Monday, May 28, 2012

It's been a Movie Month

And I love it! Yesterday, the bff and I got together to celebrate our April birthdays. I know, horribly belated. We went to see Dark Shadows, and if I'd known the soundtrack was full of 70s songs like Nights in White Satin and Season of the Witch, we woulda dragged the DH along! I cracked up when the credits rolled, and the song played was Eric Carmen's Go All the Way - I called him so he could hear it!

The movie itself was too long and there was much too much Angelique. Michelle Pfeiffer is stiff as the Collins matriarch. Johnny Depp here is a bit of a grownup Edward Scissorhands! I did laugh, but the bff said she fell asleep a coupla times. She def needs to caffeinate! We hit Nordstrom Rack & the new TJMaxx - both forgettable - and had a late lunch of gravlax and grilled chicken.

Two weekends ago, we saw Jiro Dreams of Sushi. The chefs are right, it's both inspiring and daunting. About passion, obsession, craft, aspiring to be shokunin. See it! My only question: does Yoshikazu dream of sushi or of fast cars?

Before that, we saw Boy by Taika Waititi. I love most the movies which show me different lives, cultures, ways of thinking. This movie is about a small village in New Zealand in the 1980s. Funny, charming, with heart. I recommend it.

There are movies the bff and I don't agree on. She wants to see The Road, the horror movie from the Philippines. Not for me! She also wants to see Prometheus - so do I! It's Ridley Scott!!! LOVE Blade Runner! That's our movie pick for next month!

Sunday, May 13, 2012

I Saw What You Did

This qualifies as a bad neighbor post, and two out of three of the following incidents are definitely about bad neighbors, the other - the person is probably from somewhere else.

Friday night started well, We had a quick and pleasant dinner out, then stopped by both the drugstore and the market to pick up necessities. We came home pretty early, only to find an oversized SUV in the MIDDLE of our area of the parking lot.

We waited. The driver's door was open. NO response. The DH tapped the horn (and he NEVER does this!) We gestured. NOTHING. I yelled MOVE IT! Zero response. I yelled louder, "WHAT'S THE PROBLEM???"

FINALLY the driver gets out and tells us she can't start her car "because the battery is wet". OK, then - we were supposed to guess or read your mind about what's going on? How about towing your useless vehicle so you can stop inconveniencing SIX of us who need to park where it's blocking the way? We got no lucid answer, so the DH did a tricky move and edged past the post and the big dead hunk of metal. Nor was there "I'm sorry" in this exchange. More like: "Poor me!"

Out of earshot, I asked: "WHO is that?" DH: "She lives upstairs." Oh. The one clacking her heels at 4 am. The one playing bad music, the crowd singing along at 2 am. I should have known.

Do you know what bachi is? The DH went for a walk, came home, and 2 to 3 hours later, she was STILL sitting in that SUV!
___

The night before that, we walked down a busy street and saw a van parked in front of a large mango tree.
A person with a fruit picker pole was busy "harvesting" - STEALING. How do I know? It was NIGHT and dark, but I SAW YOU and what you did! But I don't say anything to someone with a long metal stick! You know who you are.

Look out, too, for the two on bicycles. The first has a regular looking bike; the giveaway is the pole tied to the side. The second has a dark bike (stealth model?) Both have bags and baskets tied. I saw the first ride up someone's driveway - trespassing! - but I was on my way somewhere. The second went to the gate and yelled, "Anybody home?" But he saw us across the street, walking slowly and observing.
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Last night, almost a year to the day, WE SAW WHAT YOU DID. And this year, you did it again. Yes, you 30s to 40s female with wavy wedge cut hair, wearing long pants and dark brown jacket with white collar lining with large pockets! You:
- Jumped on the wall and picked the fruit
- Jumped INTO the yard - TRESPASSING - picked more fruit. By this time I had the flashlight out.
I guess your pockets were full with 8 or more large fruits. You had to go home and unload but you CAME BACK. You checked and there were still no cars in the driveway. You jumped back on the wall as I shined my light and said, I CAN SEE YOU. You picked a couple and even jumped to reach more, then you jumped back in the yard - TRESPASSING AGAIN. By this time my light was strobing and you stood still to watch me. You only got half as much and will have to bring a stool next time!  My night vision isn't great, but it's good enough, even on a moonless night.You turned around and glared at me when I called out your Asian ethnic group and said I was getting a bigger flashlight. If you're THAT blatant in your thievery, I can call the play by play! I SAW WHAT YOU DID! Let's see you do that in daylight!

As we walked home, the DH asked, should we follow her? NO, I'm not 5-O! I'm just an observer/commentator on bad neighbors! Where do you think she lives? he asked. Probably the biggest condo in the neighborhood. What she saves on in fruit, she can spend in rent!

Apparently, there is no end to bad behavior by bad neighbors! So, are these folks selling what they steal, or are they just pigs taking their neighbors' bounty?

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

New in the Neighborhood

The fairy terns have a baby. Or two. It's hard to tell, as they move around, are up high, and we don't want to bother them TOO much with flashlight beams. I love to watch them wheel overhead in their aeronautical patterns - singly, in pairs, in trios.

A check of the chickens reveals there are now THREE of them, the two new ones ~almost~ as fat and sassy as the first. But they can't beat the original one for loud complaining!

This post is for the birds!