unpleasant surprise

i got home from work yesterday and noticed my trash can (City of Houston-issued) was gone! how LAME is that??!! it's not bad enough to have been burglarized and vandalized (May '06), but now my damn trash can has been stolen! so i called my landlord and she said to call 311. i called 311 and they said i had to call the non-emergency police line and file a police report (on a trash can!). i called the non-emergency police line, gave the information and the officer said another officer would call me back. that was at 4pm. i stayed off my phone for the next hour because i don't have call waiting. by 5pm, no call. then a knock at my front door. i went and asked who it was. the police! i was so surprised! he asked if i had called and i replied yes, but told him i was told it'd be over the phone. he was very nice, took my info and gave me a case #. then i had to call 311 back and give them my case #. they said it'd take up to 10 days to receive a replacement trash can! or i could put it out in trash bags. i replied i didn't think they accepted trash not in a receptacle. he said no, that i'd have to buy some stickers and put on the bags. i asked where. he said Kroger's. i said, at the courtesy booth? he said yes (they are like a dollar apiece). well, i don't think so. there are a lot of stray dogs in my neighborhood and i'm sure they'd like nothing better than to receive a great windfall such as nice, big, fat, juicy bags of trash for their destruction pleasure. no thanks. i called my kindly neighbor to explain what had happened. and of course he said i could put my trash in his trash can, no problem.
well, i guess if you live long enough, you see it all....