Random, stupid things on your mind

[PB]

...  "ill-mannered neighbor"

Back in college, heading downstairs one evening, I slipped on the bottom step of the stairway on some ice someone had tracked in, stumbled, and broke the window at the bottom of the stairs.  Cut my chin, got some stitches, and that should have been the end of it.  The window was fixed, and they put a wooden plank across the middle of it.

I get a letter from the school with a $35 bill for replacing the broken window.  I appeal, thinking that was a dumb, dangerous place for a window, it was their staircase that had the ice and snow on it, no handrails, etc.  And they now had a barrier across it - presumably because it was dangerous.  And besides, I didn't have the $35, and that was a lot of beer.

So I appeal.  I go to this student run session with 2 or 3 other students appealing various fines.  Each of them make their case, are ruled against, and it's my turn.  They conclude I have to pay.  ''Oh really'', I say.  ''How about this: I pay for my stitches, you pay for the window, and I don't sue you for having this dangerous situation that could have ended much worse''.  After needing a few days for deliberation, they agreed of course - I get a letter with each of our cases and the results, me being the only one having the fine overturned.

In that letter, for each of the appellants there was a short summary, the argument, and the result.  Mine had that as well, except in the last part where they told the result, it said, quote, ''while we found Mr. ---- to be a rather unpleasant sort...''.  Like I'm supposed to feel bad I didn't just fold like the others.  I still have that letter.

I go home at the end of the quarter and find they've sent a copy to my home address as well, for my mom to read I suppose.  Except where did they think I learned to fight back?

''A rather unpleasant sort''.  Yeah I get that way when someone is trying to pull some BS.  Except all I did was tell them what they were risking over $35, I wasn't unpleasant at all, just the message.

[KSM]

Back in college, heading downstairs one evening, I slipped on the bottom step of the stairway on some ice someone had tracked in, stumbled, and broke the window at the bottom of the stairs.  Cut my chin, got some stitches, and that should have been the end of it.  The window was fixed, and they put a wooden plank across the middle of it.

I get a letter from the school with a $35 bill for replacing the broken window.  I appeal, thinking that was a dumb, dangerous place for a window, it was their staircase that had the ice and snow on it, no handrails, etc.  And they now had a barrier across it - presumably because it was dangerous.  And besides, I didn't have the $35, and that was a lot of beer.

So I appeal.  I go to this student run session with 2 or 3 other students appealing various fines.  Each of them make their case, are ruled against, and it's my turn.  They conclude I have to pay.  ''Oh really'', I say.  ''How about this: I pay for my stitches, you pay for the window, and I don't sue you for having this dangerous situation that could have ended much worse''.  After needing a few days for deliberation, they agreed of course - I get a letter with each of our cases and the results, me being the only one having the fine overturned.

In that letter, for each of the appellants there was a short summary, the argument, and the result.  Mine had that as well, except in the last part where they told the result, it said, quote, ''while we found Mr. ---- to be a rather unpleasant sort...''.  Like I'm supposed to feel bad I didn't just fold like the others.  I still have that letter.

I go home at the end of the quarter and find they've sent a copy to my home address as well, for my mom to read I suppose.  Except where did they think I learned to fight back?

''A rather unpleasant sort''.  Yeah I get that way when someone is trying to pull some BS.  Except all I did was tell them what they were risking over $35, I wasn't unpleasant at all, just the message.

I got a chuckle out of "a rather unpleasant sort" Was @TigerLily on the board?

[TigerLily]

I got a chuckle out of "a rather unpleasant sort" Was @TigerLily on the board?

So PB. You were born unpleasant. I think you should have donated the $35 to the party fund. And quit whining about the stitches. I'm sure they helped add a ruggedly handsome cast to that otherwise bland face

[PB]

So PB. You were born unpleasant. I think you should have donated the $35 to the party fund. And quit whining about the stitches. I'm sure they helped add a ruggedly handsome cast to that otherwise bland face

Oh, the irony.

[KSM]

So PB. You were born unpleasant. I think you should have donated the $35 to the party fund. And quit whining about the stitches. I'm sure they helped add a ruggedly handsome cast to that otherwise bland face

Oh, the irony.

Hehehehe  youuuu twoooo

[PB]

heh heh heh

Well that took a while. The branches and trimmings must have been a dead mess by now.  I'm betting that no further similar incidents occur..   "ill-mannered neighbor"

I think I was right, it's the brother-in-law.  I've seen him do the heavy yardwork, and he was over there doing more yardwork the day the clippings I tossed back finally disappeared.

The old lady owns the house, and her son - who's older and apparently retired - lives with her.  I've seen them 2 or 3 times in 20 years - their patio is one the far side of their house from me.  The sister and BIL come over from time to time, not all that often.  I see the cars because the driveway curves and takes up the front yard instead of going back.


So I see the BIL yesterday or the day before, but it wasn't until today I go out to my backyard, and over to the side yard next to theirs.

I find out that SOB threw a huge amount of clippings into my yard AGAIN, this time behind the side yard fence so I didn't see it from the street.

I just got back from dragging it all over there and spreading it out over his driveway.  So he can't miss it.

He didn't come to the door, again.  This time I left a note - legally allowed to trim up to the property line, don't reach over, don't throw it into my yard, in violation of trespassing, dumping, and since he won't come to the door if it happens again I'll have the police come out and explain it to him. 

F this guy.  When provoked PB can be a rather unpleasant sort.

[KSM]

I think I was right, it's the brother-in-law.  I've seen him do the heavy yardwork, and he was over there doing more yardwork the day the clippings I tossed back finally disappeared.

The old lady owns the house, and her son - who's older and apparently retired - lives with her.  I've seen them 2 or 3 times in 20 years - their patio is one the far side of their house from me.  The sister and BIL come over from time to time, not all that often.  I see the cars because the driveway curves and takes up the front yard instead of going back.


So I see the BIL yesterday or the day before, but it wasn't until today I go out to my backyard, and over to the side yard next to theirs.

I find out that SOB threw a huge amount of clippings into my yard AGAIN, this time behind the side yard fence so I didn't see it from the street.

I just got back from dragging it all over there and spreading it out over his driveway.  So he can't miss it.

He didn't come to the door, again.  This time I left a note - legally allowed to trim up to the property line, don't reach over, don't throw it into my yard, in violation of trespassing, dumping, and since he won't come to the door if it happens again I'll have the police come out and explain it to him. 

F this guy.  When provoked PB can be a rather unpleasant sort.

Wow. This has gone to a whole other level now. I guess the police may actually have to be brought into it..

Based on what you've told me, I figured that was the last of it as you made yourself rather clear through your actions two weeks ago. And now this.. Have you been taking pictures? This has judge Judy dispute all over it.

[PB]

Wow. This has gone to a whole other level now. I guess the police may actually have to be brought into it..

Based on what you've told me, I figured that was the last of it as you made yourself rather clear through your actions two weeks ago. And now this.. Have you been taking pictures? This has judge Judy dispute all over it.

More like 2 months ago.

This was considerably more than last time, it took half a dozen big loads to drag it back over there.  I took a pic of the note I left, but not the branches.  Quite a bit of it was from a massive rose bush, so in my haste I got scratched up a bit.

The owner and her son are Japanese, from Hawaii.  So maybe the law in either of those places is different.

But the BIL is white, and appears to be a run-of-the-mill local.  I see discussions on this very topic from time to time on Nextdoor.com and Quora, so maybe he's just clueless.  Maybe.  They all know now.  The 7:30 am doorbell ringing likely sent the household into a flutter if nothing else.

[Peter Wyngarde]

'Born Unpleasant': PB - The Unauthorized Biography.

The front cover shows PB scowling at a homeless person. Currently available from the EllGab bookshop.

[PB]

'Born Unpleasant': PB - The Unauthorized Biography.

The front cover shows PB scowling at a homeless person. Currently available from the EllGab bookshop.

Lol.  Only when provoked.  I've had women tell me how amazing it is to walk down certain streets with me and no bums beg, follow, harass, etc.

Not a scowl, game face.


This is on the inside of the dust jacket.

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

[PB]

'Born Unpleasant': PB - The Unauthorized Biography.

The front cover shows PB scowling at a homeless person. Currently available from the EllGab bookshop.

So the other day I go to Safeway.  I park fairly close, and see two guys canvassing between where I parked and the door.  Wanting signatures, handing out brochures, asking for donations, something along those lines.  Grownups, not kids.

One of them comes over to greet me, I ignore him and go in.  10 minutes later I come out and he's standing pretty close to the truck, he greets me again and I ignore him and walk to the truck.  He follows me and again it's ''hello sir'' or some such.

Holy shit.  Ignoring them is a slightly less polite way of saying ''no thanks'', and as this is almost constant, I don't feel an obligation to say ''no thanks''.

So on the third one, I turn and ask him if ignoring him twice ''wasn't enough for him?''  No cursing, no scowling.  I tell him I get panhandled all day, everyday, that no one likes it, that people don't want to be approached in the parking lot. 


These guys weren't bums.  I'll tell an actual homeless person ''no'', ''I can't'' or something like that.  Other times I'll sit and talk to the guy, especially the real pathetic cases coming up to you at the gas station where you can't just keep walking, or maybe on the street if I'm in a not great neighborhood going to a concert or something.  Some of them are fairly smart and just made some poor decisions, and others are at least interesting sometimes.  I'll pay the $1 for one of them to ''watch my car'' - one, they actually watch it and none of the rest of them break in, and two, everyone else on both sides of the street sees us, sees me talking to him, see me give him the $1, and now I have free passage to the venue because I'm a customer of one of them.  Best deal in town.

[PB]

Wow. This has gone to a whole other level now. I guess the police may actually have to be brought into it..

Based on what you've told me, I figured that was the last of it as you made yourself rather clear through your actions two weeks ago. And now this.. Have you been taking pictures? This has judge Judy dispute all over it.

Got a call from the lady who owns the place (I left my number on the note).

She told me she pays her SIL $75 hour to do the yardwork, that my rosebush and lemon tree were pushing on her fence, and that she and the SIL were upset I hadn't done anything about it.  The daughter apparently told him not to throw the branches into my yard, but he did it anyway.

She told me I was the same sort of bum her son is, she told me the land was developed by Al Davis of the Raiders, that he'd done a cheap, shit job, that we are on an earthquake fault and that's affecting the stability of the fences, etc, etc.

I told her I see the plants from my yard, not hers, had no idea they were pushing the fence, and had sympathy for her situation.  But it was against the law to dump it into my yard and I wasn't going to have it.

I told her I'd be happy to help her SIL with the bushes and to fix whatever was needed to be done supporting the fence.  I guess that was ok, she hung up.


This is the same lady who locked herself out of her house, came over to use the phone but didn't really know what to do, and I called AAA to get her back in.  I wonder if she remembers that.

[KSM]

Got a call from the lady who owns the place (I left my number on the note).

She told me she pays her SIL $75 hour to do the yardwork, that my rosebush and lemon tree were pushing on her fence, and that she and the SIL were upset I hadn't done anything about it.  The daughter apparently told him not to throw the branches into my yard, but he did it anyway.

She told me I was the same sort of bum her son is, she told me the land was developed by Al Davis of the Raiders, that he'd done a cheap, shit job, that we are on an earthquake fault and that's affecting the stability of the fences, etc, etc.

I told her I see the plants from my yard, not hers, had no idea they were pushing the fence, and had sympathy for her situation.  But it was against the law to dump it into my yard and I wasn't going to have it.

I told her I'd be happy to help her SIL with the bushes and to fix whatever was needed to be done supporting the fence.  I guess that was ok, she hung up.


This is the same lady who locked herself out of her house, came over to use the phone but didn't really know what to do, and I called AAA to get her back in.  I wonder if she remembers that.

Holy crap, this is getting juicier by the hour. LOL She hung up on you? ! She may remember your good AAA deed, but that doesn't matter to her type. Too bad you could just build an tire new fence between you and them. An 8ft wall with barbwire and traps.

[PB]

Holy crap, this is getting juicier by the hour. LOL She hung up on you? ! She may remember your good AAA deed, but that doesn't matter to her type. Too bad you could just build an tire new fence between you and them. An 8ft wall with barbwire and traps.

I can't even see into their yard from mine, they are lower down on the hill and my plants screen them off entirely.  Which is why I had no idea they were impacting the fence.

After talking to her, I went over and put all the clippings I'd thrown there into my green can.  Filled it up completely.  Took a half hour to cut them so they'd all fit.  I don't want to give stress to a 90 year old lady with son and SIL like those two.  My point was made.

If that SIL wants to give me any shit, I'll let him know he's the hired help and not there to stir up problems in the neighborhood.  Then take his beer.

[KSM]

I can't even see into their yard from mine, they are lower down on the hill and my plants screen them off entirely.  Which is why I had no idea they were impacting the fence.

After talking to her, I went over and put all the clippings I'd thrown there into my green can.  Filled it up completely.  Took a half hour to cut them so they'd all fit.  I don't want to give stress to a 90 year old lady with son and SIL like those two.  My point was made.

If that SIL wants to give me any shit, I'll let him know he's the hired help and not there to stir up problems in the neighborhood.  Then take his beer.

I like reading these. It is not you that seems "unpleasant" in this particular case.

LOL Take his beer?




Depending on the market, I may buy a house here in about 18 months. Until then this house will have to suffice.