|
 |
November 28, 2003
(This is not the view from our house, however. As near as I can tell, a house that fronts on the little artificial lake costs about $200,000 more than ones that don't. I'm not nearly that fond of water.) Taking the picture wasn't too hard: I just walked over to the lake and snapped the shutter. On the way home I found our wayward cat roaming around and managed to snag him, but then discovered that I had locked myself out of the house. And naturally, when we left the house yesterday to spend Thanksgiving with my father-in-law, we had made sure to close and lock all the windows. So I let Inkblot go, at which he point he darted into our neighbor's yard, and eventually I figured out that our upstairs bedroom window was open. Good thing I wanted to get some air this morning. Except I didn't have a ladder to get on the roof, because the ladder's in the garage, which can only be opened with the garage door opener, which is in the car, which is in the garage. Eventually I put together a rickety pile of lawn furniture and hoisted myself onto the patio cover and then to the roof, where I crawled in through the upstairs window. Inkblot was long gone by then, of course. Believe it or not, this has happened to me about half a dozen times. Yes, I'm an idiot. Tomorrow I'm really, really going to get an extra housekey made, just like I keep telling myself every time this happens. Really. UPDATE: Inkblot has now meandered back. Must have gotten hungry or something. We go through this routine with him a lot. Posted by Kevin Drum at November 28, 2003 06:45 PM | TrackBackComments
Get a keypad (keyless entry) for the GDO - it's cheap and easy; less that $30. Posted by: poputonian at November 28, 2003 06:49 PM | PERMALINKHmmm, that sounds tempting. But I get tempted by that kind of stuff more than is good for me. How easy is it to install? Posted by: Kevin Drum at November 28, 2003 06:54 PM | PERMALINKVery easy. It programs itself by picking up the code from your GDO and then you assign it your desired 4 digit code; and it's wireless. You just screw in a couple of wood screws to mount the keypad outside the garage. Then it works just like your remote except that it requires the 4 digits. Go to Sears, Ace, Lowes, etc. I think you'll want to know the make of your GDO just to make sure you get one that is compatible. Posted by: poputonian at November 28, 2003 07:08 PM | PERMALINKbtw, I've been saved many times by it. I learned the hard way too. Posted by: poputonian at November 28, 2003 07:12 PM | PERMALINKLeave the door open, save yourself the hassle. Any respectable thief is going to get in anyway. Posted by: peter jung at November 28, 2003 07:44 PM | PERMALINKLeave the door open, save yourself the hassle. Any respectable thief is going to get in anyway. Yes, but any respectable thief is going to rob the open house on the block first. Posted by: WillieStyle at November 28, 2003 07:50 PM | PERMALINKAre there no neighbors whom you can trust with a key? Alternatively, you could go with a mechanical combination lock from Ilco: http://www.kaba-ilco.com/ I got a cheap electronic combo deadbolt from another company and I liked it until it stopped working about 18 months after I bought it. Ilco locks are common in commercial settings and seem to be pretty durable. Of course, YMMV. Posted by: Tom DC/VA at November 28, 2003 08:04 PM | PERMALINKLearn to rock climb. It will make getting to your open, upper-story window that much easier. :-) I have used my rock climbing skills to get my self into a third floor apartment that I locked myself out of. Fun. Got interesting looks from the neighbors, too. Posted by: Timothy Klein at November 28, 2003 08:10 PM | PERMALINKKevin, everybody's got to get exercise somehow. Your way is simply a bit more irregular than most :) Posted by: Barry at November 28, 2003 08:52 PM | PERMALINKOh, please. Get another housekey. Bury it somewhere in the backyard. From the sound of it, you could nail it to your upstairs window. $5, or less. Posted by: 537 votes at November 28, 2003 09:08 PM | PERMALINKBell the cat. Use your house key for the clapper.
I've got a keyless entries for the garage door. Way cool. Check out the manufacturer of your opener online and see if they sell it as an accessory. How technical is it? If you can create a RSS feed you can program this. Posted by: -pea- at November 28, 2003 09:25 PM | PERMALINKI'd recommend a retinal scanner that opens the door automatically as you approach. That way any self respecting thief has to pluck out your eyeballs before he can get in... unless, of course, you leave the upstairs window open in which case you may as well leave the front door unlocked. ;) Posted by: Twohawks at November 28, 2003 09:31 PM | PERMALINKNice photo - know exactly where you are in Irvine now! In my younger days I went to UC Irvine and spent a year renting a house over at Deerwood West. Not a stone's throw from where you are now, I believe. Nice neighborhood... Posted by: T. Jaxon at November 28, 2003 10:26 PM | PERMALINKNice picture. But an even more interesting one would have been of you climbing up the lawn furniture. 8^) Posted by: Brian A. at November 28, 2003 10:47 PM | PERMALINKNot as bad as the time Iocked myself out of the house wearing nothing but a thigh length t-shirt. MKK Posted by: Mary Kay at November 29, 2003 01:15 AM | PERMALINKNow I've done that. Went out to the (enclosed)back porch in my ratty
sleep/t-shirt and the door locked instead of just closing. Here's the thing about the house that's $200,000 more. In a few years, it'll be worth $300,000 more. That's how I justify living in a house that is worth more than I am comfortable admitting in public. Posted by: Justene at November 29, 2003 11:27 AM | PERMALINKUm, you should consider publishing a picture book. Seriously Posted by: raj at November 29, 2003 12:21 PM | PERMALINKNot as bad as the time Iocked myself out of the house wearing nothing but a thigh length t-shirt. Uh, tell us more about this.... =-)
Justene: definitely true. When we bought out house the lakefront houses cost about $100,000 more and now I think they're $200,000 more. In 20 years they'll probably be worth a million dollars more or something. Anyway, I got myself a key today. For only $1.93 it will solve all my problems. Posted by: Kevin Drum at November 29, 2003 03:12 PM | PERMALINKNotes to Kevin Drum's Neighborhood theif: He probably has a key outside somewhere now. I used to be in the security business, Kevin, and what you are doing by posting shit like this to your blog is advertising yourself to theives looking for an easy score. I think your blog is cool, and would hate to see you get your stuff ripped off because some jerk realized you would be out of town next time you posted it on your blog on that your back bedroom window is always left open. For your own sake, be a little more careful. Posted by: TomK at November 29, 2003 05:24 PM | PERMALINKIf you understand, things are as they are. If you do not understand, things are as they are. Posted by: Kramer Zak at May 3, 2004 09:36 AM | PERMALINKTo be poor without bitterness is easy; to be rich without arrogance is hard. Posted by: Kalina Shari at June 30, 2004 10:55 AM | PERMALINKbig poles tiny holes - big tit babe - choles world - choles world - linseysworld - linseys world - tiffany towers - xl girls - xxx teen tv Posted by: cumfiesta at June 30, 2004 07:26 PM | PERMALINK7401 You can buy viagra from this site :http://www.ed.greatnow.com Posted by: Viagra at August 7, 2004 06:20 PM | PERMALINK3010 Why is Texas holdem so darn popular all the sudden? http://www.texas-holdem.greatnow.com Best XXX Sites - 7106 ok you can play online poker at this address : http://www.play-online-poker.greatnow.com Posted by: online poker at August 10, 2004 07:55 PM | PERMALINKIs it true or not? Could the pill work for me? Get more information! 23 Keep it up! Try Viagra once and youll see. http://viagra.levitra-i.com Posted by: buy viagra at August 14, 2004 05:04 PM | PERMALINK8835 Get your online poker fix at http://www.onlinepoker-dot.com Posted by: poker at August 15, 2004 11:24 PM | PERMALINK5730 so theres Krankenversicherung and then there is 1768 Its great to experiance the awesome power of debt consolidation so hury and consolidate debt through http://www.debtconsolidation.greatnow.com pronto Posted by: debt consolidation at August 18, 2004 11:13 PM | PERMALINK5818 http://www.exoticdvds.co.uk for 4811 check out the hot blackjack at http://www.blackjack-p.com here you can play blackjack online all you want! So everyone ~SMURKLE~ Posted by: play blackjack at August 23, 2004 04:10 AM | PERMALINK6812 Herie http://blaja.web-cialis.com is online for all your black jack needs. We also have your blackjack needs met as well ;-) Posted by: blackjack at August 24, 2004 07:18 PM | PERMALINK478 check out http://texhold.levitra-i.com for texas hold em online action boodrow Posted by: online texas hold em at August 26, 2004 01:45 PM | PERMALINK |
|
|
Powered by Movable Type 2.63 
|
||||
SUNSET....Isn't this nice? That was tonight's sunset as seen across our little artificial lake here in Woodbridge.