Microcosm

Our little apartment building has suddenly become a microcosmic reflection of the state of affairs in the US at large.

What makes you think that, you ask? Some of these many "instructional" notes posted all over the place may give you a hint:

- "Please lock this door when you leave"
- "Please make sure that the garage door closes behind you"
- "Please don't put your laundry basket on the table that's used for folding clothes" (yes, I'm not kidding)
- "Please use the garbage chute only for small items. Take larger items down to the bin" (I swear that this is not a product of my altering-substance-induced fertile imagination)

Anyway, there are loads of these all over the building, and let's not even get to the actual cork board by the mailboxes that's meant for posting shit. People have just gone ape-shit C-R-A-Z-Y there...there's the whole gamut from advertising dog-walking services to benign looking yet semi-hysterical notes. Such as: "It was noticed by a member of the Home Owners Association that the garage door was left open in the morning. PLEASE ensure out safety by making sure this does not happen again!!!".

Basically, since the break-in, it seems that we are operating under some kind of "red alert" military regime around here. Oh, and every time I read these notes, I can almost hear that ominous sounding announcement at the airport: "we are currently at threat level orange... do not leave personal belongings... blah blah".