Rotten Neighbors - Ho Ho Ho

This hardly seems like a holiday blog posting, and is also not meant to stir discord in what should be a season of joy. But sometimes it seems our house is surrounded by the worst of neighbors. Luckily, across the street are the family with cute kids who play with Waylon, rake their leaves, decorate with carved pumpkins and even offer the occasional cold beer in the summer. But on our side of the block - not so much!

We are blessed with not ONE, but TWO lumps of coal. One beside us with a rickety wood fence and the other abutting our kitchen in the rear. The first is a young couple that have been handed down the house for 2 generations since I have lived here - so they are obviously not going anywhere soon. I feel sorry for him, for he is certainly pussy-whipped by her. She is not a quiet one and her constant tirades are always an earful for all the rest of us to hear. She is a not a happy camper and when momma isn't happy, no one is apparently happy. I want to smack him like Cher in Moonstruck and say "Snap Out of It!"

Behind us is Party City. Drug deals constantly happening in the back alley - why does no one use the front door? Fire pits, loud guitar jams, firework displays and tons of loud cackling. The smoke; cigarettes, pot and bonfires is so bad we have to seal up the windows. This wouldn't be bad if the parties were within normal confines. But they usually begin around the midnight hour and continue on into the next morning. And season does not seem to matter - they are there for New Year's, Summer Solstice, Labor Day, Arbor Day.....

I bring this up because 911 has now been added to my speed dial. I have tried with polite MN notes in the mailbox or on the car windshield. But when that does not work, and daddy is not a happy camper - 911 gets the job done. I'm not even shy about it! Yesterday was the car horn alarm. It had been going off continually for the last 2 days and NIGHTS, every hour. Am I the only one that can hear it within a single block radius? So I left yet another note on the dashboard and sure enough, just like a moth to a flame, it was gone within an hour. But the horn continued to blast on cue. Funny how a squad car took care of the problem very easily. I feel like a Gladys Kravitz, but come on! We live in an dense urban neighborhood where we have to live together despite our differences. That being said, I am not afraid to put my city tax dollars to work with a simple phone call. Ho Ho Ho!

Mike Hot Pence

This little tidbit in my morning news gave me a chuckle. Some needed satire and humor amidst the political climate. Turning things on its head for the common good.

The character in play is Glen Pannell, a handsome man of middle age from NYC. Who also bears a mild resemblance to Mr. Mike Pence - Vice President elect. The saga began when he chose to dress up as his alter-ego for Halloween; prior to the election results. Fast forward to the current outcome and his choice to make a difference.

In all honesty, Glen is a bit more dashing than his actual counterpart. Especially in the physique department. So part of his persona is to wear sexy shorts aside the corporate attire on his torso. Also being a gay man, he chooses to walk the streets of New York in "costume" with a bucket raising funds for civil causes that are directly affected by the political repercussions of Mr. Pence. Organizations like Planned Parenthood or the Trevor Project. How cool is that!