Every day on my way to school, I pass a brick building with blocked up windows and metal doors. It’s weird, because it’s just right in the middle of a residential area. The signs say something about an electrical substation. But just what is an electrical substation anyway? And I don’t see any big electrical poles or wires around the building. I can’t help but wonder if something else is going on. Is this the secret entrance to a shadow government agency?
I took a walk yesterday and had an opportunity to get a little closer:
Last week, my trash can was weirdly emptied into a pile across the street. Yesterday was trash day again, and as I walked out to my truck in the morning, I glanced over at my trash can. It was empty again! I started to investigate further, and noticed other trash cans were empty too: the bank and my neighbor three houses up. My immediate next door neighbor’s whole trash can was moved across the street. Everything was moved left.
I guessed a few times last week why someone would do this, but I have a new guess: maybe they’re trying to help out the sanitation workers… Would it be easier if the trash was in fewer, larger piles? Would it be easier if it were all on one side of the street? Hmmm…
In order to avoid future incidents, I was thinking that maybe I should put the trash out in the morning instead of at night, but this happened in the morning. Here’s how I know:
It rained very heavily just before 5:30am. I almost thought it was hailing. At 6:05am, when I looked in the bottom of my open and emptied trash can, it was completely dry. Whoever moved my trash did it after that rain. Now I’m really curious. Not many people are up and out that early. And that’s a lot of physical activity for 5:30am. Maybe next week I’ll watch out my living room window to see who it is…
On trash day, I used to put trash out in the morning, but then I missed the truck a couple of times, so now I do the night before. This past trash day, I was a little worried, because there was a big bag of crab shells in the can. I had been keeping them in the freezer, which is what I usually do with trash that might stink or rot. But the crabs would be sitting out all night. Would anything get into them?
As I walked to my truck in the morning, I noticed that my trash can was empty. I took it back to my porch and started to leave for school. But then I noticed that none of my neighbors’ trash was gone. And then I noticed that mine wasn’t either. It was across the street next to another big pile of trash bags. I thought maybe an animal had gotten into the bags, but nope. I think a human did this. But why? Is somebody stalking me and wanted to rustle through my trash? Were they testing the limits of the sanitation workers’ willingness to take a super-large pile of trash?
Whatever the case, I’m very glad the trash was all taken. Old crab shells really stink. And though it’s been pretty cool out lately, it’s not freezer-cool.
I was walking through the high school building yesterday and noticed a sign on a door. There was something strange about it.
Why is the “L” drawn out like that? Is it a mistake, and the sign was in the “discount” bin, so we saved some money? Is it made by a former student and we wanted to give him business as he started out in the sign-making industry?
Or is something more interesting going on here? Is this some kind of covert mark? Does this closet contain a secret door, or does the sign point the way to one? I couldn’t investigate because there were people everywhere. But maybe some weekend I’ll have to explore a little. Just what secrets to the walls of the school hold?
I am currently experiencing a long weekend called “Winter Break”. Monday is Presidents Day, which we take off. We also take off Friday (yesterday). If we have snow days, and have to make up days, these are the first to go, but we haven’t even had any snow this winter. Sheesh! The good news is: I think I may have done enough yesterday to keep me from feeling guilty about doing nothing the rest of my long weekend.
In the morning, I went through the basement pulling out large items that needed to go to the dump. I’ve been paralyzed with indecision about this because the things were all still useful. Sure, I didn’t want them, but someone else could use them, right? I felt guilty about throwing them away. Yesterday, I gritted my teeth and loaded up a bunch of useful items in my truck, and took them to the dump. It felt good. I need to do it again.
Shortly after my dump run, Pam from school called me. She had bought a new sectional and couldn’t fit it all in her SUV. We had talked about it on Thursday. I told her to call me if she needed another vehicle. It was a quick run to the store, then to her house. She has recently re-done her basement because of water damage. It’s beautiful! I should finish my basement.
When I got home from Pam’s, I wanted to spend some time outside. It was beautifully warm! So I decided to start a fire in the firepit. It was nice. I cleaned up the garden a little, drank some water, surfed the internet, and burned stuff.
The big mystery of the day happened while I was cleaning the basement. I discovered a little silvery pouch that said “Lori and James” on a label. Looking inside, I saw some chocolate coins stamped with the date “August 6, 2005″. It predates my regular Bradaptation posts, so I have no idea who these people are. Does anyone know Lori and James? Does anyone know why I have a souvenir from their wedding? Is anyone as amazed as I am that I spelled “souvenir” correctly the first time?
