They were makin' out

Maggie's post made me laugh. Spot on. This is going to be fun.

Now, let's take it back to the beginning. On the day we signed our lease--some 6 weeks ago, Mags and I toured the apartment with our dear landlord, Gene. After peeking into every nook and cranny from our bowling lane length entryway (we've considered holding everything from a massive game of beer pong to a bocce ball tournament in this space) and our pantry large enough to be a guest room, we paused by the sliding patio door. The Cannon was calm and relaxing, the sun shining, and birds chirping. Mags and I were pretty taken with our patio, even though it is only big enough for a dollhouse-sized grill.

But before we swooned too much, Gene gave us a warning: "You'll see those kids hanging out here all the time, ridin' their skateboards and smokin' and hangin' out. There's a sign down there at the dumpster that says "NO loitering or skateboarding," but you let me know if that security light goes out and we'll fix it. Those kids just sit on the steps down there and gave a good scare to the last tenant when she took out her trash. Oh, and the other day there was a couple, a guy and girl out on the bridge just makin' out and you could tell he was forcin' it...she wasn't into it. They were just makin' out. Probably no more than 14 or 15."

We laughed and thought, aw, those kids. At first they really kind of ticked me off...now they kind of intrigue me. They have no idea who can see them from the apartment above or who is listening when they sling racial slurs and spout four letter words out on the sidewalk in hopes of looking a little older than 13. We get the opportunity to observe their lives on the riverfront uncensored and uncut.

My favorite interaction with the kiddos happened a few weeks ago. Returning home after a beer at the Cow with another townie I saw a cluster of 4 youth chillin' on the steps of Erbs and Gerbs. Kid 1 to Kid 2: "Dude. What's wrong with you? Are you high?

And so begins our social observation....