And I'm not even referring to YOUR garage Kari!!
Actually I have a confession to make (sorry to steal your thread Deb, I'll just say this and then stop stealing and go away ... for at least 5 minutes ... I'll try anyhow). Last Friday .. no wait two Fridays ago now. I guess I kind of contributed to the screeching in the neighbourhood. Surprise party for a buddy who just celebrated a milestone on his way to becoming an electrician. (He lives just across the alley way from the garage-o-parrots.) His wife, my wife's best friend, was to take him away for a bit so we could sneak into the house (so we could yell "surprise!" when they came home). So anyhow she -assured- my wife that the alarm would be turned off. Well, guess what, we entered the house, and sure enough .. BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP. "Uh .. Linda what's the code for the alarm??" "She said it would be turned off. Don't worry." BEEP BEEP BEEP "Um ... I think it's been left on???" "No no, you worry too much, she said it would be off. It will just stop beeping." BEEP BEEP BEEP. BEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEP! "Oh Chr!st!!!! It's not off! Are you sure you don't have the code?" "No I don't!" (time's up) WEEOOOWEEEOOOEEEOEEOEOEOOEOEEOEOEO (ear piercing alarm goes off). Call friend on cell phone. "WTF is your alarm code!!! Your alarm is going off!!" "Ooops, heehee, it's <....>" punch-punch-punch (WEEEOoOEOOEE). Ahhhh, it's off. "Hey, what's the code word for the alarm company for when they call and ask what's up" "Oh they won't call, don't worry". <ring ring> .. Well, crap, I don't have the password. If I don't answer, maybe they'll call her on her cell phone and she'll straighten them out.
They didn't.
Don't ever not answer the phone, just because you don't have the password. I thought it would look really bad if I answered and DIDN'T have the password. In hindsight. That was wrong.
Try explaining to the police that you are in a person's house because you have a SURPRISE party.
(Needless to say, by the time the guy came home, he had kind of figured out what was up .... after I had called his wife on her cell ... AGAIN ... asking her to please explain that she was the homeowner and that yes ... there is a surprise party for her husband).
"Uhhh ... surprise??????"