Discretion Is Just Dishonesty Mixed With Good Breeding

Writer's Block: Agree to disagree

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 06:56:25 GMT

Have you ever stopped being friends with someone over differences in political views? Are there any issues that are so important to you that you cannot be friends with someone who holds a contrary opinion?

View 977 Answers

Not just for having different views, no, but I have found myself avoiding people who are jerks about it. You're not intolerant if you avoid people for awful behavior.

I'm impressed

Thu, 21 May 2009 17:50:31 GMT

x-posted from my knit blog. Saw it on t.v., and it was so good I had to share.

There are lots of people who knit for charity. Cari Clement took it to a whole new level.

Rwanda Knits

Through a USAID grant to our sister Rwanda-based NGO, Rwandans Allied for Peace and Progress, Rwanda Knits has enabled over 1,200 women to earn a living through making and selling their knitted goods. The organization has provided over 600 knitting machines and training to women in 17 associations throughout the country. The project has been described as one of USAID Rwanda's most successful income-producing projects. Today these associations have formed 29 knitting cooperatives who are registering as primary cooperatives, soon to be forming the country's first Secondary (umbrella-type) Artisan Cooperative.

That? Is awesome. And they're not just selling their products. They also knit sweaters for local the kids' school uniforms.

The Inevitable Knit Blog

Tue, 07 Apr 2009 06:03:47 GMT

Yes, I'm still here. Sometimes. But as of today, I'm also here: http://theinevitableknitblog.blogspot.com/

But can't you just shut up?

Sun, 16 Nov 2008 20:56:57 GMT

I seem to have fallen out of love with blogging.

But.

I need somewhere to complain. So here I go.

I still consider myself "mostly unemployed", although I do work sometimes. I do freelance and temp work, but it's never consistent or predictable. I had 6 straight weeks of full-time freelance work, which helped me catch up on my bills and last through the beginning of the dry spell that came after that. I get a day here, maybe three days there, of temp work, but I still collect unemployment checks most weeks. Since my unemployment benefits run out this week, there's a greater sense of urgency, and I'm hoping to find something seasonal pretty soon. (In other words, I'm hoping that someone needs to bulk up their employee roster quickly, and won't be too picky.) Lots of people have offered suggestions, and while I'm grateful for the help, I get downright PISSED OFF at the implication that anyone can just go out and get a job somewhere if they "really want to." So, all those applications and resumes I submitted were ignored because I didn't really want a job? When a restaurant manager loved me on the phone, asked me to come for an interview, and looked disappointed the moment I walked in the door, that was because I didn't really want it? When I go through periods of sending out dozens of resumes per day, get one interview, and get no offers from that interview, it's because I just didn't try hard enough? When I take a half day off from hourly freelance work so I can go to an interview, thereby gambling guaranteed money against potential future money, it's because I wasn't putting enough effort into it? Oh, but I could just go get some food service job, or something in retail, right? Except that I've applied for lots of jobs like that, and not gotten them! Starbuck's? Doesn't want me. Borders? Nope, not them, either. Caribou Coffee? Kohl's? I lost track of all of them. (It's very telling that the people who say "But can't you just..." are nearly always people who haven't had to apply for a job outside their usual area of experience since they were just out of school.) The only thing I can surmise from this is that they don't want someone who hasn't worked in those industries in years, and obviously isn't planning to stick around very long.

In the end, I don't really know why I can't find anything steady. I've dropped all but the following standards: 1) Nothing naked, 2) Nothing involving direct sales, because I'm terrible at it, and I'd get fired anyway, 3) Nothing involving multi-level marketing, for obvious reasons, and 4) Nothing illegal, harmful, or dangerous. And 5) I will not work in a nursing home. I don't know why this is a problem for me, it just is.

A big part of the problem is that work from the temp agencies has dried up. Like anything else, it goes through cycles, but this has been a long dry cycle, and not just for me. The recruiter from one of the agencies told me they're just not getting as many requests for workers as they usually do. That's the other problem- fewer jobs over all, and more unemployed and underemployed people trying to get them.

That's it. That's all. I'm just frustrated with well-intentioned but ignorant people who think they're helping me when they suggest I apply for a job that involves a 2-hour commute and for which I'm not qualified, or when they ask me why I haven't tried something I've already tried, or when they suggest I do some commission-based sales job of the sort that has never gone well for me in the past. Or when they say, as one person did, "Why don't you try playing to your strengths?" Oh my god! I never thought of that! Play to my strengths! Because all this time I've been deliberately playing to my weaknesses! *headdesk* That's right up there with "What would you do if you didn't have to work?" (Nothing that would translate into an obvious career path, that's what.) "But there's always stuff being advertised." (I know what you're talking about, and those are scams.) "Can you go back school?" (I'm in school, but I still need to work while I'm doing it.)"I get e-mails about jobs all the time!" (You got one e-mail, about one job, and that e-mail was sent to 5000 people.) "But you have a college degree!" (It's worth a lot in life experience, but still won't get me hired.) "Can't you just sign up with a temp agency or something?" (*headdesk*)

She lives!

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 03:26:32 GMT

Busy girl has been busy. More later.

Curtains!

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 00:32:37 GMT

Was it a bad idea to spend $60 on curtains when I'm behind in my car payment and also have to pay my fall tuition in a few days? What if they were $200 curtains? And I really needed thicker curtains in my bedroom? And I can move the old bedroom curtains to the living room and layer them over the ugly blinds? Is that okay?

Should I?

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 04:22:21 GMT

I'm thinking of applying for this job, since it obviously matches my skill set, but I'm a little worried about potentially having to move.

WANT

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 22:08:42 GMT

If such a thing existed, I would definitely start jogging again.

Victoria's Circuit

The idea of an energy-generating bra isn't as crazy as it might sound. A company called Triumph International Japan recently unveiled a solar-powered bra that supposedly will generate enough energy to power an iPod. But I live in foggy San Francisco and prefer not to walk around in my underwear in public. Could someone design an iPod-powering bra for me?

Boobie physics? Jiggle power? Whatever. I'm in.

I can do this... right?

Sun, 10 Aug 2008 22:36:49 GMT

Aug. 1: 218 lbs. (my "personal best")
Aug. 10: 215 lbs. (okay, there was some tummy trouble, but I'll take it)
Goal: 5 lbs. per month, for a year

Peer pressure, dammit, peer pressure!

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 23:32:21 GMT

I finally caved in and joined Facebook. (My oh-so-sophisticated and grown-up Mensa friends made me do it!) Nice to have a new distraction, I think. Seems my sister, cousins, and mother are all represented there.

Yes, you heard me, my 60-year-old mother is on Facebook. I will give no credit to arguments that old people can't handle computers.

Well said

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 12:31:24 GMT

(ganked from that place with all the pictures)

Cheep cheep cheep...

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 01:41:03 GMT

A friend installed an IM system called Pidgin on my laptop. It seems to be related to AOL in some way. (I signed in using my old AIM username, which was also my AOL username, way back when.) I've got it, and I want to test it, but the few people I know who use Pidgin don't seem to be online. So, if you can communicate using Pidgin, or AIM, or whatever this hting is based in, my username is my actual first and last name as one word. (If you don't know my actual first and last name, e-mail me and I'll tell it to you!)

If you live in Logan Square RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 01:03:52 GMT

The National Weather Service keeps breaking into the Colbert Report to tell me that a tornado is headed directly for DuPage and western Cook County, so OMG RUN FOR YOUR LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIFFE! Except that they always say "Cook County" instead of "Just that little part of Cook County all the way out to the west" and they also say "The National Weather Service in Chicago" instead of "Really, what we mean by Chicago is Romeoville, because that's where the office is located", so I

Oooh, never mind! I was just going to type that it has nothing to do with me, but the teevee says it's heading right for the middle of the north side LIEK OMG PROTECT NAVY PIER!!!!

Seriously. There are perks to living in a basement apartment. Just hope my neighbors don't want to come down here. This place is a mess. Note to self: clean apartment in anticipation of future tornado parties.

Knitknitknitknitknitknitknitknit

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 00:57:14 GMT

Dear Knitting Designers:

If I'm supposed to base my project size on my high-hip measurement, please say that in the pattern. Otherwise, I will take the term "hip measurement" to mean the fullest part of the hips, because that's what it means, and I will knit the wrong size.

And, who gets 5 stitches per inch on Cascade Pima Tencel? I'm getting 6.25" stitches per inch. Who measures this stuff, anyway?

Love,

Me

Class of '93

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 04:31:13 GMT

Found an old diary today. Entries were few and sporadic (for someone who wanted to be a writer, I didn't write much) and covered mainly 1989-1991, my 9th and 10th grade years. I was surprised at how many things that now stand out as very important memories never made it to paper (but then, I only journalled now and then) and how many things seemed crucial to me then that have since faded into a long blur of old memories. But there were a few entries that made me laugh, and a few that reminded me of how far I've come, and one or two that let me know I'm still the same person. Although there are fewer than 30 entries, I can see that forceful optimism I had when I started high school fading into the pervasive sadness that would follow me around into my 20's, and finally break me. And I can see a tiny glimpse of the person I hoped I would become, hiding inside someone who was busy perfecting the art of hiding. Boys, boys, boys, and feeling mortified because my brother knew which boys I liked. Reading The Outsiders, wondering if not having a date to a school dance made me, like, totally lame, and learning how to ask boys to dance. (Well, I didn't have a date! I wasn't going to just sit there!) Going to a New Kids on the Block concert (yes, really). A girl at my school killing herself on the baseball field.

This was the period in which I really started to come into conflict with my parents, but I usually only recorded my feelings, not the events that led to them. And the worst of it happened in the 2-year interval between the penultimate entry in 1991, and the final entry, from my first year in college, in 1993. I honestly don't remember if I kept another journal during that time. Oh, I was great at angsty poetry, though. That notebook has yet to surface. :)

Proposed Chicago Law May Require Spay/Neuter

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 20:30:05 GMT

The Chicago City Council is set to vote on an ordinance that will require all pet owners to spay or neuter their cats and dogs. This is a copy of the e-mail I received from PAWS Chicago regarding the ordinance:

Next Tuesday, July 29 is a very important day for animal welfare in Chicago. Alderman Ed Burke, Chairman of the Finance Committee and Alderman Rugai, will be introducing the Pet Overpopulation & Safety Ordinance. Alderman Burke and Rugai have drafted this ordinance as a crime-fighting, humane and taxpayer friendly solution to Chicago's pet overpopulation, stray and animal crime problems.

This ordinance will require mandatory spay/neuter for dogs and cats more than 6 months of age. The ordinance includes seven clear exemptions that respect the rights of compliant animal breeders, police dogs, working dogs, show dogs, law enforcement animals and for family pets deemed by a veterinarian to have a valid medical reason not to be spay/neutered.

Those who do not wish to spay/neuter their pets will be able to purchase a breeder's license. Many backyard breeders keep pets in inhumane conditions and are not registered or inspected. This ordinance will require registration of breeders and a mechanism to monitor that breeders engage in safe and humane practices.

I do believe that people should spay or neuter their pets. I do NOT believe that it should be required by law.

This is the e-mail I sent to the alderman sponsoring the ordinance, as well as to the alderman for my ward:

Mr. Burke-

I recently learned through PAWS Chicago that you are spear-heading a potential ordinance that will require all cats and dogs in the city to be spayed or neutered. I am a PAWS Chicago volunteer, and I believe very strongly that people should make the responsible choice to spay or neuter any pets they do not intend to breed. However, I also believe this should be a choice, and not something foisted upon them by the local version of a nanny state. There may be people who truly believe that spay/neuter is not the best choice for their animal. There may also be people who believe that, even with the free and low-cost spay/neuter services offered through PAWS, they cannot afford the surgery and cannot afford the breeder's license, and therefore choose to dump their pet on the street or with Animal Care & Control.

We live in a society that advocates responsible choice, and I believe we must let that mentality rule in this case. I thank you for your efforts to reduce dogfighting in this city, but I urge you to rethink the portion of the ordinance that relates to forced veterinary surgery. Perhaps the city could help reduce the burden on people who choose to spay/neuter by paying for the surgery, rather than forcing citizens to find the money themselves in this time of great economic hardship.

Thank you for your time. I have copied this e-mail to Mr. Mell, who is my alderman.

I'm aware that my opinion is extremely unpopular in certain circles, but I feel the need to make my thoughts known. Please make your own opinions, either for or against the ordinance, known by contacting your alderman!

Um... yay?

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 21:00:20 GMT

That's weird- the numbers say I should have a B in macroeconomics, but the system lists an A for me. Maybe the instructor adjusted the grades on some kind of curve? Not that I'm not willing to take the A, and I can see from the listed averages that I beat the average score on 6 out of 8 assignments, but... this is odd. I feel a sense of... what is it? Acheivement? No. Pride? Not that, either. Slightly less self-loathing than usual? Yep, I think we've landed on it.

Also, Geography: B. Coulda been better, but I'll take it.

Dear All My Future Instructors: Amy doesn't test well. I have poor memorization skills, especially in the short term, and poor concentration, and also I get things all out of order, especially numbers, except, strangely, when it comes to calculations related to money. If you're going to insist on basing the entire course grade on exams, this is the best I'm going to be able to do. Next time, maybe some nice essay assignments and such, please? Especially the kind where I can overanalyze trivial things, and maybe make some pretty graphs. I love that stuff. Love and kisses, Me.

What 4th century god had to say...

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 05:25:11 GMT

This is totally on my next summer online reading list:

Oldest Bible Pieced Together

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 23:43:57 GMT

Long and pointless meme, ganked from ignorant_bliss, for, really, no good reason. Read only if you wish to waste your time. Seriously.

01) Bold what is true about you.
02) Underline what is half true.
03) Italicize what you wish was true about you.

• I miss somebody right now
• I don't watch much TV these days.
• I own lots of books.
• I wear glasses or contact lenses.
• I love to play video games.
• I've tried marijuana.
• I've watched porn movies.
• I have been the psycho-ex in a past relationship.
• I believe honesty is usually always the best policy.
• I curse sometimes.
• I have changed a lot mentally over the last year.
• I carry my knife/razor everywhere with me.
• I have broken someone's bones.
• I have a secret that I am ashamed to reveal.
• I hate the rain.
• I'm paranoid at times.
• I would get plastic surgery if it were 100% safe, free of cost, and scar-free.
• I need/want money right now.
• I love sushi.
• I talk really, really fast.
• I have fresh breath in the morning.
• I have long hair.
• I have lost money in Las Vegas.
• I have at least one sibling.
• I have worn fake hair/fingernails/eyelashes in the past.
• I couldn't survive without Caller I.D.
• I like the way that I look.
• I have lied to a good friend in the last 6 months.
• I am usually pessimistic.
• I have a lot of mood swings.
• I think prostitution should be legalized.
• I slept with a roommate.
• I have a hidden talent.
• I'm always hyper no matter how much sugar I have.
• I have a lot of friends.
• I have kissed someone of the same sex. (She kissed me...)
• I enjoy talking on the phone.
• I practically live in sweatpants or PJ pants.
• I love to shop and/or window shop.
• I'm obsessed with my Livejournal.
• I don't hate anyone. (I try not to. Does that count?)
• I'm a pretty good dancer.
• I'm completely embarrassed to be seen with my mother.
• I have a cell/mobile phone.
• I have passed out drunk in the past 6 months.
• I've rejected someone before. (Who hasn't?)
• I have no idea what I want to do for the rest of my life.
• I want to have children in the future.
• I have changed a diaper before.
• I have a lot to learn.
• I am shy around the opposite sex.
• I'm online 24/7, even as an away message.
• I have at least 5 away messages saved.
• I have made a move on a friend's significant other or crush in the past.
• I own the "South Park" movie.
• I have avoided assignments at work/school to be on Livejournal.
• I enjoy some country music.
• I would die for my best friend(s). (I guess it depends on the circumstance.)
• I'm obsessive, and often a perfectionist.
• I have used my sexuality to advance my career.
• Halloween is awesome because you get free candy.
• I have dated a close friend's ex.
• I am happy at this moment.
• I'm obsessed with guys/girls.
• Democrat. (Try liberally-minded independent.)
• Conservative Republican.
• I am punk-rockish.
• I go for older guys/girls, not younger.
• I study for tests most of the time.
• I tie my shoelaces differently from anyone I’ve ever met.
• I can work on a car. (I can sit on a car bumper and do homework.)
• I love my job. (What job?)
• I am comfortable with who I am right now.
• I have more than just my ears pierced.
• I walk barefoot wherever I can.
• I have jumped off a bridge.
• I love sea turtles.
• I spend ridiculous amounts of money on makeup.
• I plan on achieving a major goal/dream.
• I am proficient on a musical instrument. (Kinda. I'm out of practice, but once upon a time I could play the flute pretty well.)
• I hate office jobs.
• I went to college out of state.
• I am adopted.
• I am a pyro.
• I have thrown up from crying too much.
• I have been intentionally hurt by people that I loved.
• I fall for the worst people and have been hurt every time.
• I adore bright colours.
• I usually like covers better than originals.
• I hate chain theme restaurants like Applebees and TGIFridays. (Love and hate, my friends, love and hate.)
• I can pick up things with my toes.
• I can't whistle.
• I have ridden/owned a horse.
• I still have every journal I've ever written in.
• I talk in my sleep.
• I've often thought that I was born in the wrong century.
• I try to forget things by drowning them out with loads of distractions.
• I wear a toe ring. (Not currently.)
• I have a tattoo. (Two of 'em.)
• I can't stand at LEAST one person that I work with.
• I am a caffeine junkie.
• I am completely tree-huggy spiritual, and I'm not ashamed at all.
• If I knew I would get away with it, I would commit at least one murder.
• I've cosplayed or know what cosplaying is. (I read an article about it.)
• I have been to over 15 conventions.
• I will collect anything, and the more nonsensical, the better.
• I enjoy a nice glass of wine with dinner.
• I'm an artist.
• I am ambidextrous.
• I sleep with so many stuffed animals, I can hardly fit on my bed.
• If it weren't for having to see other people naked, I'd live in a nudist colony.
• I have terrible teeth.
• I have more friends on the internet than in real life.
• I have lived in either three different states or countries. (For how long?)
• I am extremely flexible.
• I want to own my own business.
• I smoke.
• I spend way too much time on the computer.
• Nobody has ever said I'm normal.
• Sad movies, games, fics and the like can cause a trickle of tears every now and then.
• I am proficient in the use of many types of firearms and combat weapons.
• I like the way women look in stylized men's suits.
• I don't like it when people are displeased or seem displeased with me.
• I have been described as a dreamer or likely to have my head up in the clouds. (Something of a dreamer... something of a fool...)
• I have played strip poker with someone else before.
• I have had emotional problems for which I have sought professional help.
• I believe in ghosts and the paranormal.
• I can't stand being alone.
• I have at least one obsession at any given time.
• I weigh myself, pee/poo, and then weigh myself again.
• I consistently spend way too much money on obsessions-of-the-moment.
• I'm a judgmental asshole.

Wherein our heroine whines again.

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 03:29:18 GMT

This weekend's goal: Rip apart whole apartment. Make four piles: goes on craigslist, goes to Myopic Books, goes to Brown Elephant, just plain goes. Maybe five piles- has anyone ever had any luck with Crossroads Trading Company? I've been jumping over piles of clutter for far too long.

Plus, this way I'll have less stuff to move around when I get evicted for non-payment of my rent.

No, seriously, it's the same old problem. If I do get the job for which I interviewed yesterday, it will still be, oh, three weeks or so before I see a paycheck. And, since I haven't gotten the last 4000 jobs for which I interviewed, including two waitress jobs last week, I'm not optimistic. (Why do the restaurant owners love me on the phone, but not in person?) There's a city (or is it county?) agency that will pay your rent for you for just one month, but- and here's the paradox of the thing- they will only do it if you have a job. So, if I get the job, then I call these people, and they agree to pay my July rent for me, but did I mention that it takes four weeks for that payment to take place? So, by then, I'd have a paycheck. And if I don't get the job? Then the unthinkable must happen. I must go beg my parents for $660, in addition to the nearly $10,000 (yes, really) that I've borrowed from them in the past year.

How- HOW- did I get to this point?!?

That ain't the end, sure ain't where I began...

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 20:46:29 GMT

Inspired by ainsley: This day in LJ history!

2007: No post, but on the 4th I rambled re: the new (current) apartment.
2006: New little kitten, and suburban isolation.
2005: No post this day, but on the 2nd I discussed my ornery cat's angry overnight visit to the vet.
2004: Three posts in one day! One about how I'm liek-woe-so-sad and life sucks, one about going to SummerDance the previous night, and one with song lyrics, beause, apparently, I am 15 and liek-woe-so-emo.
2003: No LJ yet, so no record of my life for two more months!

Woof

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 03:44:34 GMT

Did my first PAWS presentation last week, at a park district day camp. We had a group age 6-9, followed by a group age 10-12. The older kids answered direct questions, and generally weren't very disruptive. The younger kids... well... sometimes it went like this, "Who knows what spay and neuter mean?" *hands go up* "Yes, you?" "I have a dog!" Okay. :)

I have to say, I really enjoyed it. This was my first presentation, and I blanked a few times, losing track of what I was supposed to say, especially with the wiggly, impatient younger kids. I co-presented with another woman, and we switched back and forth after each section of the presentation. I, silly, girl that I am, offered to do the last section, which covers dog fighting. My presentation style is very engaged, and borderline theatrical, but I think I handled the switch to serious subject matter pretty well.

There was one sort of heart-breaking moment, when I was explaining about how organized dog fighting is illegal, and even watching it is illegal, and you should tell a grown-up, like your parents, if you find out about a dog fight, but if you can't tell you parents, you could tell your teacher or maybe one of your day camp counselors. And a little girl, maybe 10 years old, raised her hand and asked in a small voice what you should do if the person who would get in trouble is someone you care about, like someone in your family... Oh. We told her that she could tell another adult, and no one would ever have to know that she was the one who told, but... how do you tell a kid, "Okay, yes, it's totally okay to rat out your parents, and they won't know that you were the one who told, but that won't help you much when you're in a foster home because your folks are in jail." I hope she told someone.

After the presentations, the kids lined up and took turns petting therapy dogs, using the routine they'd been taught. (Ask the owner's permission, let the dog sniff your hand, then pet its side.) I walked up and down the line with a dog puppet and reminded the littler kids what they were supposed to do, and, of course, they wanted to play with the puppet. The girls, almost invariably, wanted to cuddle it, and the boys, almost invariably, wanted to growl and make it bite people. :)

Wherein our heroine becomes a bag lady

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 16:03:15 GMT

Fed up with the number of plastic bags in my kitchen (you can't just throw them away, can you?) and in need of a beginner crochet project, I made... a cute little shopping bag! And then I made another one! (not pictured) The second one is bigger, and holds about twice as much stuff as the first. I'm also working on a third, smallish one, provided I have enough of this leftover dk yarn for it. (Berrocco Comfort DK- for scarves and shopping bags!) The fine people at Trader Joe's did heap much praise on my hand-made bags, oh yes they did!

Fire! Fire!

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 15:46:17 GMT

I'm driving south on Western last night, headed for Addison Ave., and notice a great plume of black smoke hovering over the street in front of Lane Tech. As I turn right on Addison, I see a flame, which from my vantage point appears to be in front of the school. Are the kids having a nice summer bonfire? Aw, how all-American of them! Except... why is that fire engine zipping down Addison, lights and sirens screaming, toward the fire?

I couldn't help it, really- I had to turn around and drive into the Jewel parking lot so I could see what was happening. (Yes, I'm that person now.) Seems a motorcycle was on fire.

Yes, you read that right. A motorcycle was on fire. Not crashed. Just on fire. This was no mere spark- the whole thing was engulfed in flames. Some of the other on-lookers and passers-by said that "the guy came out and his motorcycle was on fire!" Came out of where? The school? The grocery store? And why- why- was the motorcycle on fire? Revenge? Faulty wiring? Spontaneous combustion? Who knows? Maybe it really was a summer bonfire, set by rambunctious high school students who couldn't find any decent kindling.

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 23:54:27 GMT

It shouldn't have been funny, but it really, really was.

As I was walking out of Truman College this afternoon, I heard an alarm from the firehouse across the street and, with a certain wide-eyed, childish excitement, I stopped to watch the fire engine pull out onto the street.

The big center garage door opened, the truck started forward, and... oh, dear. Someone left what appears to be an office chair right in front of the door. The big, red truck pushed the chair forward a few feet, then ran right over it. Crunch! Except that crunchy former office chair got caught up in the right front wheel well. One of the firefighters hopped out to see what was going on, and the driver, apparently hoping to allow his friend to clear the remains of the chair out of the way, backed up the engine. This would have been a great idea except... wait for it... that's right, you've got it: the garage door had already begun to close! Crunch! Crack! Smash! Yow. The chair was tossed aside, and the truck continued on its way.

I couldn't help it. I had to take a picture of the damage. As I was crossing the street, the garage door opened again. Well, it opened halfway. A confused FD employee came out and asked what had just happened.

"The truck backed into the door!" I told him, having more than a little trouble hiding my amusement. He'd been inside, and had heard the guys go out on the call, but hadn't heard or seen what happened. I had to convince him that, yes, really, it was the guys in the big, red truck that had done the damage.

"This is a nightmare," he said. Oh. Yes, I suppose it is a problem. If the garage door can't open, then how can they get the truck back inside, or out again on the next call?

I drove past a few minutes later, on my way home, and the truck, or one like it, was parked in front of the fire house again. Someone's legs were sticking out from under the front end of it. Maybe he was fixing the damage to the underside of the truck. Or maybe when you leave an office chair in front of the firehouse doors, they punish you by parking a big, red truck on your chest.