order would have picked up the delivery at the org's address and any ensuing bill would have been waved off by them as "Oh, I don't know. She used to be with us, haven't seen her in years".
I cannot imagine the incredible balls of some people. And the crap inside the box, Geeeze.
The rep also stated the order was not complete, two more pieces of crap were still waiting to be shipped.
In similar news:
when the mail arrived this afternoon, I received my second issue of US News and world report.
I do not have a subscription to this magazine, but according to their website, I contacted them early this month and requested 53 weeks of their dry, biased tome.

Needless to say, by this point I can only wonder what will happen next.

Careful where you click!

Angry does not describe it. Sometime after New Years I clicked a button while web surfing, for a company that was offering a free virus scan for my PC. Sure, what the hay, you can never be too sure about the security or cleanliness of a PC so a free scan?, Why not. Of course the free scan showed innumerable trojans, and assorted viral clutter that neither my Norton nor my Zone Alarm could identify, but the free trial would not actually fix them. Not wishing to purchase the product, I decided to simply close the page. Lo and behold a pop-up arrives, (why did my pop-up protection allow this?) It pleaded, Don't leave just yet, and offered 1 month of free service.
A little farther into it I was asked to provide my cc number. I was assured that if I cancelled within the month my card would never be charged. Ok, I'll bite you clean my machine, I cancel.
So I enter the product key they emailed me and started the cleaning process.
Nope, not gonna work, I was asked to un-install my expensive Norton and Zone Alarm.
Forget that, I don't know you that well and at this point I'm not willing to find out. I call the company and tell them, "Look, I just tried to use your product, it's not presently compatible with my system, I am canceling your service.
Carol, the pleasant voice on the other end says "No problem" and that's, that.
Wrong! I got an email today saying thanks for your order, we'll be charging your account and PS do not attempt to reply to this email, it is un-monitored.
I could feel the dull throb beginning at my temples.
So I call them up, This time it's Robert D at customer service. I explain my situation, he says yeah, it's right here, and something about Carol not filling it out correctly. I asked, "Because Carol cannot do her simple job, I am being Charged for something I cannot even use?"
The rest of it I can barely remember, something about suing their ass off, incompetence, oh, It's all just a blur anyway, Robert says It's all taken care of now.
...We'll just see.

The Aliens are here!

LB feels that Sydney gets all the photo op's here at "All this,...Really" so I decided to post this photo from Saturday.
Name : LB
Breed: Alien wire haired Dachsund.
Diet: Dirt, kitty poop, Carpet lint.
Hobbies: Licking herself into a lather, (Gag!), barfing, eating same.
Distinguishing features: Hair grows in odd directions and is unbrushable, back legs are longer than front legs, one front leg is shorter than the other causing a pronounced lean.
And she wonders why Syd gets all the photos?