20
Jan
10
Sarah and I were watching a movie last night, ("Off the Map", which I highly recommend), when we started hearing a plethora of sirens pass by on Chicago Ave. I noticed that they seemed to be stopping near by and went up to peek out the window. Sure enough, the end of the block was lit up like a Christmas tree with cops and firetrucks. And I could see thick billows of dark smoke rolling across the street. "Holy shit," I thought, "Someone's house is on fire!"
After throwing on a jacket, we walked out into the closed off street with the rest of the gawking neighbors to see what was going on. It was clear that the apartment building at the end of the block was the source of the smoke (which was thick, black, and dense at this point). One of the guys who lived in the building said he had seen what'd happened, and after giving a report to the police related the story to us.
Apparently the Angry Guy* had been evicted yesterday and was extra angry. So he started an abandoned car on fire that was parked between the apartment building and the garage. From there, the fire quickly spread to the garage and gutted it before the firefighters could quell the blaze.
* Angry Guy is the last of the weirdos on our block. After the crack whore was evicted, it had been relatively quiet on our block. But every now and then I hear the Angry Guy walk past the front of the Manfort yelling at himself and the world in general as he passes. I knew that Angry Guy lived in the apartment building at the end of the block and often saw him pacing on the sidewalk across from the bus stop yelling at passing cars, himself, and anything else that approached in a pretty incoherent fashion about who knows what. I just chalked him up as one of our local loonies. According to a neighbor, he'd been in a mental hospital for a number of months this last Fall/Winter and had recently been released only to upgrade to local arsonist.
After most of the police and firemen left, we made sure that the neighbors could return to their building and went back in to warm up and finish our movie. I guess we won't have to worry about mister Angry-Pants Guy anymore. Like Dr. Buddy Rydell says, "Repeat after me, goosefraba..."
10
Dec
09
Let me tell you a story...
With the end of yesterday's big snow storm, I spent a good two hours shoveling the various pathways around the Manfort. But it took the plow until around 11:00 PM to come through and clear the road to the curb. So after finishing my evening movie, (Transformers II), I put on my coat and headed out at half past midnight to shovel a path through the snowbank before the snow turned into the icy equivalent of granite by morning.
A couple of shovel-fulls into it, I notice a cop turn the corner and come down Chicago Ave toward me. He flicks on the spotlight and blinds me as he pulls up. I'm sure I looked quite menacing in my blaze orange winter coat wielding a snow shovel. [rolls eyes] We have the following exchange:
Passenger-side Cop: What are you up to?"
Me (wanting to say, "Looking for buried treasure"): "Shoveling snow."
Passenger-side Cop: "Why are you shoveling in the middle of the night?"
Me (probably looking more than annoyed): "So that I can clear this path before the snow turns rock hard."
Passenger-side Cop: "Well, it's dangerous to be in the roadway. You should probably do that in the morning."
Me: "So you're saying it would be less dangerous when there's twenty times more traffic on the road during the day?" (Oh snap! I secretly congratulate myself)
Passenger-side Cop: "I suppose you're right, carry on then."
Me: stares at idiot cop waiting for them to leave...
Passenger-side Cop: "Have a good night." And they drive off at 5 miles an hour for the next two or three blocks.
Me: "Alright, buddy. Enjoy that donut. Dumbass."
Now my lack of a successful alliance with our local police is no secret, but I thought that was just effing ridiculous. Thanks for wasting 5 minutes of my life. And good job protecting our community against those dangerous midnight snow shovelers.
21
Aug
08
The Ghetto-chopper hovers
over my back yard.
Well this is fun (not). I'm sitting here with Sid watching Family Guy when 4 or 5 cop sirens blast past on Chicago Ave at Mach 2. What the hell is going on?! I peek out the front window and witness another dozen cop cars fly by. I notice they're all congregating at the corner. 42nd and Chicago.
What the hell?!
So I lock Sid in the kitchen and walk out the back door into the alley. Upon reaching 42nd, I say hello to the rest of the neighbors gathering to see what's going on and get stopped by two separate squad cars on the way. (Guess I look suspicious in the alley with my wife-beater on.)
Apparently someone in a ripped off vehicle ripped down 42nd and then Chicago at over 100 mph then quickly ditched the car and ran into my neighborhood. So over 50 police (no exaggeration) are currently canvassing my block.
I've been warned that a canine unit will sniff my back yard and I should stay inside with the doors locked. Uh -- yeah. No problem, sirs. Want me to send Sid after 'em?
And now I hear the ghetto-chopper overhead and see the spotlight lighting up our back yards. Watch the news tomorrow!
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Sarah and I were watching a movie last night, ("Off the Map", which I highly recommend), when we started hearing a plethora of sirens pass by on Chicago Ave. I noticed that they seemed to be stopping near by and went up to peek out the window. Sure enough, the end of the block was lit up like a Christmas tree with cops and firetrucks. And I could see thick billows of dark smoke rolling across the street. "Holy shit," I thought, "Someone's house is on fire!")
