Sunday, February 7, 2010 by Dana.

The day of the big game… As usual, we have several options for watching it, but we choose to stay home.  Why?  A variety of reasons, but having an awesome wide-screen HDTV and surround sound system is NOT one of them.

Instead of discussing why we don’t go elsewhere, let me explain the advantages of staying home (not necessarily in order).

1. The kids are welcome
2. Inexpensive, higher quality food
3. No mark-up on the beer & liquor
4. No line for a clean bathroom
5. No drinking & driving risks
6. The dogs get to be there
7. Comfy couch
8. No tipping required
9. Easier to tweet during the game
10. Unlikely to get drinks spilled on us
11. No waiting for overburdened wait staff (the cooler is next to the couch).
12. No drama with other party guests
13. Kids can go to their own room if they a bored.
14. Screaming loud at the TV will not annoy any strangers
15. Nobody will see how big of a wuss I am when I eat seriously spicy guacamole
16. Added excitement of avoiding a dog attack when you get carried away with your high-fives
17. The ability to switch to an HBO movie if the game gets one-sided
18. We can watch the game wearing whatever we want, which means wife doesn’t have to keep re-applying lip gloss.
19. Pre-game co-ed showers (in the privacy of the master bathroom of course).
20. Half-time cul-de-sac football game!

Posted in Alcohol, kids, Suburbia, Disturbed | Print | No Comments »

Saturday, January 30, 2010 by Dana.

News bulletin… college kids are rowdy, and ASU is more rowdy than most.  Wait… that isn’t really news, is it?  On a particular slow news day, writers form the local PHX Metro rag took a few crime reports related to egg throwing (not cool) and wild parties (the norm?) to make it sound like there was something news-worthy to report… Here is the link, but you will want your 3 minutes back after you read it.

Posted in Crime, Alcohol, school, kids, Disturbed | Print | No Comments »

Wednesday, January 20, 2010 by Dana.

The other day, the lives of PHX area strippers were threatened by a patron upset over the refusal to provide sex as part of the service. Read more about it here.

This led me to think about what jobs are most dangerous here in Disturbia.  A little research will lead to a list of dangerous jobs such as coal miner, logger, crab fisherman, steel worker, etc.; however, people in those jobs know the work is dangerous.  I believe that routine jobs that should be safe are really more dangerous.   The workers have no idea of the dangers, and they aren’t taking any precautions to limit the dangers.

Here is my list of most dangerous jobs in AZ Disturbia (aka the PHX Metro area):

Posted in Crime, Weapons, Drugs, Suburbia, Disturbed | Print | 2 Comments »

Friday, January 15, 2010 by Dana.

Local news… more white collar crime by idiots.  In this case, a couple embezzles from a charter school.  A note in the article states they are looking for the husband in this case.  I’m just wondering if he is running from the law or if his wife’s scary mug shot is motivating his flight.

Posted in Crime, school, Suburbia, Disturbed | Print | No Comments »

Sunday, January 10, 2010 by Dana.

So the local news website posts a link about a possibly suicidal missing woman, then the follow-up article after she turns up fine calls her out and broadcasts her name and personal issues to the entire metro area (and whoever else reads the link).Gee… is she going to feel good about herself now?

Posted in Suburbia, Disturbed | Print | No Comments »

Friday, January 1, 2010 by Dana.

Happy New Year! I’m awake at 7am on 1/1/2010 to make predictions.

1. My 1st nap of 2010 will occur today (1/1/2010).
2. My dogs will boycott making resolutions to behave better.
3. My car will get stolen forcing me to get a newer one that doesn’t need shocks, breaks, or general maintenance.  Wait… no… I sense that is just wishful thinking on my part.
4. I will put away Holiday decorations with a vow to get better ones for outside next year.  I will end up putting up the same crappy decorations after Thanksgiving, except 2 more strands of lights will quit working.
5. Based on straight party line voting, we will get a national health care system. Due to all the compromises, it will be so watered-down and confusing, that people will complain about it well into 2011. Republicans will still do nothing to reverse the damages caused by 8 years of the Bush administration.
6. My discontent for suburbia will make me search for a rural home with no neighbors within 300 yards. The kids will beg us to not move to the middle of nowhere, so I will still be blogging about Disturbia into 2011.
7. My middle child will hit a growth spurt around his 13th birthday in March and will be as tall as me by 2011.

Ok… Now for some real predictions

1. The Tempe woman that showed up in Miami without her 8-month old that was last seen in San Antonio will confess to killing her child after her boy is discovered in her abandoned vehicle.
2. A major earthquake will create a giant sinkhole in Mexico south of Yuma, AZ.  It will create a beautiful spring-filled lake that turns Yuma, AZ into a major tourist town.
3. Android-based phones will outnumber iPhones. Apple products will revert to a minor cult status for a few years until they wow us again with a new system using a holographic projection display and thought recognition for system input.

Posted in Crime, Desert, Technology, Holidays, kids, Suburbia, Pets, Neighbors, Disturbed | Print | No Comments »

Monday, December 28, 2009 by Dana.

I live in a desert. Everyone here in the PHX metro area does, yet our storm water drain system does nothing to reuse rainwater in anyway.  Why?  It’s time to get smart!  Check out this article in AZ Central for more details.

Posted in Desert, Suburbia, Disturbed | Print | No Comments »

Friday, December 25, 2009 by Dana.

We get coyotes in our neighborhood from time to time. Our dogs sometimes wake us up at night barking at them from the upstairs window.  Lately there has been a new invasion… no, not Chihuahuas again.  It seems that javelinas (wild hogs) have been knocking over garbage cans and enjoying a feast of what they find.  See the local news story for details.   Any wild animal invasions in your neighborhood?

Posted in Neighbors, Suburbia, Disturbed | Print | No Comments »

Tuesday, December 22, 2009 by Dana.

The Honey-Do List… that never ending list of chores that every
suburban husband has to do.

Here is my list.  How does it compare to yours?

1. Replace or re-attach clay roof tiles damaged in storm (from last
   Spring).
2. Fix water softener (Plan to use these instructions href="http://www.rd.com/how-to-repair-a-water-softener/article18197.html">http://www.rd.com/how-to-repair-a-water-softener/article18197.html)
3. Find leak in HVAC drain hidden in wall behind cabinets in the
   garage
4. Fix warped wood on hardware floors (probably going to put this
   off until we replace the flooring for entire downstairs)
5. Get a new basketball hoop for the pool
6. Repair tile with cracked grout in bathroom
7. Repair leaking lawn sprinklers in front yard (waiting until
   Spring when we start watering the yard again)
8. Replace faulty pool salt cell (ordered it from Specialty Pool
   Products http://www.poolproducts.com/
   - should arrive in a week)
9. Shock pool and brush algae that formed while the salt cell wasn’t
   working (order chemicals from Specialty Pool Products href="http://www.poolproducts.com/">http://www.poolproducts.com/-
   should arrive in a week)
10. Repair youngest son’s bike tire

Posted in Suburbia, Weekend | Print | No Comments »

Sunday, December 20, 2009 by Dana.

It seems that living in suburbia puts us at risk of infestation… from Chihuahuas.  Apparently over the last two months, county animal shelters took in 821 chihuahuas, which is 230 more than shelters received during the same period last year.

No fear… the discount adoption plan appears to have been a success.  The infestation is now under control.http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/valleyfever/2009/12/maricopa_countys_chihuahua_inf.php

Posted in Pets, Suburbia, Disturbed | Print | No Comments »