Tuesday, August 16, 2005:

I have already called the police. On Saturday, I really couldn't sleep. I was on edge and tossing-- it is hot and I am used to 50 degree sleeping weather-- but my eagle ears pick up a ding ding ding of an open door and a conversation involving male voices who sound disgruntled and more importantly sounds like they are standing in my patio at the back of the house. I slip out of bed and peek through the shades in the spare bedroom, which is also at the back of the house. I see a SUV the size of a tank that looks like it is parked in our driveway. Wanting a better look I creep down the hall and through the dining room into the kitchen dosing the nightlights that are in the rooms as I go and peer through the service porch window. I find that not only is there an Escalade parked in our driveway the door are all open -- explaining the ding ding ding-- but there is another car parked in the middle of the street the SUV guys are gathered around the car parked in the middle of the street having their conversation. As a homeowner-- ok de-facto homeowner, but what ever-- a gathering of yuts in long shorts, tshirts and knee high socks just hanging in front of my, er, our house is disturbing. We just... he just paid $700+ for this place and now it looks like we are in the ghetto. It is at this point I realize that I need a better look. So I creep out to my kitchen standing in the shadow, leaning on the wall. let me just mention that I was in my boy briefs undies and nothing else. All of a sudden the kitchen light flashes and then dims and then comes full on. Damn touch dimmer! I slam the light off and head back to the bedroom. Now Terran is deaf in one ear and sleeps on his good ear so this is all happening to his oblivion. I decide to roll him over and I whisper into his ear -- Honey I am calling the police- there are a bunch of yuts parked in the driveway and just milling on our street. I am stumbling in the dark to find a shirt of some sort and grab the phones-- cell and wireless. I pull on a black tshirt and head out the door. He stumbles after me and is wondering what the fuss is about. I take him into the guest bedroom and he tells me he sees nothing. I tell him to follow me but to stay in the shadows. Terran is now waking up and asks me why all the night lights are out. I tell him I don't want to be seen... we sneak into the laundry room. Terran all casual, me all tightly strung. He sees the big SUV and the group of yuts and wakes up all the way. I call 911 and they pick up right away. It is a man and I tell him about the group of youths hanging out. The phone call is quite comical. I say "well we just moved here and I couldn't sleep because it is so warm and I heard voices so I look and there are a bunch of guys in my driveway. Look I don't want any trouble but they are freaking me out." He asks for some discriptions and I describe the SUV and the number of yuts -- I number them at about 7 then I tell him that I can only see part of the sitch since I am just in bra and panties and don't want to be seen. He laughs and says what I have given is fine. He tells me to stay calm and they will send some cars by to shoo them away. I tell him, look we paid alot of money for this house and I don't like the fact riff raff is just hanging out like they own the place. He tells me to stay where I am and that the ice cream shop on the corner has been a problem since it opened.

At this point Terran is standing on the wall with the dimmer switch. I hiss to him not to get close to the light switch. He gets huffy until later when I explained what had happened and he laughed that I had been topless for the event.

The 911 op and I hang up. I pace in the shadows for what seems like 30 minutes but was more like 3 minutes until I see the first cop car. I watch as the cars load up and drive off down toward the Ice Cream shop. Then I hear the familiar chop chop of the LAPD police helo. Cool! Look what I did!

I watch with delight as the copter does rotations above our house and then lights up the parking lot of the 711 and ice cream shop a block away. Our cat, TB, climbs up on a box column between us and looks out the window and mews loudly his displeasure about the noise outside and the activity in the house. I turn to Terran and say with glee" wow they are really lighting up the 711!" Terran, the best straight man ever, says "honey, let's go to bed" and shuttles me back to the bedroom. I am now wide awake and just lie there listening to the chop chop of the helo and watch the light dance off the trees. In the darkness, as the helo is buzzing our house, Terran calmly says, Gee honey (chop chop chop) thanks for calling the police." To which I giggle and say "yeah because now it sounds like we live in Friggin Beirut". We both start giggling.

He was out right at about the time the helo turned off the spotlight and flew off towards South Central. Sleep came slow to me. My head was filled with thoughts from the event. Well, at least my good fortune of living in places with quick police response times has continued. Manhattan Beach -- 1 minute. Palo Alto -- 2 minutes and 2 K9 units. Glendale -- 3 minutes and a HELO! Humph, this place is going to be fine. What a wild Saturday night, and I stayed home. What a dork running around being topless spy girl. What an idiot with the dimmer switch...

Well back to my boxes. Only about 15 left. Then I can start working on the outside of the house. Getting painting samples today, more contact paper, the end of the tunnel is nearing.