LVSteve
Member
In the urban setting, residential streets have a routine. You pick up on when certain neighbors come and go, what time the mail comes, and when the Amazon/UPS/Fedex deliveries usually take place. When things are "off", the more situationally aware among us notice, sometimes to the chagrin of others who accuse us of being curtain twitchers.
Tonight at about 2015, I had a "what the devil is up" moment when putting out the trash and getting the mail. Tuesday is trash day and the trucks generally come early because of the heat, so best plan is to put them out the night before. Tonight, almost none of the homes near my end of the street had their trash and recycling bins out. One immediate neighbor usually has theirs out by 1700, but tonight, nada. Same for two homes across the street who usually have the bins out by 1830-1900. Looking up the hill on our side of the street, almost no bins were in sight. Not quite so unusual on the other side as at least two households fairly close up the hill are 2300 bin rattlers, given past observations.
I commented about it to my wife when we got indoors, expecting to get a bit of an eye roll. Not this time. She said something like, "I knew something outside was odd, but I couldn't place what it was. You're right, that is strange." Nice not to be accused of being in Condition Amber 24/7 for a change. So, have my neighbors all been kidnapped by aliens, or replaced by Stepford families controlled by AI?
Tonight at about 2015, I had a "what the devil is up" moment when putting out the trash and getting the mail. Tuesday is trash day and the trucks generally come early because of the heat, so best plan is to put them out the night before. Tonight, almost none of the homes near my end of the street had their trash and recycling bins out. One immediate neighbor usually has theirs out by 1700, but tonight, nada. Same for two homes across the street who usually have the bins out by 1830-1900. Looking up the hill on our side of the street, almost no bins were in sight. Not quite so unusual on the other side as at least two households fairly close up the hill are 2300 bin rattlers, given past observations.
I commented about it to my wife when we got indoors, expecting to get a bit of an eye roll. Not this time. She said something like, "I knew something outside was odd, but I couldn't place what it was. You're right, that is strange." Nice not to be accused of being in Condition Amber 24/7 for a change. So, have my neighbors all been kidnapped by aliens, or replaced by Stepford families controlled by AI?
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