Life in the "'Hood"

I'm still not used to the strange California ways. Like kids never being in school. Ever. I'm unemployed and poor, so I spend a lot of time at home. Therefore I have lots of first-hand knowledge about it. Most days, the neighborhood is overrun by 1:30 P.M. with children who apparently have no adult supervision. They like to congregate outside our living room window. Of course, except, when they are outside our front door. I liked the afternoon 3 boys decided to play catch. The kid in front of our door apparently couldn't catch a ball to save his life because I kept hearing it bang against our screen door. It was fun to play the mean neighbor lady when I told them to move. It was one of those moments that you yearn for when your a kid, bossing around other kids. I won't go into the spring break and days off out here.

I must not forget the pitter patter of little feet overhead in the apartment above us. I can't help but wonder if the feet aren't attached to elephants. The sounds of the neighborhood children have effectively hit the snooze button on my biological clock.

Tonight, I experienced a rare "treat," the people in the apartment next to us in our fourplex having a fight. These are always memorable because they feel free to argue and shout as loud as they can without any regard for their neighbors, much less their children, who I feel really bad for. I can understand arguing, but my small town midwest upbringing always indicated a certain amount of modesty regarding fighting due to the fact that the gossip vine was the only thing in our town that had a better crop than wheat. The worst hear was one day when I heard a woman next door yelling horribly with a little girl crying. I don't know how the b/f didn't hear it. I almost went over out of concern for the girl, and I am the shyest most nonconfrontational person you will ever meet. If it happens again, I'm intervening in some way. Even if it means miraculously showing up at the door with a cake to break the tension.

One thing is certain, I'm practically counting down the days until we leave California.