Saturday, August 8, 2009

Why are some people so WEIRD and RUDE?

Ryan and I have just about had our fill of apartment living. We are puzzled and in awe over the fact that we always seem to attract weird neighbors. Every apartment I've had, I've had some kind of issue with a neighbor. No fights or arguing, nothing like that. Just WEIRD people who have no awareness of good conduct. When I lived in my first apartment by the seacoast, I thought I was in heaven. A beautiful area I had always loved, close to the ocean, in a historic old New England town. Perfect.
Yeah, no.
My landlady was nice enough, but seemed to think it was ok for her teenage kids, THEIR kids, and various baby mamas/daddies to run the place like a frat house (and, I have my suspicions, a spot for sketchy people to pick up drugs). My landlady was never there, even though it was her house. I had to call the cops on the kids because some guy was clearly hitting a girl in the house--and this eventually continued out in the middle of the street. I ended up DESPISING living there and couldn't wait to get out.
When I did, I moved to a bigger city but a nicer apartment. Much better. I'd say that was my best apartment experience so far. However, what is it with people in apartments blasting music at near-deafening levels? I don't get it! How could you be that moronic? I had problems with that with both neighbors on either side of me. And above me. I like music just as much as the next person, but I don't feel the need to share my music with an entire building in the middle of the night.
Our new, bigger apartment in the same complex--which we've been living in for over a year now--has had similar issues. Our next door neighbor--a weird, creepy, day-walker like specimen--played video games until about 4 in the morning AT FULL BLAST. I felt like I was in a war zone. And then Ryan would knock on his door and ask him to turn it down, and the guy had been fast asleep throughout the whole thing! How can you sleep in that? Please, enlighten me, I'd love to know. SO I can survive the next sociopath neighbor.
Then the lady below us is OBSESSED with all things Celtic. Now, I am Scottish, and my family and I take pride in that and enjoy the cultural aspects of our heritage....but this is a bit too much. Just last night, I felt like I was on a pirate ship, while a thick, brogue-y voice sounded out the same pub tune OVER AND OVER. I mean, the same little song, over and over, all night long!!!! For hours and hours! We went downstairs and knocked on her door---of course, no answer. But her dog sure knew we were there. Barking away, the music blasting, and she was still asleep. We knew she was asleep because we walked by the building outside earlier to see where it was coming from, and sure enough, she was there in her apartment, fast asleep, with the unmistakable sound shooting out of her window. What an idiot!!!
So, I got worried that she might actually not be...alive. For lack of a better word. But Ryan thinks shes ok. And the music stopped this morning. She and I will be exchanging words. I'm exhausted, I have a huge headache. And I don't ever want to hear that God-foresaken song again.

From reading this, you might take me as a stuck up wench--but I'm not. I have never been rude or unreasonable with any of these people. I have always been polite and only confronted them when the situation warranted it. But this apartment life is getting old real fast. Hopefully by the time we get back from our honeymoon we'll be on our way to home ownership---and a new set of challenges---WITHOUT the ignorant, too close for comfort neighbors. We're scouting out a house whose only neighbor is a cornfield. Sounds good to me.