Monday, February 25, 2008 | by nathan

Shitbox Update

I’d like you to meet The Garage. This is what looks out on my street from the house next door to mine; you know the one - The Shitbox? The day after I wrote that post about how much that house is driving me crazy, there were a whole bunch of contractors out replacing the windows, which have been one of the most consistently ugly parts of the whole structure. The best, most wonderful part was how they left their nails all over my yard and driveway, just like the roofers did.

Still, new windows are a step in the right direction. As I went to inspect them, however, I did notice that there also just happens to be a lawnmower in the breakfast nook. Here, check it out:

See that? What is that? That’s a really bad storage area.* The yard hasn’t actually been mowed, though I’m willing to let it go since it’s February and since there are probably nails all in the grass; there certainly are in mine. I’m going to have to rent a really powerful magnet before I do any mowing.

Today I got home and there was a tree crew cutting down fallen branches and stowing them IN MY FRONT YARD. I rectified the situation quickly in my broken Spanglish - I really do need to take a Spanish class - and then noticed after they’d gone that the branch that has fallen over the power line in back? Still there. Crack job you did, fellas.

Still, I’m not going to complain or call the owners, because work is getting done. I just sincerely hope that garage is high up on the list. It makes a good photo, but it’s not really doing anything to inflate the sagging housing market, now, is it?

*and no, I would never take photos through the windows of a house where someone actually lived, or, for that matter, that was capable of sustaining human life. This house fails on two counts and is therefore fair game.