So, I had this great, well-written story all written up, and then the hamsters ate it. Poo.
Anyway, to recap, 'cuz I’m lazy: New neighbors moved into the house next door in the fall. I miss most of the excitement, what with being in school on the other side of the country, but I get enough of a picture over breaks: they fight a lot, the mom is the only one who takes care of the baby, the husband spends all his time out in the converted garage. He papered up the windows on half the door, and has a computer and whatnot in the other side. We’re pretty sure that he’s growing pot in the papered-up half: he at the least has no qualms about sitting out on his back porch and smoking up.
The other night, my parent’s desktop computer downstairs (a few-year-old Dell) started picking up some radio signals of some sort. Every so often, even if the computer is deep in hibernation - even if it’s in the process of rebooting - it’ll pick something up and blast it through the speakers. I did a bit of neighborly investigation (meaning snooping), and discovered that our illustrious neighbor has recently obtained a police radio scanner. Somehow, my parents computer has decided it wants to be friends with this new local equipment and share with us.
So I’ve learned: There’s nothing like knowing you’re alone in the house, and suddenly someone starts belting out local intersections to you. Gets your heart pumping, at the least.