The Third: The Neighborhood, Part 2

Ok, so more about the neighborhood...



Across the street and down about 10 houses is the old, black lady who sits on her stoop all day just staring. I've seen some of the aforementioned men going in and out of the same house so one or more of them might be related to her. She just sits on a lawn chair and stares though, doesn't say anything. I used to wave at her when I walked by, but I got no response so I stopped. She sits on the uppermost portion of her stoop, however, which renders her higher than the men who sit on the sidewalk and the people walking by. She presides over the block and its residents every day. This position, along with her rather intense demeanor reinforces her role as matriarch of the neighborhood.



Down on our end of the block about 4 or five houses down lives another cute family. I haven't figured out what's wrong with them yet (i.e. why the hell they live in the crackhood). Man, woman, 2 cute little girls....maybe bastards I don't know.



Down one block and on the corner sits the much anticipated Big Bear Cafe. Since we moved in, it has been under construction (about 4 1/2 months). It's just a coffee shop though so I have no idea what is taking so long. It seems like they are getting pretty close to opening though, since they have hung their sign, put a statue of a bear on the roof, planted flowers in the garden and set up patio furniture. (Have you guessed yet...they're hippies) ? has maintained an ongoing interaction with them since we started seeing them at work in there about 2 months ago. Of course, they offered him a job.



Then there is the mysterious hot guy and his roommate who live at the other end of the street. I started seeing this guy around and wanted to talk to him, but never got the chance. Then one day Blondie and I were walking down the back ally to go to the liquor store and they were having a little soiree of their own out back. Mysterious hot guy's roomate came out to talk to us, but at that point I didn't know that was where mysterious hot guy lived so I just thought he was kind of creepy and acted really awkward because I was stoned out of my mind. He invited us up to his patio where all the peeps were and mysterious hot guy showed his face. At which point, I kind of had a mental freakout and tried to act more relaxed and cool, but paradoxically only acted more stoned and awkward. Blondie gave them our phone numbers and adress. We have yet to hear from them. Dagger. I guess I blew that one. Blondie probably would have snagged him anyway.



And just a quick overview of the rest of the block and its quirks... there is a brick church at the end of the block on our end with stained glass windows. The street is quaintly lined with trees and flowers (an anomaly considering the fantastic specimens of crazy that reside here). The one and only Noble heads the restoration committee for our block. We just got our street repaved and sidewalks redone. The current project is getting new mailboxes, lining the sidewalks for each house.



But as I have tried to emphasize, the vintage beauty of the street is inconsistent with the freak show it contains.



And that's where I live.