Eight twenty five.
When I arrived on Maxwell Road, the holes in the street had been tarred over and it was okay to walk on them. The crew has the weekend off. It looks like they might be finished for a while, though frankly the work they did isn’t very pleasing to the eye. It only adds to the squalor that was there already, the utter run down poverty of the place. It’s an overcast morning and moderately chilly. Cathy is covering for Heather who’s been sick with a virus; she’s actually covering for two people this week. Cathy was quite gabby with me today, which I found pleasant. It was nice to see a few people of color in the little store this time. But sometimes my neighbors across the street are downright unfriendly to me for a reason I can’t fathom. Maybe it’s because, as a houseful of women, they are paranoid of guys. And yet their aloofness is getting worse instead of better with time. Conservative neighborhoods are every man for himself; just a lot of selfishness and hoarding and apathy for people. I wonder who’s to blame for these attitudes. Was it Ayn Rand? Who is John Galt? Who is Ayn Rand?
robgradens 
You should read The Virtue of Selfishness. Awesome book.
LikeLike
What do you think the percentage of people who have neighbors across the street who seem suspicious and unfriendly is? 50%? Higher? Projected onto the history of tribes and nations it’s 100.
It’s genetic. The human condition. Nod politely and don’t give them an excuse to attack.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This time I think I disagree with you. Some parts of my town have much friendlier neighborhoods than mine. Their front curtains are open and inviting to the public and they get along with each other quite well. My street in particular is just the opposite: curtains closed as well as minds. But I really don’t believe it’s a genetic thing as you say. Human beings are social animals that clan together, especially in a place like a neighborhood. It’s when one group conflicts with another that you have problems: wars over religion and resources, ideas and food or money.
Thanks for your comment, Philip.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wherever I have lived there has always been someone or some family that is sending out the creepy scary vibe. We kids had a standard bar: Are they good or bad? Nice or mean? Generally, we pegged them accurately. No, it’s not everyone but enough to qualify as a breed.
LikeLiked by 1 person