This one starts with breakfast in bed and ends up with a cop ringing my doorbell
February 1, 2009 at 11:15 
My birthday started out innocently enough. These were gifts from my kiddos, purchased with their own hard-earned cash, and delivered with breakfast on a tray early Friday morning. The Man had already caught the train to D.C., so they did it all by themselves.
An arrangement of spring flowers, delivered by The Man, who took off early from work on Friday.
Big honking flatscreen LCD computer monitor delivered by FedEx man at dusk. A blogging Grrrl's dream (the monitor, not the FedEx guy).
Cards in the mail. : ) Romantic yet sassy card from The Man. : )
Saturday night. Ready for a party with my grrrlfriends. Having lived in Europe, I am a very sophisticated consumer of wine. I choose mine based on two important criteria: best name and most creative label. It must also cost more than $10 a bottle. I am VERY classy, y'all.
Every party needs at least one cake. Here's the carrot cake. I didn't get a photo of the cake Shirley made for me. Check out Shirley's site, www.glutenfreeeasily.com for the recipe she used in making the richest, darkest, most fabulous chocolate cake EVER. So good!
The Grrrls all brought the kind of cards women love to give and get.
Lisa knows me so well.
And Jan clearly is trying to enhance my reputation with this, um, X-rated FUSION liqueur.
While the conversation was lively, the most interesting part of the party involved an unexpected visitor. Around 10 p.m., the doorbell rang. We all raise our eyebrows. A late arriving guest?
I tell the Grrrls, "Oh that must be the STRIPPERS!"
I was in the middle of serving cake so Jan answered the door. I'm surprised when I hear a man's voice, "Can I come in?" and Jan saying, "This is not my house...VERONICA?!!"
Damn, did somebody really send a stripper?! I would not put that kind of prank past Lisa's husband, Mike.
I step into my foyer to see a fully outfitted cop standing next to Jan. I'm waiting for him to start dancing and unbuttoning his shirt, but instead he says "We got a call from one of your neighbors about the cars parked on the street and want to make sure there isn't a problem. Are you having a party?"
"Yes, I AM having a party. It's my birthday," I say with a loose smile. "I'd offer you a big piece of chocolate cake but I suspect you'd get in trouble for taking that, huh?"
Oh. My. Perhaps I've had too much of the Middle Sister rebel red because I do believe I just got a bit flirty with a Man of the Law.
The cop smiles, does not take me up on my charming attempt at hospitality, and then says his goodnights and leaves.
(I am secretly disappointed I wasn't carded. Doesn't he want proof I'm old enough to drink? Ha ha ha.)
The whole weird incident sparks an animated discussion with the grrrls: What the hell was that all about?
We were having a small party, no music, and there were only four cars parked on the street, which is a wide one in a quiet part of town. I live very close to the end of a cul-de-sac, so there isn't any thru traffic. In fact, there's hardly any traffic where I am, least of all late on a Saturday night.
The big mystery: Who called the cops?
Why?
Or was that all a big lie and the cop was really checking us out for another reason. Looking for a suspect maybe and trying to account for all the cars in the neighborhood that seemed out of place? Trying to bust someone for a zoning violation (i.e. too many residents in a single house)?
I have no idea.
When I told Mr. V-Grrrl about the incident later. He gave a long sigh and then said with resignation:
"You never should have called our house 'Crack House' online."
February 1, 2009
Reader Comments (27)
Maybe he really was the stripper but he chickened out ;)
Happiest of birthdays to you. I love the story. I LOVE The Man. He, through you, makes me laugh.
Next time I'm in the DC area, I'll take you out for a belated birthday drink...or bring a bottle with a really snarky label.
As for the cops with their "We got a call from one of your neighbors about the cars parked on the street and want to make sure there isn't a problem"-line:
wow! You'd never experience that in Belgium ;-)
On the other hand, your husband may well be correct: blogs do get scanned for keywords these days. As far as I know it's called "total information awareness" in the US (all info on Wikipedia)
But rest assured, even bloggers who only post cake recipes get scanned and processed ;-)
D~
(And all I can think of now is that episode of Friends where they call a last-minute stripper and it's Danny DeVito dressed up as a cop..."Did someone call for the LONG ARM OF THE LAW?")
Happy birthday! Sounds like you had a great day, and that monitor is fantastic!
Great story - thanks for letting me know!
I put something in the mail on Tuesday for you, so you should get it in the next day or two :)
And your neighbours meddle too much.
Diane
So do you think it was a jealous neighbor that called the cops because she wasn't invited to the party?
No.
The issue was that my neighbor called to report a "suspicious" vehicle.
This further cracked me up because we all drive such MomMobiles. Minivans, Oldsmobile sedans, SUVs, station wagons.
I don't know why any of these legally parked vehicles would incite suspicion or fear....
Thanks for the kudos on the chocolate cake and linking to my blog! The Flourless Chocolate Cake recipe is there now for all! http://glutenfreeeasily.com/flourless-chocolate-cake/ Enjoy!
Shirley
Happy Birthday...belated, but not any the less warmly wished.
But really...WTF? That is odd.
That cake sounds so good, thanks! (did I tell you I was just told I had to try a gluten free diet by my doc? sucks).
And I love that "box of wine" card. Pft!
:)
Ms V, this isn't convincing me that America is the place I remember back in '89 BUT HAPPY BIRTHDAY, it looks like you have truly lovely friends and that they're all taking care of you.
xo
This is just another example of America's outstanding "customer" service. Even though my neighbor did not have just cause to consider any of the cars on the street "suspicious," the local police officers responded because she is the customer (taxpayer!) and will not be put off, ignored, or stone walled as might happen in other parts of the world which shall remain unnamed. ; P
Instead of being told to bugger off and get a life, the cop spent five minutes allaying her fears and making her feel better, perhaps commending her citizenship and interest in our community. ; )
In America, it's all about the "customer," not about what's convenient, easy, or reasonable to the "worker."
So come to America and let us wait on you hand and foot. Please.....