Mi Casa Es Mi Casa  This week, a homeowner is so far up in his
neighbor's business he should be paying rent, and some bro in
Texas has this bro who cleans pools but things are totally not
chill what with that pool-related committee appointment, y'know?
Without warning or consultation, our new neighbor cut down the
trees that separated our properties, destroying our privacy and
views. He had the legal right to do this — I checked with the
county — but does he have an ethical obligation to mitigate or
repair the damage or compensate us in some way? — J.T.,
GREENBRAE, CALIF.  Please tell me you're joking, J.T. Please
tell me this is some kind of wonderful holiday season joke that
we're going to unwrap and inside is an iPhone and Nintendo Wii
and some other things that people love that are garbage and are
signifiers of our cultural decline into wanton materialism.
Please. Please, J.T. Surely you are jingle bell jingle bell
jingle bell joking.  Because let me tell you something, J.T., if
you are not joking, I am