The parking jungle, and other news

"I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!"

- Howard Beale, Network

Yeah, Howard, we hear you. We at SFZ are also mad as hell. And although we too announced that we weren't going to take it any more, alas, the crappy Parking Bureaucracy (PB) had other plans.

As you can see from the picture, a bush has forced its way into our dear slot #144. The bush makes it all but impossible for the passengers to gain ingress to, or egress from, our cars. And the bush's wispy tendrils are scratching the paint jobs to boot.

We at SFZ have reported this problem to the PB not once, not twice, but three times -- one time in a face-to-face tete-a-tete. But apparently, before a bush can be trimmed, some desk-jockey has to contact the owner of the adjacent building, who has to contact a gardener, who has to obtain a permit, that allows him to ask for his grandmother's permission to trim the bush. At some point in that confusing chain of command, someone dropped the proverbial ball. (Probably the grandmother.) And consequently, we're still mad as hell.

Other news and notes from this week:

• Madd Dogg's new coping mechanism -- On Tuesday, Madd Dogg unveiled her new method of coping with my (Fidget's) psychobabble: Bloodcurdling Screams. Madd Dogg was singing a Beatles song (Michelle), even though she previously has made it clear that she does not like the Beatles. I suggested that maybe she actually likes the Beatles, but says that she doesn't because everyone else likes the Beatles, and she wants to be different. She screamed and the lesson was learned.
• Guest Riders -- On Wednesday, Madd Dogg and I welcomed two co-workers to the carpool ride home. "Chapstick" -- so named because he thinks that it is "super solid" to slather on lip balm before a fierce game of pick-up hoops -- enjoys long walks on the beach, and his new dog Cady. "Cupcakes" -- who has a penchant for food of same name -- enjoys gambling, drinking, and fistfighting (not necessarily in that order).
• Sparky goes retro, nacho-style -- As his carpool profile explained ["Carpool Profile: Sparky," July 2, 2006], Sparky is "made from reclaimed and recycled materials, without the use of pesticides." But as the profile also made clear, he is "also somewhat of a throwback." And he proved it Friday, by being the first carpool member to bring 7-11 nachos on the ride home. The nachos -- complete with pump-action "cheese" -- were, admittedly, quite delicious.
• Mumbles still AWOL -- Mumbles's honeymoon prevented him from being in the carpool this week. The rest of us hope that he is having both a "sick" and a "chill" time.