and now for something completely different

I confess that I'm happy the elections are all over and I can go back to my usual media-consumption patterns. Over the last couple of months, the only media I've consumed has been news podcasts from foreign nations and David Allen's column in the DB.

So, to catch up on old business:

10,000 Maniacs
Yes, I mean trick-or-treaters, not the 80s band. We didn't have nearly as many ghouls, Spidermen, and junior streetwalkers as we did last year, but we still disposed of $50's worth of candy from the 99¢ Store. Only one house on our block was done up in full fettle, so a lot of kids skipped us entirely. Next year, I think, we're going to go all out (for us, anyway) and equip the house in full Mad Scientist rig. Lab coats, joy buzzers, and liquid nitrogen, here we come!

Currying favor
We took Anduhrew's advice the other night and drove down to the corner of Temple & Pomona Blvd. to try out Curry Up, our new Indian joint. I was afraid it would be a branch of the LA chain of the same name (which specializes in Japanese, not Indian, curry), but my fears were immediately allayed.

It's perfectly fine steam-table North Indian fare: navrata korma, mattar aloo, saag tofu, chicken tikka masala, channa daal, that kind of thing. For $7, you get rice, naan, two dishes, and a soda, all on a styrofoam plate. Well, not the soda. Unless that's the way you roll. It has a fast-food vibe, but it's very friendly, and let's not forget, it's Indian food! in Pomona!

Stump speech
Now that all our paperwork is in order, Tom Day Tree Service came and removed our chinaberry tree. Over the phone, he said that plus trimming the pawlonia would take an hour and a half, and we scoffed. But sure enough, a swarm of pixies in workboots arrived, clambered all over the trees, then sawed and ground and blew, and they were gone, leaving us lots of firewood, mulch, and a yard cleaner than it's ever been.

For you landscape architects, HPC commissioners, and other interested parties, here's a picture of the chinaberry stump, showing that it was in fact four separate trunks within a single bark:

The only hitch was when Chainsaw Dude sawed through our phone line. They promised they would pay whatever charges Verizon assessed, but in the event, we weren't charged a thing.
K: "But the tree guys sawed through it with a chainsaw."
Operator: "Sir, I just write down that it was cut. I don't have to say who cut it."
It did take them 24 hours to come fix it, during which time K. was digesting his stomach lining, but once they arrived, it was easy-peasy and didn't cost a dime.

And now we have a whole new back yard! O brave new world that has such creatures in't, indeed.