Watch that slice-of-life guy next door

You think your neighbor is a problem? The Saddleback Valley News said police received a report about a Lake Forest resident who “routinely blows a bugle-type horn and marches around the yard with a sword.” I wouldn’t worry -- unless the sword-waver starts yelling, “Charge!”

Watch that first step

Today’s photo layout concerns adventures in getting around:

Jim Watkins noticed a bus with a warning sticker apparently aimed at passengers who plan to ride on top of the vehicle.

Of course, a rider atop a bus would be able to use the drive-through window spotted in Santa Barbara a while back.

But taking any step at all could be risky in the case of one mall bridge (photo by Tami Mohr), as well as one building with a key missing part. Guess the builder was sort of forgetful.

Dog-alert advisory

The recent Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show inevitably brought back memories of Vivi, a prize-winning whippet who disappeared two years ago at Kennedy International Airport after a show. Vivi darted out of her crate as it was being loaded onto a flight to Los Angeles.

As animal lovers know, flying a pet can be nerve-wracking. Years ago, after making a New York to L.A. flight with her dog Boris, my sister went to pick him up but was told by a security officer: “He ate through the crate. He’s running loose.”

“Inside the airport?” my sister asked.

“On the runway,” the officer said.

Fortunately, after mingling with several jetliners, Boris was corralled. Perhaps Vivi’s story will have a happy ending too.

One pet psychic told the New York Times that Vivi is alive. “She’s made friends and she’s got reliable places to eat,” the psychic said. “She told me she’s been pregnant -- she lost one puppy -- and that she’s trying to raise the litter on her own.”

Miscellany

Only one spoons-playing musician/attorney is running for office in California, as far as I can tell. She’s a candidate in this state’s June 3 judicial election. The spoons-artist -- she can play a dozen other instruments -- is Redondo Beach attorney Sydnee Singer, who is seeking a Superior Court judgeship. Her campaign theme, the L.A. Daily Journal reported, is that a victory for Singer would be “music to your ears.”

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Steve Harvey can be reached at (800) LATIMES, Ext. 77083, by fax at (213) 237-4712, by mail at Metro, L.A. Times, 202 W. 1st St., L.A. 90012, and by e-mail at steve.harvey@latimes.com