The boy who cried wolf

So I just got off the phone with 911. I was sitting here watching a tape of Family Guy that I had made (tv is out - see my last post), when I heard a huge explosion. It shook the windows in my apt. I looked outside and saw a giant plume of black smoke rolling out of the trees across the way, right by Dodger Stadium. What the hell could that have been? Car bomb? Nah, this isn't Fallujah. Maybe somebody killed himself in the oven? It happened in Bourbonnais and the whole house exploded, nearly killing the guy next door (he was saved because the couch he was lying on flipped over and covered him from the ball of fire). Anyway, I called 911 and told them all about it. The CHP transferred me to the fire dept. who told me it was a special effect from a movie being filmed up there. That made sense, since by the time they told me that all the smoke was gone. Sure enough, a minute later a huge truck marked "Emergency Response Team" came rolling along, a camera truck in front of it filming. Damn, that was some special effect.

Reminds me of the time I called the cops on themselves. A couple months after I moved into this neighborhood I heard what could only be gunshots in rapid succession and lasting 20 minutes or so. I called the police, who said they'd send out a car. This went on every night for almost a week (not me calling, I only did that once). Turns out what I was hearing was gunshots, only from the Police training academy just over the hill. I guess I should have recognized that most gangfights don't last half an hour.

Anyway, the cops and the firemen always seem pretty happy that someone called. They always thank me, which I think is cool. Pretty soon we oughtta be on a first name basis.