Neighbors & Kimchee and Such

It's interesting how things develop. This morning, after I announced the 5 things I will do before year's end, I began work on one of them: endeavoring to create a sense of community in my neighborhood. I wrote a piece introducing myself as a someone who has lived in the neighborhood since 1997, but who has yet to meet most of my neighbors. I intended for the piece to be mailed and/or otherwise delivered to my neighbors. I suggested several things to get people to know one another, including Geezer Weekend Coffee Treks, Ethnic Food Nights Out, EatAbouts (neighbors making snack-type foods and serving them from tables in their front yards), etc. I liked the ideas...sounded fun to me. I was getting excited about meeting the neighbors and socializing with them.

Just after I emailed my little piece to a neighbor who publishes a periodic neighborhood newsletter, my wife got back from the post office, where she picked up a certified letter. Turns out it was a "notice of violation" from the City of Dallas, informing us that the grafitti that was painted on the brick garbage container in our alley must be removed within 21 days or we will face a fine. Now, the code enforcement folks don't patrol our neighborhood looking for violations. One of the neighbors I want to engage obviously decided to "turn me in" to the authorities. How dare I allow teenage thugs to paint my trash bin...and how dare I not clean it up quickly enough to suit my neighbors?

Goddamn it. I had forgotten one of the reasons I don't socialize with my tight-assed, fascist Republican neighbors. Nonetheless, I shall keep my commitment. I will, by god, insist that we socialize and let our guards down and behave like people who care for one another. Either they will cooperate in that endeavor or I'll slit some throats! (Just kidding...don't call out the men with guns.)

Well, my wife did not go to the office today, after all. She was not feeling well, so she napped for a considerable time. Then, we went shopping for groceries, but not before she bought me an espresso, using the Starbucks card I put in her Christmas stocking. She's not a coffee drinker, but she will tolerate their chai and their green tea. And she's nice to share her little gifty with me. (I have to say, though, that Starbucks' espresso is a pretty poor example of espresso.)

Back to the grafitti. I bought Goof Off, a product promoted as something to remove grafitti. It cost $6.47. It did not work. At all. Zip. Nada. If anything, it cleaned the brick and mortar so that the grafitti stands out better now. I have considered demolishing the brick garbage container. It serves no purpose at all. Maybe I shall. If not, I may paint the entire thing a happy, cheerful color.

I wrote a story once, back when I was taking a creative writing class in college (Michael Mewshaw was the professor...a real, live, published author), I wrote a story about a young couple who tried to 'gentrify' an old working class neighborhood. The story described the neighbors' lack of appreciation for their efforts and followed the husband's growing appreciation for the neighbors' attitudes at the same time the wife became increasingly upset at the neighbors' failure to adopt her attitudes about what looked 'right.' I'm feeling a bit like the husband in my story...I hope my wife does not adopt the story-wife attitude. I am not happy that someone would call code enforcement, instead of offering to help me figure out how to deal with the grafitti. I do have an opinion of the 'artists:' they deserve to be scalded with hot grease. I know, it's cruel, but it's honest.

My wife and I happened to drive by a newly-finished building on the campus of the University of Texas at Dallas today. It's a modern-looking building with an extremely interesting facade on parts of 3 sides. It features some 'scale-like' materials that are brilliant-colored reflective blue and purple and orange and ... I don't know... It's very attractive. There is no sign that says what the building is. Maybe I should ask my neighbors. I know, I need to be nice to my neighbors. I guess it could have been a wandering code enforcement officer.

I'm guessing my two brothers and my sister and my sister-in-law I left in Mexico a week ago will soon be returning to the Chapala area. I envy their trip to the southern Mexican coast and wherever else they went. I keep forgetting why I did not stay longer...oh, yeah, it was the prospective client who showed up January 4.

An Indian buffet lunch today ruined our plans for a steak dinner tonight...we were too full. So, we have been grazing on things like popcorn, beef jerky, cashews, and other such stuff from the major food groups. I had hoped to buy some kimchee today, but the only market we visited did not seem to have any, despite its normally realistic claim to being an incredible source for almost anything edible. I want some kimchee...right now. I should learn to make it myself.