breaking and entering

I just went to bring the trash out to the dumpster, you know, like a good room mate would do when it gets full. I'm home alone ( room mates are both in NYC for the weekend), and I walk out the door without thinking of whether or not the door is locked (which it often is, but I usually have my keys or a room mate to unlock it, or at very least a cell phone). I come back and go to open the door---SHOOT---IT'S LOCKED. AND MY ROOM MATE WON'T BE HOME TIL MIDNIGHT. SHOOT, I HAVE NO KEYS. I CAN SEE MY PURSE THOUGH. GAHHH. so I think, hm, what can I do. I can't hop into the car and drive away, because my car keys are inside. Can I break in? Hm, I tried to once and didn't get very far. I try the side window, nah, this won't help. It barely opened. But I could tell that my purse was about 3 feet from the other window. I run over to that window and slide the screen (meanwhile hoping my weird neighbors aren't watching). Then I try to open the window, knowing it won't open too far (there's a 4 foot pole in the window to keep people from opening it). Alright, I know the keys are right there, only 3 feet away. I scurry to my car to see if there's anything I can use to pick up the keys/ purse with. I grab a stick from the driveway and a package of windshield wiper blades (?) and try my luck with the stick. The stick reaches the purse but is too frail/ light/ bend-y to do anything. LIGHTBULB! There's this 6 foot tree branch/ pole leaning next to the door (who knows why) - so I grab it. It's quite awkward to try and get through the window slit, but I knew it would be able to pick up my purse. AND with some maneuvering, it does! YAY! (and then I close the window, slide the screen, put back the other screen I had taken out, throw the stick back in the driveway and the wipers back in the car, and excitedly enter my apartment).

So glad I didn't have to spend the night in the car shivering. (And now I know how to successfully break into my own apartment).