seriously

The children, that is the undergraduates who live in my apartment building, are trying at times. But, for the most part, they are harmless.

Yes it bugs me when the cigarette smokes wafts in through my open window, but I could close the window. Besides, I sort of enjoy seeing the girl who always looks like she had a hard night -- crazy black hair all over the place, disheveled look that I imagine is somewhat practiced -- no matter what time of the day I see her hunched over on the porch smoking. I enjoy making up stories about her.

They are festive, too, decorating for Halloween ... somehow even though they cycle through, Halloween seems to be the holiday they most enjoy and they DECORATE! It is almost like living in suburban hell except I know it is the children doing it!

There are more trying times, though, like when they decided to have fireworks shows on the porch every evening for a week.

The last time they did it, last time because I stepped in and let them know it was time to stop ... I merely stepped outside, looked at them (of course with the teacher look), and said, "seriously? are we really going to have a fireworks show again tonight?"

That was enough. They were quickly all pointing fingers at each other. I didn't care ... and gave them a look that said as much. No more words were needed. They figured out that they needed to cut it out. And they did. Or they went to someone else's neighborhood to do the show. Fine with me.

But now, some new children, have installed a ramp in our primary parking area. Right in the middle of it to be exact. SERIOUSLY?! I thought it might go away ... it showed up Saturday sometime between when we returned from the casino and when I took my dad to the bank. We both looked at it incredulously ... and my parents kept asking me, as though I would know, when they were going to move it.

The answer is still, "I don't know," because it is four days later and it is still there. I was sure the traffic enforcement would ticket it .. I guess they can't ... it doesn't have a license plate. But at least I thought they would leave a note telling whomever it belonged to get it the hell out of there.

But, no, instead, I returned home yesterday to see one of the children practicing on it ... with my car parked behind it. A police car rolled by slowly, but not in order to be intimidating, rather they were checking out the child's technique on the skateboard and RAMP.

I kept thinking, "will it be covered if that child skateboards himself onto my car?" Or will it be equivalent to me hitting a defenseless deer in New Jersey? Just another road hazard that I am responsible for avoiding??

Don't really have time to bother with it myself, so I won't be dropping dime, but maybe I should take some photos of it... that might scare them into believing that I am documenting it for some nefarious reason.