Neighbor rant...

[goldengirl]

Ok, girls, I'm warning: RANT AHEAD.

MY UPSTAIRS NEIGHBORS ARE SUCH ***HOLES!!!!!!!!!!!! The setup is such that their balcony extends about halfway over mine, and they smoke on it.... a LOT. When we first moved in, I was finding cigarette butts on my patio CONSTANTLY. I mean, almost pack-a-day of butts. It was disgusting. I got sick of picking them up (cuz my dog will eat them otherwise!) so I went upstairs to ask them PLEASE stop throwing your butts on my patio. Well, they weren't home, so I left them a nice note, not being nasty or anything, just please stop throwing your butts on my patio cuz my dog tries to eat them.

Well, there's a mom and an older (my age) son (and maybe more), so sonny boy came knocking on my door and YELLED at me that I was immature (?!?) for leaving them a note and they have NEVER thrown cigarette butts over their balcony and it was probably passers-by. (Only, I have a terraced patio and where the butts were landing, they HAD to have been thrown from upstairs.) Amazingly enough, immediately after this confrontation I stopped finding butts on my patio.

So last week we notice they're throwing some water (?) stuff over their balcony.... and again today as I'm sitting at my computer so I go outside to look and I smell CHEMICALS... they're throwing dirty mop-water on MY patio!!! Like it would frickin kill them to walk it out to the street?!? So I yell and wave to the mom and I say, really nicely, "Hey, look, I know you want to mop your balcony but it's coming over onto my patio so do you think maybe next time you could use just plain water because I don't really want the chemicals on my patio?" And I SWEAR TO GOD, she pulls this Princess Sophia attitude and says "NO, I CANNOT," just being a total B***H, right?? So I look straight at her and say, "Well, thanks, aren't YOU a sweetheart!!!" and go to leave.

She says something about a cat spraying on her porch and I VERY NICELY agree with her, saying, yeah, I've smelled it too (it's really rank sometimes, ugh), so I understand her desire to clean... and then she contines with how my dog's poo reeks too... um, excuse me, I CLEAN THAT UP regularly, bag it, tie it, and toss it in the airtight can on my porch for that purpose. Maybe the only time she'd ever smell it would be AS HE'S FREAKIN POOPING. So I just give her a dirty look and go to walk off.

So she hollers that it's okay, it's animal-safe, so I stop and look back up her and say nicely, "Oh, ok, are you sure?" because if it is, I won't put up a stink, right? And she says of COURSE she's sure, she's a NURSE, in that sleazy tone of voice that makes it sound like she thinks I'm the dumbest person in the whole world. I'm sorry, I know nothing about you, shame on me for not assuming you were a medical professional. So I shoot back whoop-de-doody, "you're a nurse not a VET" type thing and go back in my house.

Ten bucks says the son will come knocking on my door and tell me I'm IMMATURE for requesting they dispose of their nasty disgusting dirty chemical water someplace OTHER THAN my patio.

This woman is well into her FORTIES. WTF is her problem?!? Is it SO rude of me to make a request like that?!?!? Why can't they just be normal people?!?!?!!!!!!

 

[blueroses]

GG, that just sucks. Some people are just morons and have no sense of courtesy. The people across the hall smoke IN THE STAIRWELL. SO I can smell it in my apartment as if it were in my room. I mean, yes, it''s cold, but smoke out a window or go outside. But since I''m leaving and there''s a language issue, I just don''t bother.

I can''t believe she was so rude to you--your request was totally reasonable!!

 

[goldengirl]

Ugh, I understand the smoking thing... it drifts down into my place if I have the front door open (which I do regularly, as it''s lovely outside this time of year) and I don''t say anything, I just shut the door.

It''s just that, I was pretty sure that BOTH my requests were reasonable, good-neighbor type requests, and they just SERIOUSLY overreacted to them like I was pissing in their tapwater. Y''know?? It''s not like I asked them to stop smoking, or stop cleaning, just please be a little more COURTEOUS because YOUR behavior is DIRECTLY affecting MY living situation. I thought that''s what adults did, calmly talk out their issues with their neighbors. If there was a problem with the poo, they should have said something. *I* didn''t notice anything, but I certainly would have made an effort to change something if it was truly bothering them. Because that''s the MATURE and RESPONSIBLE thing to do when living in group housing-type situations!!!

It''s a condo, not an apt, and I don''t even know if it would do any good to complain to the HOA. I mean, probably the only thing that would happen is I would double the amount of ick-water and cigarette butts on my patio.

We''re here for a whole ''nother year, too... sigh...

 

[blueroses]

Well at least the cig butts did decrease afterwards, so maybe she''s just a confrontational biz-nitch....but hopefully it won''t happen again!!

 

[honeynut]

advice for you! My dad is a director of urbanism for a local municipality, he''s talking to me all the time about bylaws and stuff like that. Your city probably has "no dumping" and "no littering" bylaws that she is breaking. You should complain to the city about her, after a few complaints they''ll give her a fine. Most cities don''t want their soil contaminated. Additionally, if you rent, you have the same landlord. If you''ve lived there for a while and have a good relationship, complain to them too. Telling her directly is obviously not helping anything.

 

[honeynut]

Just noticed you''re in a condo - even better. I would totally rat her out to the HOA.

 

[psuheather]

I wish that I could say that I''m shocked, but the more life experience that I get, the more that I realize that there are a lot of people out there that SUCK A**! I can never understand how some people can be so unapologetically inconsiderate. I feel like I go extremely out of my way to make sure that I am taking others and their feelings into account, but I''m rarely given the same courtesy back. I live in a condo and my neighbor immediately above me must be OCD because she vacuums at least once a day, usually twice a day. Normally, that would be no big deal. Except that she vacuums at 10, 11, and 12 o''clock at night. There have even been a few occasions where it''s been 1 am. The walls are pretty thin so we''re not talking about a muffled, barely audible noise. It sounds like someone is vacuuming inside my place. But I let it go for the longest time because, being my overly considerate self, I figured that she must be a really busy person and maybe it''s the only time that she gets to vacuum and who am I to tell her that she can''t vacuum? (Even though it wakes me up while I''m sleeping and then I can''t fell back asleep) Well, I was bearing with it and going to class in the mornings exhausted (grad student) and then one morning, on a SATURDAY, I am woken up at 7 AM to gospel music blaring from upstairs. So I drag myself out of bed, throw on some clothes, walk upstairs and knock on her door. I explain in a very non- threatening, non-confrontational manner that the walls are very thin and I was woken up by her music and would she consider keeping the volume very low if she wanted to listen to music early in the morning? And do you know what that B**CH said to me??? "Maybe you shouldn''t sleep all day and then it would''t be a problem"!!!!!!!!!! Excuse me???!!! It''s 7 AM on a SATURDAY! So I pointed out that maybe I wouldn''t be so tired in the mornings if she didn''t wake me up with her vacuuming at 1 am! And she replies that she can''t help that it''s loud in my condo and that I just have to deal with it!

Like I said, I am usually considerate to a fault, but once you piss me off, it''s war! So I called the home owner''s association who made a phone call to her, but really all that they could do was suggest that she be considerate of her neighbors. Of course, she ignored them. Then, a few weeks ago, I hear what I can only describe as a liquid hitting a solid, like a dog peeing on the floor. I run to find my dog, shocked that he was peeing in the house, but found him sleeping on his pillow. So I run into my bathroom and there is water pouring into my bathroom through the grate in the ceiling. I run upstairs and knock on my neighbors door and it turns out that her daughter''s friend overflowed the toilet and now her poopy toilet water is streaming into my bathroom. So now I have to try to figure out how to get money out of this crazy woman who refuses to pay me to fix the damaged dry wall in my bathroom!!!!!!! I swear, it never ends!!!!

I am so glad that you reemed that woman out, Goldengirl! I think both of our neighbors, along with all of the other inconsiderate, you-know-whats, need to go live somewhere together and leave us alone! I have too many other things to be worrying about!

 

[blueroses]

PSUHeather, that is AWFUL!!!! Evil!! She is absolutely liable for the water damage! EW. Any attorneys on here want to weigh in? Yikes!

 

[teebee]

OH, GG, that stinks!! What a horrible woman!!! I think Honeynut gave a couple of really good options. But I know how you feel, like, it shouldn''t be have to be an ordeal just to get someone to observe a little common courtesy... I hate when things like that happen that make me start to really dislike people!!

This last summer I caught my neighbors watering their lawn with my water ~ seriously, they had to go over to my house, hook up their hose & turn on the water, AND I WAS HOME... Seriously, I was like "who does that???? who the heck would do something like that???" I was so mad I couldn''t even talk ~ I went over and turned off the water, disconnected the hose and threw it into their backyard. If it happened again I was going to not disconnect it but get a knife and chop it in half where our property lines met... but it never did.... AGH!! Neighbors!!!

 

[blueroses]

Teebee, omiGOD!!! That is theft!! You know, I really try to be altruistic and empathetic with people, and it just amazes me that there are so many that aren''t that way. I think most everyone here is just a considerate good-hearted person....everyone wants to help and listen and support, but JEEZ! There are some serious ASSHATS out there!!

 

[psuheather]

People never cease to amaze me...that''s crazy Teebee! I can''t even imagine how humiliated I would be if someone ever caught me doing something like that. But that''s what gets me...these people don''t even care! They have no shame!

 

[blueroses]

PSU, exactly--totally shameless. Evil soulless f&*^s. that''s what they are. Honestly, I don''t understand people who are so self-consumed and have no empathy.

 

[teebee]

Yep, it was insane... They had done some borderline strange things before, but that absolutely took the cake, and blew it to bits!!! It was so funny though because I was so mad that I was shaking, and I could hear the guy piddling in his garage, but I couldn''t even talk I was so mad so I just disconnected the hose and went back in my house...

And not that it should make any difference, but they were a married couple, both working, probably in their early 50''s and had lived in that house for 16 years. And here I am, a single 30 year old girl that had scrimped and saved every penny to buy my own house and completely remodeled it while making less than $25,000 a year, and they have the audacity to steal my water?!?!?! The other funny part was that we had the mildest and rainiest summer I can remember and I hadn''t even watered my lawn yet that season, and it had just rained a bunch 2 days before...

I did tell all of my other neighbors what had happened and told the people that bought my house, so they were going to put cover locks on all of the outdoor faucets...

SHAMELESS and completely inconsiderate, you are right about that!!! GG, sorry to hijack, I would certainly start talking to the landlord though & make some noise w/ the city.

 

[psuheather]

I agree with teebee, goldengirl...you should definitely look into the city laws. I would also contact your HOA. They didn''t help me much, but they might be of help to you or at least point you in the direction of where you can get help.

 

[goldengirl]

Wow girls...I''m so sorry to hear I''m not alone in the shitty-neighbor world.

I''m exactly like you, heather--especially in shared living situations, I really go out of my way to be considerate and courteous of my neighbors. I mean, these guys aren''t the best neighbors anyway--jumping off their stairs, running around, loud music, generally being annoying overhead--but I understand that it kinda comes with someone living above you and haven''t said anything because I don''t want them to feel like they have to tiptoe around all the time and at least it doesn''t wake me up. Actually they had been putting in a new floor so starting at like 7AM they''d be hammering and sawing and all sorts of hullabaloo which DID wake me up, but, because it was on a weekday, I STILL didn''t say anything... I figured just because my work schedule was wacko doesn''t mean EVERYBODY''S day off is in the middle of the week, so I let it go.

Heather, they''ve GOT to be responsible for that water damage!!

teebee, that is just UNBELIEVABLE!!

That''s worse than inconsiderate or just plain rude, that''s downright THEFT!!! I don''t think I could keep my mouth shut, I totally would''ve kinked the hose and waited for them to come inspecting the problem... seriously, wtf were they thinking?!?!

FH convinced me to call the HOA, too. He says even if they DO become even worse in retaliation, we''ll just keep calling, and eventually they''ll have to fine them or something.

Jerks.

 

[Kaili]

Those stories are horrible

! I''ve had my share of inconsiderate neighbors too, and it drives me crazy! People should be able to live their lives, but some adjustments need to be made when they are affecting others'' quality of life. GG, I love the condesension of the "nurse" regarding the chemicals when she and her son are smoking a pack a day! Of course, you should have assumed she was a nurse since she smokes like a fiend and pollutes the environment. Duh!!

 

[psuheather]

style="WIDTH: 99%; HEIGHT: 146px">Date: 1/22/2005 5:30:40 PM
Author: goldengirl
Wow girls...I''m so sorry to hear I''m not alone in the shitty-neighbor world.

I''m exactly like you, heather--especially in shared living situations, I really go out of my way to be considerate and courteous of my neighbors. I mean, these guys aren''t the best neighbors anyway--jumping off their stairs, running around, loud music, generally being annoying overhead--but I understand that it kinda comes with someone living above you and haven''t said anything because I don''t want them to feel like they have to tiptoe around all the time and at least it doesn''t wake me up. Actually they had been putting in a new floor so starting at like 7AM they''d be hammering and sawing and all sorts of hullabaloo which DID wake me up, but, because it was on a weekday, I STILL didn''t say anything... I figured just because my work schedule was wacko doesn''t mean EVERYBODY''S day off is in the middle of the week, so I let it go.

Heather, they''ve GOT to be responsible for that water damage!!

Man, people that jump off their stairs, run around, play loud music, etc. should NOT be allowed to live in apartments/condos! It''s one thing to let things slide but it''s quite another to be taken advantage of. Just imagine how both of our neighbors would react if we behaved if the manner in which they have been behaving...they would probably go ballistic! As far as the water goes...I know that she must be liable, but unfortunately my HOA won''t get involved. They told me that it is "a matter between tenants." I am not going to be a happy camper if I have to sue this b-i-t-*-* but I will if it comes to that!

 

[Jennifer5973]

GG, I know that thhis situation is NOT funny...but the way you wrote the story is just priceless...I laughed out loud.

BUT, pple are assh*les. Sorry-it's tue. most pple are jerks, idiots, etc. We have a situation currently with a neighbor and his stupid bird feeder...don't get me started. He puts it waaaaay back in his yard, right up again out yard/fence (the fence my husband just spent 3 days staining in the summer) and these birds come, eat, and sh*t allover our fence/yard. We're currently trying to deal with this. Let's just say the first attempt was less than successful. I told my husband to go out tonight in the blizzard and rip the f*cking thing out of the ground so he thinks the 50 mile/hr winds gusts did it....

As for your neighbor, maybe sonny boy should get a life, a decent job, and his own apt. instead of living with mumsy.

 

[BLINGQUEEN]

Ladies. Two words. PAINTBALL GUN!!!!!

A couple of days of ''target practice'' and the neighbors will get the point.

 

[Jennifer5973]

Date: 1/22/2005 11:32:32 PM
Author: BLINGQUEEN
Ladies. Two words. PAINTBALL GUN!!!!!

A couple of days of 'target practice' and the neighbors will get the point.

BQ, I'll do one better: I'll get out my handgun and start taking target practice at the %$#@! feeder.

Everytime I look at that fence covered in bird sh*t, I could kill.

Oh boy, my posts here are NOT illuminatung the better side of my character.

 

[BLINGQUEEN]

Anybody ever watch the Osbournes? They really know how to take care of lousy neighbors

I never thought I'd like the show but I really got into it. My favorite was when Ozzie through a ham into the neighbors back yard.

I don't know what he thought that would accomplish but they were really pi$$ed!

 

[teebee]

Date: 1/23/2005 12:46:26 AM
Author: BLINGQUEEN
Anybody ever watch the Osbournes? They really know how to take care of lousy neighbors

I never thought I''d like the show but I really got into it. My favorite was when Ozzie through a ham into the neighbors back yard.

I don''t know what he thought that would accomplish but the were really pi$$ed!

I love that episode BQ!! That totally cracked me up, I was like "a ham? who throws a ham?? who thinks of that???" It was just so totally random that it was the perfect thing. Who was it that they said had been the best neighbor?? I keep wanting to say Bill Gaither or something but I know that''s not it... Hmmm...

On another funny note, I just found out that the two ladies that used to live across the street from us thought that my FH was a smuggler because he was always gone a lot on the weekends and then would come home and unload a lot of stuff from his truck, etc. So I guess he was considered a suspicious character... In reality, he''s just a dentist that likes to hunt & fish on the weekends, and therefore always has a lot of gear & equipment to load and unload... Funny the things people come up with though!!!

 

[BLINGQUEEN]

Funny teebee. I would let the neighbors think what they want. How do people jump from reality to such conclusions?? I can''t for the life of me think who the Osbournes liked as neighbors. I remember them saying that though. I''m glad I''m not the only one who watches it. It''s kinda a guilty pleasure for me. It makes me think my kids aren''t so bad after all. Kelly needs her mouth smacked for the way she talks to her parents

Ozzy is so funny though the way he putters around the house and can''t even work the remote. SHARRRRROOOOOONNNNN!

 

[goldengirl]

lol, Jennifer, glad you got a laugh out of it. It''s kinda surrealistic, some of this stuff, I mean... WHO STEALS WATER??? That''s something they do in movies, but much like the simultaneous climax, doesn''t happen in real life!!!

I totally would. Rip the birdfeeder out of the ground. Hell, throw it into your fence and make him pay for a new one!

 

[teebee]

Date: 1/23/2005 1:50:12 AM
Author: BLINGQUEEN

Funny teebee. I would let the neighbors think what they want. How do people jump from reality to such conclusions?? I can''t for the life of me think who the Osbournes liked as neighbors. I remember them saying that though. I''m glad I''m not the only one who watches it. It''s kinda a guilty pleasure for me. It makes me think my kids aren''t so bad after all. Kelly needs her mouth smacked for the way she talks to her parents

Ozzy is so funny though the way he putters around the house and can''t even work the remote. SHARRRRROOOOOONNNNN!

PAT BOONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Damn, I love the internet!!!

While I was searching for Ozzy''s favorite neighbor, I ran across a site that identified who the noisy neighbor was... Happened to be some one-hit wonder pop star that had a song in the 80s titled "You''re My Favorite Waste of Time" which sparked something and was reminding me of some other song of a similar title, but I just couldn''t figure it out... So in the midst of my search for Ozzy''s favorite neighbor I had to now search for whatever song it was that I was being haunted by... Turns out it was Sheryl Crow''s "You''re My Favorite Mistake"... Now, what on earth would I do without the internet??? I''d go batty with all of random musings and questions rattling around in my head that I can''t remember or find the answers...

Wow, I think I need some sleep. FH is quail hunting and I''m staying up too late like a little kid!!!

 

[blueroses]

I just had to add this in: today as my friend and I were trudging through the snowdrifts, I realized exactly what my shuffling in my snowboots through knee-high snow looks like: Ozzy!! The way he shuffles around the house was like, exactly how unstable and spastic as I looked stomping down 9th avenue tonight. In fact, I made her go a few steps ahead as I demonstrated with the obligatory "SharOOOOONNNN." Teehee

Very silly.

 

[BLINGQUEEN]

Pat Boone!!Of course. thanks teebee. I''d be driving myself nuts til I figured that one out. I remember thinking at the time "Wonder what Pat Boone thinks about having the Osbournes as neighbors?"

Goldengirl: I can top the ''stealing water'' My ex husband broke into my home and stole all the light bulbs in the house!!

I had to make a police report since he was violating a restraining order and had to list each and every bulb and the wattage!!
He was caught with a box of assorted lightbulbs in his car a week later when they pulled him over to serve the warrant!
blueroses: LOL

Jennifer: Did you know they won''t let you wear diamonds in the slammer?

 

[MelissaSue]

oh my gosh.. You guys all have horrible neighbors!!!! (and blingqueen, you''ve got a crazy exhusband!!!!!!!!!)

I live next door to my crazy grandmother. She spys on us.. but nothing like these stories you girls tell! They are awful.. I''d freak out on someone.. I have very little patience.

I am very wary of moving into an apartment for these reasons.. But I guess I will have to get over this fear eventually! I lived in dorms for four years.. can''t be any worse than that.. CAN IT?

 

[psuheather]

I can''t believe how creative people can get...blingqueen--your husband stole all the LIGHT BULBS?? How did he ever think of that? As much as I''m sure that it was incredibly annoying and possibly scary since he was violating a restraining order, I must admit that it''s kind of funny. I have this image in my head of you walking around to each room with a puzzled look on your face as you tried to turn on each light. Imagine getting arrested for that...."what did you get arrested for" "Oh, I stole all the light bulbs out of my ex-wife''s house" Why would he ever possibly risk a violating a restraining order to steal your light bulbs??? Not too bright...pun intended!

When I was growing up, I had extremely immature next-door neighbors. I was best friend''s with their daughter so I was always over at their house and every time that a new person bought a house in the neighborhood they would break into the house before the new people actually moved in and put saran wrap over all the toilets! These are adults in their forties! Can you imagine being in the horrendous process of moving into a new house, lugging in all of your crap, sweating your butt off, trying to figure out where everything goes, etc., etc., and you go to relax for one second to take a leak and your pee goes all over the floor! Somebody would have to institutionalize me! But my neighbors thought that it was the funniest thing in the world!

 

[rfath]

You have to develop a sense of humor if you live in apartments or shared-space condos. Otherwise, you''ll end up either insane or bitter (or maybe both)

My fiance used to live in an apartment in a two-family house. He wasn''t told that his neighbor was a crazy narcoleptic who insisted that she get at least 12 hours of sleep a night so she wouldn''t fall asleep at work. Sounds fair, until you realize that she had ears more sensitive than a bat''s. It finally got to the point where the landlady tried to evict my fiance and his housemate because of the stories this woman told.... they requested that the landlady ''witness'' the noises that the other woman was complaining of. Literally, she was complaining about the hydraulics on their office chair, a squeak in a floorboard that she could allegedly hear from two walls away. Footsteps... doors closing... ::shudder::

Current neighbors aren''t too bad, really. They all hate each other, but none of them have tried to pick a fight with us. They''ve tried to run each other over in the parking lots before, and have had the police out for restraining orders a number of times (tell them they can''t talk to my son! He was NOT running his toys over their cars and scratching their paint! Angel would NEVER!).

I can''t wait to have a house someday... but this IS Massachusetts. I''m not sure we''ll ever be able to afford it. Until then, we have the JOYS of nutty neighbors sharing walls with us.