A couple weeks ago, I saw some guys driving this vehicle into the parking lot of Home Depot. You'll note a full set of emergency lights and sirens (in the hood.) That siren is illegal, and so are the lights; they require a permit to be on the vehicle (which requires application by the chief of a fire department), and they require an active police officer or fire fighter, responding to a call as part of their job, to use. The vehicle is also clearly painted and lettered to give the impression that it's somehow an official vehicle.

While it is wonderful to see a group providing "canteen" services to fire fighters and doing it via donations, a)isn't this something the city should be doing anyway (in some sort of capacity), and b)why do they need lights and sirens to get hot coffee to a fire?

BehindDarkEyes photographed the ad-hoc sign somebody put up in the elevator in her Brighton apartment building the other day - before somebody else took it down.

Unlike on my Rozzie street, where neighbors help each other out for the sheer neighborly joy of it all, Jason reports things work a little differently on his South Boston street. Like, you might have to resort to a threat or two after you spot your neighbor shoveling out his car right onto the sidewalk in front of your house.

With roughly 0.08 inches of snow on the ground, a Southie Masshole marked his territory today.

Miss Von Schtoop is getting very annoyed with lunkheads with messenger bags slung around their shoulders:

... The other day I was sitting next to a young woman who was in the aisle seat. First she got clocked under the chin by a dopey rider swinging an oversized tote under her arm. She then got a thwack on the back of the head from the same dopey rider who wanted to shift the bag to the other shoulder.

And the bag swinger knew she bonked the seated passenger because she then told her to "ooh, mind!" as if her massive tote was its own entity for which she wasn't responsible. ...

Elsie discusses an encounter with an evil woman in the boot department at Marshall's in Canton:

... Just as I made it to the end of the aisle she came around whipping around the corner and attempted to put her carriage between me and the boot display I was already reaching towards (mind you there was only about 10 inches of space). I will not go in to the fact that people with carriages in the shoe department are a huge pet peeve of mine to begin with. She said "excuse me", smirked and inched her carriage forward, obviously delusional in thinking that I may possibly would move out of the way so she could move right in front of me. I was not going to be taken by this pathetic attempt to intercept the boots. I smiled and said "oh why of course and then proceeded to move so close to the shelving unit my ovaries were being squished into some aingers thus forcing her to proceed behind me. ...

Earlier: Guerilla shopping techniques at TJ Maxx.

The Berkeley Beacon reports the Gypsy Bar on Boylston Street bar is complaining about chain-smoking, loitering Emerson students clogging up the sidewalk in front of its doors:

... Though no official report was filed, Emerson Police Chief George Noonan said he would like to see Emersonians respect the wishes of the college's neighbors. Officers have begun asking students to move out from the storefront.

The problem, said day manager Tanya Cavazza, is when students don't move even after she and the delivery people ask. ...

The paper quotes students who basically say, tough, the bar sucks:

... Students interviewed said they didn't care if the managers were complaining about them smoking in front of their door, since the people who go to the bar are equally disruptive to the Emerson community.

"Well, we're complaining about assholes blocking the street, getting drunk and [getting] in fights," said junior theatre studies major Brian Tweedy as he stood in front of the Gypsy Bar's doorway. "[Emerson] should give us somewhere that's convenient to smoke." ...

Via MassCops.

Spatch is not happy with whoever's remodeling the kitchen in the apartment under his:

... [P]ower drills are whirring and things are getting hammered and slammed and pulled down and stuff.

At 7:30 in the goddamn morning. On a Sunday. ...

Alicia has a verbal run-in with one of the Youth of Today at the Downtown Crossing T stop.

Sarah shares some secrets, but warns if you try any of them on her, she'll cut you.