curb your enthusiasm

In 12 hours I will be descending far less feet than I went up. Bogotá is high. It is at the equator but never really gets warmer than 70F. I am not a mountain girl. My morning was made a little bit more complicated by the cats having absconded with my chapsticks. All of them. Leaving me no recourse but a trip to Trader Joe's, where in addition to multiples of my favorite lip balm I will pick up a few bags of pretzels. Apparently these things are hard to come by in Colombia. I'm glad to be of some service.

Yesterday I packed up the essentials of my life and put the rest on the curb. There's no better way to get to know your neighbors than to put useful stuff out on the curb. Within 10 minutes the dust buster went home with a man and his little girl who also took a blood pressure cuff and some MCAT test prep books to sell on the internet. They were pleased. At least the man was. I don't think the small child enjoyed having her evening walk interrupted by her father piling some stranger's goods into her arms. But we chatted and he later returned to give me some CDs, a nice gesture.

Most joy seen with curb item: neighbors in Harlem taking unopened bottle of Johnnie Walker

Any good curb stories? Please contribute.