Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

A Letter to My Neighbors

Dear Poor People Who Live Next Door to Me,

I am dreadfully sorry to bother you, but could you be a little quieter, please. Propping up on your front porch 19 screaming babies, each with an accordion and a handful of firecrackers, sounds like a little slice of heaven to you, but it’s a tad much for me. Sorry. Your 33 dogs barking, 57 TVs tuned to Country Music Television, and the weekly “who can make the best hyena noises contest” is sometimes a wonderful way to start a Saturday morning, yes, I’ll give you that, but we could also sleep in till, say, 7:00 a.m. once in a while. That’d be nice, too.

While I find you a tiny bit noisy, I have to applaud your energy. I’m not sure how you find the strength to carry on your midnight avant-garde play called, Quit Throwing Pans at Me or I’ll Call the Police. If You Do We’ll Both Go to Jail. Fine, I’ll Stab You with These Cuticle Scissors Instead! now in its remarkable third year. Bravo. Also, thank you for the lovely gift pack that made it over the fence after one of last week’s performances; I wouldn’t have guessed so many hypodermic needles could fit in a coffee can.

I apologize again for my interruption. I sincerely hope this doesn’t put a damper on your preparations for the upcoming Lumberjack Games. Don’t think I haven’t noticed your innovative use of the muffler-free variety of chainsaw. Let’s celebrate your dedication to this hobby; I’m quite sure your competition isn’t training every night between the hours of 2 and 4 a.m. as you are. You’ve got the edge on them!

Well, I think that’s all from me. Here’s wishing you good luck on your cat breeding. Wouldn’t it be a blessing if all 42 of the little darlings were to give birth to large litters? I feel like I’m part of the happy cat family ever since they’d discovered my courtyard is the best place for their “romantic interludes” and the bed of my truck is their favorite toilet. Why, I can remember when there were only nine of the precious creatures on my fence. And it was only last summer when there were just four cats. Oh, how happy this neighborhood will be with the sing-songy meow-meow-meow of tiny mouths again.

One more time, sorry, and thanks for keeping it down a little.

WHAT I WILL AND WON'T WATCH THIS WEEK

Sponsored
Sponsored

Thursday, May 29
Celebrity Fit Club
TVGN 9:00 a.m.

Ha! The other day I caught part of this yoga program where this guy with a high, whiny voice was sitting with his ankles up on his knees, doing all kinds of breathing, and kept saying, “Okay, we want to tighten up the anus muscles. Breathe to the bellybutton. Tighten up the anus muscle. Keep those anus muscles tight.” It was first thing in the morning, and I was standing there with frizzy hair and drinking a cup of coffee. I checked to make sure nobody was looking. Then I gave the ol’ anus-squeeze thing a shot. Felt pretty good, to be honest. That guy is onto something.

Predator Raw: The Unseen Tapes
MSNBC 9:00 p.m.

See? That’s unfair. Every time I see this on the preview channel, I get myself all worked up to see some director’s cuts of a dreadlocked alien beating the bejesus out of our governor, and there’d be hand grenades and helicopter guns and all kinds of cool stuff. THEN! I turn it on and it’s about kid-diddlers. C’MON! Damn, MSNBC. Nobody wants to see that. You ruined my evening. I had M&Ms and everything.

Friday, May 30
2008 Scripps National Spelling Bee
ABC 8:00 p.m.

Who gets to pick the words? Because if there’s some sort of committee, I want on it. I’m totally going to make those kids crack up on stage. “Spell ‘underpants streaks,’” I’ll say real loud into the microphone. “Definition: Discoloration in blurry racing stripe patterns in your undershorts. ‘Underpants streaks...’ GO!”

House Hunters International
HGTV 10:30 p.m.

I might be the only one who does this, but whenever I stay in a hotel, I pee in the sink because you’re not allowed to do it at home. I can’t help myself! After I set my bag on the bed, I peek around that little corner and look at it and say, “Hello, old friend.”

Saturday, May 31
A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila
MTV 9:00 p.m.

Here’s a convincing argument to bring dunce caps and beatings back into America’s classrooms.

Sunday, June 1
World Extreme Cagefighting: Urijah Faber vs. Jens Pulver
VS 9:00 p.m.

Just know that if you call me on this night, I will not answer. I am not talking to anyone. I am going to be in bed naked; I will turn a bourbon bottle upside down with a spout like a hamster’s water contraption, and I’ll be watching what might be the greatest fight of all time. I will eat steak off my belly like an otter and hold sparklers between my toes. I will never be happier. Do not call.

Monday, June 2
Leprechaun: Back 2 tha Hood (2003)
BET 8:00 p.m.

Genius. Like a diamond is the perfect expression of a rock, an evil leprechaun movie set in the ghetto is the perfect expression of filmmaking. This is America’s legacy. The polio vaccine, jazz, and Lephrechaun: Back 2 tha Hood. That’s America, baby.

Tuesday, June 3
2007 World Salsa Championships
ESPN 9:30 p.m.

Look. Dancing isn’t a competitive sport. And it’s not an art form. I don’t care what you think it is, dancing is boring to watch and should only be performed when really drunk and preferably out of town. That schoolteacher from Footloose had it right. Anything that makes women sweaty and grown men wear a unitard should be outlawed.

Wednesday, June 4
Farmer Wants a Wife
CW 9:00 p.m.

Wow, there is exactly nothing on Wednesday nights. Any channel, it’s all junk. Wednesday night needs an “Interesting” shot in the butt about as much as O.J. Simpson’s girlfriend needs karate lessons.

Thursday, June 5
Last Comic Standing
NBC 8:30 p.m.

This show is awful. Last Comic Standing is about as funny as Bill O’Reilly in a jockstrap and cowboy boots, holding an oily piglet and a carton of eggnog. See, that’s not funny, it’s icky. Nobody wants that on their porch. Nobody.

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Escondido planners nix office building switch to apartments

Not enough open space, not enough closets for Hickory Street plans

Dear Poor People Who Live Next Door to Me,

I am dreadfully sorry to bother you, but could you be a little quieter, please. Propping up on your front porch 19 screaming babies, each with an accordion and a handful of firecrackers, sounds like a little slice of heaven to you, but it’s a tad much for me. Sorry. Your 33 dogs barking, 57 TVs tuned to Country Music Television, and the weekly “who can make the best hyena noises contest” is sometimes a wonderful way to start a Saturday morning, yes, I’ll give you that, but we could also sleep in till, say, 7:00 a.m. once in a while. That’d be nice, too.

While I find you a tiny bit noisy, I have to applaud your energy. I’m not sure how you find the strength to carry on your midnight avant-garde play called, Quit Throwing Pans at Me or I’ll Call the Police. If You Do We’ll Both Go to Jail. Fine, I’ll Stab You with These Cuticle Scissors Instead! now in its remarkable third year. Bravo. Also, thank you for the lovely gift pack that made it over the fence after one of last week’s performances; I wouldn’t have guessed so many hypodermic needles could fit in a coffee can.

I apologize again for my interruption. I sincerely hope this doesn’t put a damper on your preparations for the upcoming Lumberjack Games. Don’t think I haven’t noticed your innovative use of the muffler-free variety of chainsaw. Let’s celebrate your dedication to this hobby; I’m quite sure your competition isn’t training every night between the hours of 2 and 4 a.m. as you are. You’ve got the edge on them!

Well, I think that’s all from me. Here’s wishing you good luck on your cat breeding. Wouldn’t it be a blessing if all 42 of the little darlings were to give birth to large litters? I feel like I’m part of the happy cat family ever since they’d discovered my courtyard is the best place for their “romantic interludes” and the bed of my truck is their favorite toilet. Why, I can remember when there were only nine of the precious creatures on my fence. And it was only last summer when there were just four cats. Oh, how happy this neighborhood will be with the sing-songy meow-meow-meow of tiny mouths again.

One more time, sorry, and thanks for keeping it down a little.

WHAT I WILL AND WON'T WATCH THIS WEEK

Sponsored
Sponsored

Thursday, May 29
Celebrity Fit Club
TVGN 9:00 a.m.

Ha! The other day I caught part of this yoga program where this guy with a high, whiny voice was sitting with his ankles up on his knees, doing all kinds of breathing, and kept saying, “Okay, we want to tighten up the anus muscles. Breathe to the bellybutton. Tighten up the anus muscle. Keep those anus muscles tight.” It was first thing in the morning, and I was standing there with frizzy hair and drinking a cup of coffee. I checked to make sure nobody was looking. Then I gave the ol’ anus-squeeze thing a shot. Felt pretty good, to be honest. That guy is onto something.

Predator Raw: The Unseen Tapes
MSNBC 9:00 p.m.

See? That’s unfair. Every time I see this on the preview channel, I get myself all worked up to see some director’s cuts of a dreadlocked alien beating the bejesus out of our governor, and there’d be hand grenades and helicopter guns and all kinds of cool stuff. THEN! I turn it on and it’s about kid-diddlers. C’MON! Damn, MSNBC. Nobody wants to see that. You ruined my evening. I had M&Ms and everything.

Friday, May 30
2008 Scripps National Spelling Bee
ABC 8:00 p.m.

Who gets to pick the words? Because if there’s some sort of committee, I want on it. I’m totally going to make those kids crack up on stage. “Spell ‘underpants streaks,’” I’ll say real loud into the microphone. “Definition: Discoloration in blurry racing stripe patterns in your undershorts. ‘Underpants streaks...’ GO!”

House Hunters International
HGTV 10:30 p.m.

I might be the only one who does this, but whenever I stay in a hotel, I pee in the sink because you’re not allowed to do it at home. I can’t help myself! After I set my bag on the bed, I peek around that little corner and look at it and say, “Hello, old friend.”

Saturday, May 31
A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila
MTV 9:00 p.m.

Here’s a convincing argument to bring dunce caps and beatings back into America’s classrooms.

Sunday, June 1
World Extreme Cagefighting: Urijah Faber vs. Jens Pulver
VS 9:00 p.m.

Just know that if you call me on this night, I will not answer. I am not talking to anyone. I am going to be in bed naked; I will turn a bourbon bottle upside down with a spout like a hamster’s water contraption, and I’ll be watching what might be the greatest fight of all time. I will eat steak off my belly like an otter and hold sparklers between my toes. I will never be happier. Do not call.

Monday, June 2
Leprechaun: Back 2 tha Hood (2003)
BET 8:00 p.m.

Genius. Like a diamond is the perfect expression of a rock, an evil leprechaun movie set in the ghetto is the perfect expression of filmmaking. This is America’s legacy. The polio vaccine, jazz, and Lephrechaun: Back 2 tha Hood. That’s America, baby.

Tuesday, June 3
2007 World Salsa Championships
ESPN 9:30 p.m.

Look. Dancing isn’t a competitive sport. And it’s not an art form. I don’t care what you think it is, dancing is boring to watch and should only be performed when really drunk and preferably out of town. That schoolteacher from Footloose had it right. Anything that makes women sweaty and grown men wear a unitard should be outlawed.

Wednesday, June 4
Farmer Wants a Wife
CW 9:00 p.m.

Wow, there is exactly nothing on Wednesday nights. Any channel, it’s all junk. Wednesday night needs an “Interesting” shot in the butt about as much as O.J. Simpson’s girlfriend needs karate lessons.

Thursday, June 5
Last Comic Standing
NBC 8:30 p.m.

This show is awful. Last Comic Standing is about as funny as Bill O’Reilly in a jockstrap and cowboy boots, holding an oily piglet and a carton of eggnog. See, that’s not funny, it’s icky. Nobody wants that on their porch. Nobody.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Gonzo Report: Eating dinner while little kids mock-mosh at Golden Island

“The tot absorbs the punk rock shot with the skill of experience”
Next Article

Poway’s schools, faced with money squeeze, fined for voter mailing

$105 million bond required payback of nearly 10 times that amount
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader