[rescue] WWWIIIRRRESSS!, was Re: Cray listing on E-bay

[Rob Jarratt]

>   In early 2001 or so, I was renting a house in Laurel, MD, from a couple,
who
> were two of the most ordinary people I've ever met.  Neither was terribly
> intelligent, and they were both very big on being and doing what society
> expects of them.  They valued conformism to an very high degree.
> 
>   And here I am, working for a string of tech startup companies, with an
> electronics lab and racks and racks of computers (even some Crays) running
in
> rooms that they insisted could only be used as a formal dining room and a
> living room, because that's...just the way things were supposed to be.
> 
>   What productive person has any use for a formal dining room in 2017?
> Seriously.
> 
>   Anyway, since I was renting, the landlord has the right to come in
periodically
> and inspect the condition of the house and property.  So one day the wife
did,
> and the older ditzy airheaded blonde FREAKED THE HELL OUT because there
> were "WIIIRRREEESS!!!" in the house.
> 
>   You see, in their little minds, all anyone is "supposed" to do in a
house is eat,
> sleep, poop, and watch television.  You know, like good little
well-trained
> consumers.
> 
>   She immediately called the police and said there was an emergency and
that
> she needed help right away.  When they arrived, four cop cars in three
minutes
> flat with lights on, she demanded that I immediately be TAKEN INTO CUSTODY
> because I was "doing things I wasn't supposed to be doing" in the house.
Being
> professionals, they wanted to know exactly what it was that she thought I
was
> doing in there that was so bad.  They asked, and she said, gesturing
around, "All
> of these...THINGS!
> And...WWWWIIIIIRRREEEEEEESSS!!"
> 
>   The police asked us who we all were, determined that she was the
landlord
> and I was the tenant, and then asked me for permission to look around the
> house, which of course I granted without hesitation, given the situation,
and
> thoughts of handcuffs.
> 
>   They looked around for about ten minutes, found nothing amiss, but said
"Hey,
> you do have some unusual stuff here, what do you do for a living?"  I
explained,
> they told her there was nothing at all wrong about what I was doing,
apologized
> to me for the intrusion, wished me a good day, advised the crazy landlord
to go
> home and not hassle me further, and left.  With no small amount of
objection
> from the crazy bitch, of course.
> 
>   Of course it was immediately turned into a big joke around here and a
few
> other mailing lists, but I assure you there was nothing at all funny about
it.
> 
>                 -Dave
> 


Good grief, what a story! It pre-dates my membership of this and other
lists, so it is the first time I have heard it.

What happened after that, did you move out or did she just accept it?

Regards

Rob