22 October 2008

Humpday Happenings...
In my day-to-day occurrences in this part of our fair city, you tend to notice things.
And it's not because you're being a nosey busy-body.
Hell, no.
Most times it's out of a sense of protective self-preservation. You know that there will come a time when the BEST person able to watch "your six" will be none other than YOURSELF! And you accomplish that by PAYING THE HELL ATTENTION.
And you do THAT for no other reason, than the fact that seemingly everyone else around you...ISN'T!
So you tend to have a heightened sense of the "situational awareness" pervading your domain, which WILL include your neighborhood.
Now for all you fortunate souls out there, this can be as easy as watching your children while they're playing, or looking both ways while backing out of your driveway. You might notice your neighbor's tree has great fall colors, or that they keep their property spic and span. And that gives you reason to take pride in YOUR place. It's a mutual thing. It benefits everyone in that neighborhood, while making that neighborhood a place to enjoy life.
In our area, it's a whole other animal.
You begin to notice cars that you've NEVER seen in the area, and you take down the plate numbers and vehicle descriptions. And with only TEN houses on my block, you get to know who BELONGS...and who DOESN'T real fast. You find out who CARES...and who DOES NOT.
Then you assess the "newbies" that move onto the street, sizing them up based JUST on their behavioral patterns. Now in neighborhoods where most EVERYONE does something called WORKING FOR A LIVING, that's not usually any cause for concern. Again, in OUR neighborhoods, hardly ANYONE works, and not because the economy is sucking.
It's by "design".
Why work when you can fleece those who DO work by feigning some lame-ass excuse to be a productive member of the community and society, hmm? And with ALL the entitlement programs available, it's actually a lot more lucrative to be on the dole. Of course when you were never brought up to understand the concept of conscience, ethics, pride, and even morality, that makes it a LOT easier pill to swallow.
And since I've always been one of those people that detested being in the unemployment line for even a month, that gives me an interesting perspective as to why others do what they do. I've been on "both sides of the fence", as it were. I succeed or fail based on what I do,or do not do. And I think that my dad's reasoning when he told me that a LONG time ago echoes truthfully today. I cannot expect to succeed when I choose to NOT participate in this "great adventure" we call life. You get up, get out, and get moving, setting priorities along the way with both short and long term goals that you wish to achieve.
Many around here simply have chosen wrongly by not choosing at all.
But that's a philosophical issue for another day.
So, after checking out the newbies, and the strangers, hopefully you can kick back and get on with living.
Well, that's the PLAN, anyway.
And it's then that you should have learned what PLAN B is for, because the "original plan" (getting on with life) will most always down the crapper. In Bob's Latin Lexicon, we call it "vita interpellare" (life interrupted).
It's then, you begin to notice that the newbies have suddenly multiplied over the last month from TWO people to about SIX...and for no good reason, other than some lazy-ass needs a "temp-crib" to crash at (until the police stop looking for him).
Another case might be when a formerly empty house becomes occupied with people that must have a "checkered" background (that wasn't checked by the landlord). More and more people begin to show up at the house at ALL hours. You just can't help but notice all the traffic in what used to be a relatively traffic-free area. And you notice the double-parking, the street blocking, the horn honking, and you say to yourself WHY?
Why do people do this instead of doing what all other normal people do, namely get out and KNOCK on a damn door?
It's ALSO at this point that you become acquainted (or reacquainted for the military people out there) with something called SLEEP DEPRIVATION. Unless you want medicate yourself so far out that you'd sleep through a artillery barrage (thereby allowing thieves to come in the house unheard to rob you blind), you nod where you can, when you can, for AS LONG as you can. You won't need an alarm clock...not with all the people that have NO functioning mufflers on their vehicles.
Speaking of vehicles, down here, we have so many streets that were never designed for parking cars (or SUVs) on BOTH sides, as many people had garages for "off-street" parking, plus since this IS an older section of the city, streets were designed back in the day, when not everyone HAD a car (or several). Driving a south side street with parked cars on both sides is a good way to get you used to driving on LOMBARD ST. in Frisco..LOL!
Many of our streets have no sidewalks (even after 50 years), but EVERY intersection DOES have the wheelchair ramps...go figure. And I can count the number of wheelchair riders I've seen over the past ten years on ONE FINGER (as they never used the sidewalks anyway)!
You tend to notice such things...
When it comes to the various architectural structures we like to call houses (yet refer to them quaintly as hovels), there is way too much to notice, that people in good neighborhoods would basically shake their heads in utter disbelief. You'd have to show them a VIDEO...they just wouldn't believe what you TELL them.
For example, I notice that the bedsheets covering the windows in the house across the street are the same ones hanging since the people moved the hell in. And that boarded up garage on the next block over is STILL boarded up, even AFTER 8 years. Wonder why?
I notice that the people behind us have had their garage door kicked several times in the past year, and they never even park any vehicle in that damn driveway (except when they have a week-long funeral party at the house with 30 cars parking anywhere and everywhere).
You notice that the ALLEY is getting more traffic than the street out front, and that this traffic ALWAYS seems to s top at a house at the other end of the block (especially at night). Wonder why THAT is, hmm?
You notice when people allow their dogs to crap on your lawn, and never clean up after the animal.
Same goes for the kids (except they don't crap on the lawn...at least I haven't CAUGHT any yet).
It's things like this (and so much more) that our media is constantly failing to report.
And you sure as hell can't help but NOTICE THAT.
Like I've said time and again...there are those that think the south side of this city gets a bum rap.
Oh,no my friends, this part of Fort Wayne EARNED it; it worked damn hard to achieve this status, and apparently doesn't wish to give up that claim any time soon.
But it's not like you wouldn't NOTICE it, if you ever drove down here...right?
((BTW - you've got about 63 shopping days until Christmas...wha'cha waitin' for?))

5 comments:

Murphy said...

"Same goes for the kids (except they don't crap on the lawn...at least I haven't CAUGHT any yet)."

Ha! If you catch 'em, be sure to hold their nose in it, give 'em a good swat, and say, 'No!'.


re: shopping days reminder: Greeaaaat.

Bob G. said...

Sarge:
...and let's not forget ALL the decorations that have to go up long before the "fat guy" sleighs into town, eh?

Carry On.

Anonymous said...

sigh your right about the media... right now my job is going to hell and a handbasket and the media isnt reporting that. its pretty freaking scarry make halloween look nice. plus it is taking away a right that most americans have gotten used to. i only wish i knew you better i'd send you an email and tell you everything. all i do know is i am switching to an afternoon job and they cant rif me becouse i am a vet of a forign war. i plan to pay back my time with my tax check and anyother checks the gov sends me. so when i am finally forced out on an involuntary retirement in about 5 or 10 years i will have all my years. God bless and merry Christmas.

Anonymous said...

i wonder what made you think of lombard st?!?! lol its nice to know someone is thinking of me...and reading my crap while im gone :)

Bob G. said...

Hey, I've got a nephew in the DCFD...and HIS name is also Erik (with a K)...we're practically "family"!

;)

B.G.