Be Careful What You Wish For, Part 2

I yearned for more time, and the cable box was mysteriously turned off, resulting in no TV for an entire day.

A few days ago, I was telling Trainer how I sometimes wish the Community Manager would tell us we can no longer have bingo, so I can get out of the responsibility of having to show up to do the photos and manage the residents’ webpage.

I went so far as to tell Trainer, I know residents will be upset should that happen, I’d be completely disingenuous on the surface — pretend to be upset as well but rejoicing inside.

Red Light called last night to say Manager has deemed the Community Room "unsafe due to earthquake damage".

The 3.4 quake we had in 2021 left a long crack in the ceiling, which I think was just painted over. So, having not seen what damage this 4.4 caused, I can only assume the crack has widened or parts of the ceiling have come down.

At any rate, the room has been declared unsafe, today's bingo cancelled for now and for who knows how long in the future.

I am not a good liar, so it was difficult to keep the joy out of my voice when commiserating with Red Light.

She’s hoping management doesn’t drag their heels on getting repairs made, wants the room up and running again soon.

I’m hoping the opposite — drag those heels long enough for residents to forget about me, not be surprised if I don’t return.

I’m not so vain as to think my wishful thinking brought about the cable box snafu and an earthquake, but you have to admit it is odd.

Just in case my thoughts are in some kind of 4th dimensional pocket where thoughts become reality, I’d better focus on being the big winner on the $1.64 million Powerball or $285 million Mega or $18 million SuperLotto or all three.

I’m not greedy, I’ll share.

And now this ……

Nesting and Holy Heck

The cable technician arrived at 11:16 this morning.

"What seems to be the problem?", asked he.

I picked up the remote, turned the TV on, showed him how the cable box was not connecting to its source.

I then handed him the remote and, as soon as it touched his hand, the TV came on.

"What did you just do?"

"Turned the box on. It was off".

So that was embarrassing.

As to how it got turned off in the first place is a mystery. Maybe I hit a wrong button when turning the TV off the previous night.

He showed me how to tell when the box is off, how to turn it back on, asked if I wanted him to show me anything else; at which time I thought about asking him to show me how to get to Netflix on the TV, so I won’t have to watch on the phone, but thought I’d better leave well enough alone. Stick to the basics and not confuse myself further.

There’s just too much technology.

Heading out later to pick up mail, I found the front drive full of rescue vehicles — not one, but two fire trucks and an ambulance.

The ambulance was loading up the gurney, but no one was on it.

Turned out, they were here because a resident had fallen in the office area.

Two fire trucks AND an ambulance seemed overkill for a fall, and proved to be so because, as I approached the mail center, the gentleman who’d fallen was being escorted back to his unit by Head Maintenance Guy.

He looked fine and, in fact, told HMG that he could make it to his unit on his own from there.

Maybe he was embarrassed by all the hoopla.

While chatting with others there to pick up mail, my attention was drawn to a naked tree.

I've never seen it like this before. It's lost all its leaves overnight, but looks quite beautiful this way.

One of the guys pointed out a bird building a nest on a bare branch.

The bird flew away before I could capture a photo of it tending the nest, so I’ll be checking back from time to time to see how the nest goes, if/when any babies appear.

Seeing flyovers around my patio lately, I figured it was nearing that time again when I’d have to chase birds away from nesting in the eves over the patio door.

There was all that drama last year, when I had to keep chasing birds off, telling them not to build and that one couple began building and settling in when I wasn’t looking, then got upset when I blocked off the entrance.

Having since purchased holographic scare tape, I’m ready for them this year.

So, that was my day — the TV got fixed, I finished another photo book for the family ...

Watch Me Grow No. 4

.... and, when I settled in to watch TV a little while ago, all hell broke lose.

The couch began shaking up/down, dishes and other items began rattling and the entire building felt like it was being lifted off the ground, then dropped.

It was the mother of all earthquakes we’ve had to date — a 4.4 @ 7:43 pm centered a mile away in Fontana.

Nothing broke, but one more like this and the building is coming down.

Now I know why it was, just last week, I began rethinking what to save in case of emergency. I'd decided to grab important papers, the cellphone, as many photo books as possible and my makeup bag, of course. Figured anything else was unimportant, could be purchased again.

Besides, I keep wanting to downsize, go minimalist living. I'd like it not to happen by way of a disaster, but what will be is what will be.

I can feel something big is coming. In fact, I'm hearing a rumbling, and small shakes, as I'm typing this. Aftershocks?

Be Careful What You Wish For

I didn’t exactly wish, it was more like I’ve been craving more time. Time enough in a day to do all that I do — cooking, cleaning, working out, Creative Memory scrapbooking, Needlepoint, blogging, TikTok, Pokémon GO, Candy Crush. All those things and more, with time left over to read, as books are piling up.

Author Walter Mosley is coming out with a new installment of the Easy Rawlings series, which I’ve already preordered, so I do need to finish one or two of these books.

I’d have preferred more time would come in the form of days miraculously becoming longer. Instead, it's come as waking up this morning to the cable box malfunctioning. It won’t connect to the source, says I need Internet to view TV, which I do have internet because here I am blogging over the Internet.

So, anyway, a call to the provider for a technician to come out turned into the same old same old of them trying to get me to fix it myself … questions, answers, disconnect this, wait, reconnect that, so on and so forth.

All I wanted was a technician, so when questions continued, and it got to "Can you tell me which HDMI channel you are on" is when I had to use my tried-and-true ace — the Age Card.

Playing the helpless little old lady, I replied, "No, I can't. I’m 80 years old. Hardly know which planet I’m on. Can you please just set up someone to come out".

Worked, like a charm ... always does.

Questions and instructions ceased instantly.

Technician will be arriving between 11 and 12 tomorrow, which means I’ll have to give up tomorrow’s workout, but oh well. Getting the cable box up and running trumps working out.

Heading outside to pick up mail, over the wall I could see flashing lights in the area where our Outside Neighbor has been residing last few days.

I suspect it’s one of those trucks the cops show up with to haul away property belonging to the unhoused in order to get them out of the area, but since they can’t do that for the time being (which I doubt the person in the tent knows) maybe it was just an intimidation tactic or maybe, when the truck initially pulled to the curb to haul what looked like junk away, the driver hadn't initially realized there was a person inside.

At any rate, no cops showed up, I never saw the driver exit the truck, and the person in the tent didn’t seem perturbed. The truck eventually drove away.

Talking to the guy standing in the smoking section, while we both watched the goings on, without thinking he did what I assume he always does ... pulled out a cigarette, put it to his lips. Except, it was a joint.

As he went to fire up, I got ready to surreptitiously snap a photo, but he seemed to suddenly realize I wasn't of the usual gather on the lawn for a smoke type and quickly pulled it away from his lips, tried to hide it between his fingers. So, I left so the guy could enjoy his smoke.

Before he pulled out his smoke however, he'd informed me the occupant of the tent is a female.

He further said people driving by have been pulling over to the curb, dropping off containers with food, which I said was nice and that I'd thought about taking food and a warm blanket out myself, but didn't because one never knows what kind of reception one will get these days, how good deeds go bad, and one gets hurt.

He said something about my having done so would have been like feeding a cat, caused it to hang around, come back.

I dunno.

Somebody has got to do something, and it was the second time in two weeks that my heart told me to be that somebody, but my head said don't be stupid.

The other incident was when I picked up photographs from the photo lab, found someone else's photos mixed in with mine.

I didn't want to just toss them in the trash so, when I saw there was a telephone number on the summary sheet, I picked up the phone to call, see if the person wanted mailed to them.

But then, my head said I'd end up with a headache. That the person would probably think it was some kind of trick, a scam, don't get involved. So, I didn't complete the call.

My heart wouldn't let me toss the photos in the trash, so I instead drove back to the photo lab, turned the photos over knowing full well they are not going to call the person, will themselves toss in the trash but better they than I, my hands are clean.

It's a sad commentary on life when one has to harden one's heart and listen to one's head.

The guy hiding the joint also said that one day, when a group of the smokers were out on the lawn, the woman in the tent came out, walked back to the wall, and there in plain view, pulled down her pants, squatted, and did a No. 2.

Ewwwwwww.

He also pointed out areas where people have been parked, living in campers for weeks.

At least they have shelter.

Even with no TV eating up the hours, time seems to be slipping away without my having picked up one book to finish reading, and tonight will be watching the last two episodes of Fool Me Once on the phone.

The Netflix series is not as slow as I thought it would be, and nowhere near as predictable as it first seemed. So full of red herrings that I'm completely clueless as to who, what, why, but soon to find out.

A Frosty Day in the Neighborhood

It rained all night again, but I woke up to frost on the window, which I used as a canvas.

Fortunately, the rain paused just long enough for me to complete my morning ritual and then take video showing changes I spotted along the painted rock path, as I headed out for the Pain Cave.

Driving out of the complex gate, I saw we now have an outside neighbor.

Those that have no sympathy for how difficult it must be to be unhoused, living on the streets, and like to "call it in" are going to have a shit fit because just last week "Federal Judge Terry Hatter Jr. granted a preliminary injunction barring the city of San Bernardino from removing or displacing unhoused residents".

The cops no longer have the right to, in response to complaints, tell them to move along.

I suppose that is unless the build is on private property — which it is not. It’s outside the property line by the bus stop, which is still too close for the residents who are likely to be upset.

This Friday is bingo. If anything is said about our new outside neighbor, I’m going to keep my mouth shut because people around here are remarkably uninformed about what goes on in the world outside the complex, would not believe me if I told them of the judge’s order, and it's just too frustrating to try to have a conversation with clueless individuals.

It still boggles my mind that no one, other than Homegirl, knew of the Alabama Boat Dock/Folding Chair uprising. And not just these old folks. One of Trainer's elite fighters, a girl in her mid 20's, was clueless to that significant event, could have cared less when Trainer and I tried to explain the significance of it.

In her case, I guess it's because she, like the old folks, live in their own world. Her world happened to be limited to martial arts.

So, anyway, the plan for today was to use the newly acquired Thai dried chilies in crockpot chili but, stopping at the market after this morning’s workout, I forgot the main ingredient — ground turkey and, as it's once again raining cats/dogs, I have no intentions of heading out again until Wednesday.

BTW, Catalyst. Not to worry. The label says "all natural, preservative free", so I should be okay, so long as I don’t add too much, make it too spicy, when I get around to making chili.

I Love When a Plan Comes Together

Thus far, with one exception, the plan to not see another human being until tomorrow has been working.

The one exception was when, seeing a delivery guy toss a package towards Next Door Neighbor’s door early morning, and the package seeming to go unnoticed by her as it was nearing late night, I knocked on her door to alert her so it wouldn’t be stolen.

We do that for each other — when I don’t realize a package has been delivered, she’ll knock on my door as well.

She said she’d been expecting and had waited all day for the package. Wasn’t happy to learn it had been there all day. That I happened to be at the kitchen sink, saw through the window that the delivery guy didn’t even come all the way upstairs to knock on her door or take a photo to show item delivered. He just tossed it at her door from halfway up the landing.

So, anyway, I took the interaction as an opportunity to ask about the foil on TinTin’s window, saying "Since you know her, can you tell me why there is foil on her window?"

NDN said, "Some of these old folks are not well".

It's true what they say about "Black Don't Crack", so it's difficult for even me to gauge the age of my compatriots but inasmuch as she looks to be barely over 55, if that, I say, "She doesn’t look that old to me".

NDN pointed a finger from each hand to the side of her head, twirled the fingers around to indicate loony tunes and said, "So many are coming in that are not entirely well that it’s getting scary".

JESUS!

My instincts to keep to stepping when I saw TinTin on her patio that day, not stop and introduce myself as I always do with new people to the quad, were right on.

So, there’s that.

As the weather channel promised, it has been a rainy weekend, so I was surprised to see the landscapers show up, try to work in between pockets of heavy rain and somewhat clear skies.

Once it became obviously futile to continue in the weather, they abandoned the project for the day and then, during a clear skies moment, I spotted this …………

Dream Lover. MVP or Just a Player

"What’s he doing standing so near to where Karen lives?" thought I.

"Karen" being the Talker's downstairs complaining neighbor, and the woman Dream Lover filed a complaint against for aggressively pursuing and writing love letters to him.

Now here he was standing directly in front of her patio, where she obviously could see him through the window.

Odd.

It got odder.

He was soon joined by Boebert — the woman he’d come onto but appeared to have been rebuffed.

Evidently, the two of them had been coming up the walkway together ... possibly from his unit, she’d stopped for something — probably to pick up mail because I saw it in her hands, he’d paused in front of Karen’s area, and Boebert caught back up with him there. The two of them then walked together towards her unit.

Well, Well, Well.

That went from hot to not only cold but frigid/frozen with Boebert's vive being, I'm not talking to you, I won't even look in your direction, now things are smoking hot.

I can only conclude it's like what NDN said, "Some of these seniors are not well".

I guess the Little Black Lady he'd introduced to me, as flavor of the day, is now on the back burner.

And that's the tea.

T.G.I.F.

If all goes as planned, I won’t have to see another human being until Monday.

Waking up an hour before the alarm went off, not ready to get out of bed, I opened up Netflix on my phone and thought I’d give Fool Me Once a look.

Don’t think I’ll get beyond the first episode because not only is it too suspenseful, it’s predictable. I’m thinking the main character is being framed for a death that didn’t happen, because the MIL and not-dead husband want custody of the daughter and the main character out of the way — in prison or a mental institution. That’s a plot I’ve seen before, so I think I’ll pass.

Once out of bed, I saw the landscapers were here. I’d seen them every day this week working away, shoveling rocks in, but didn’t stop to question what they were doing, until this morning.

As you can see from the video, while a lot of the country is suffering a deep freeze, we’ve been having near perfect weather last few days, but rain is predicted for the weekend.

Heading out the door for this morning’s workout, first making certain TinTin wasn’t outside — except for that one morning when she was at her patio storage door, she stays locked inside, so I don’t think I have to worry about running into her anytime soon. But it doesn’t hurt to check first.

So, as I was saying ……… heading out the door, I saw management had posted a notice to our doors.

"Dear Residents, in order to enhance the services we offer".

Right away, my hackles went up because ……… What services? Management and Corporate offer no services whatsoever.

They long ago dispensed with coffee and donuts and a TV in the Community Room, not to mention you all know by now the saga of the refrigerator.

There was a time when the cost of TV and Internet was provided us on a group basis at something like $25 a month. Then all of a sudden, it was "if you want it, you’ll have to provide for yourself on an individual basis". Many cannot afford the $207 it now costs, have no TV, have no internet.

So what services are they alluding to?

Heck, we’re lucky if Maintenance responds to requests for services we’re entitled to because we pay rent for said services to be provided.

What follows after that triggering first sentence is ……… "In order to enhance the services we offer (bleh!), and the way we communicate with you about your community, we’d like to find out more about the technology you use in your household" and a two-page Resident Technology Survey asking if we have an iPhone or Android, Apple iPad, Samsung Galaxy, Kindle Fire, Google Pixel, Internet-connected laptop or PC and Does anyone in your household have any experience making online payments.

How intrusive. It’s none of their damn business.

Don’t know what they’re up to, but perhaps it’s a glimpse into why my instinct was to question if Assistant Manager transferred to another property to be closer to family, as she said, or because she knew something was coming down the pipe for us and she wanted no part of it.

At any rate, I will die and go to hell before I complete this survey, and I double dog dare them to do the usual 2nd request to complete and turn it in.

I don’t mind telling them it’s none of their business, and I bet I won’t be the only one going rogue on this one. Enough is enough.