Appointment's a bit long in the tooth
A reader writes: "I took my two kids for their dental check-ups the other day. The dental nurse said that all was looking good so was I happy for the kids to be on an 18-month recall. I said yes. A letter arrived from the Auckland Regional Dental Service with our 30 minute appointments scheduled for April 16, 2018! With the interesting note that if we can't attend then please call to reschedule. Who knows if we will be able to make it?" "
News nostalgia
1984 in Richmond, California: After 71-year-old Alice Richie's husband died, she began watering her lawn. And she didn't stop. She kept the sprinklers on 24 hours a day, for over a year. Rain or shine. Using over 20,000 gallons of water a day. Her backyard turned into a swamp, breeding mosquitoes. The run-off poured on to her neighbours' properties, damaging the foundations of their homes and causing algae to grow on driveways. The city had to put up caution signs on the sidewalk in front of her home. Richie ignored pleas to turn off the water. When asked why she was watering so much, she replied, "It's none of your goddamn business." People speculated that she believed she was washing away evil spirits. However, she paid all her utility bills on time, so the water company couldn't simply cut her off. Finally, her neighbours took her to court and a flow restrictor was put on her waterline."
