I've gotten a few responses on one of my latest tweets from followers and Facebookers regarding our downstairs neighbors. If you thought that was bad enough, wait until you hear the full story…
Joy and I moved in to our apartment at the end of April/beginning of May. It was one of the newer apartments available on the top floor (we liked the idea of cathedral-style ceilings). After a few weeks of moving and getting everything settled, we felt like we made our home. Then the complaints started.
One night, we had just finished playing Mario Kart on Wii, when we heard a pounding on the floor. "What the heck was that?" Joy and I asked each other. We had done nothing out of the ordinary: I was putting away a couple of folding mushroom chairs and Joy had sat on the couch; we weren't stomping, jumping, rolling, or otherwise. So, we just brushed it off.
Throughout the next couple of weeks, we'd get a few knocks here and there while we were doing dishes, putting groceries away, walking around the house, etc. We had no idea why this was happening. We were being somewhat courteous of our neighbors (not running through the apartment screaming), and just trying to live a normal life.
Then, we did make a mistake. We had a few friends over and had gone out for a night on the town. When we got back, they were a little rowdy, but I quieted them down quickly. The next day is when this would all be tied together.
One of our friends left for home pretty early in the day. The rest of us headed out to the state park for enjoy the nice day. When we got back, we found a folded note taped to our door; "Joy and Hubby," was written on it. What the heck? Who leaves notes anymore?
When we got inside, Joy read it (the note has since been lost, sadly, otherwise I'd transcribe it in full here). Basically, our downstairs neighbor made these points:
Quite a list to write-up, especially for only being there a few weeks.
We took the note with a grain of salt, tried to fulfill some of her requests (I put a mat under the grill just to avoid any possible problem, and even moved the grill to the same corner as hers), and decided to continue living with that all in mind. Needless to say, the pounding from the floor never stopped.
It became a couple-of-times-a-week type of thing (which got rather annoying, and always more puzzling). We tried to be quiet, but there's only so much you can do without having to stop living all together.
Well, we finally nailed the coffin shut; we had some of Joy's family over for dinner a couple of days ago. We were all talking, fixing our plates, and got rudely interrupted by pounding from below. We were all in shock. It was five o' clock in the afternoon. We were not being that loud; at least loud enough for a serious complaint. Regardless, she called the office and then we received the call that started this post.
Warning: rant to follow.
#10 below, you suck. Firstly, you could have the common courtesy to actually come and talk to us, instead of doing your random poundings, leaving notes, and calling the front office to complain. Secondly, you're not the only one living here. We have the right to lead a semi-normal life, just like you. Why should we have to tailor to your whims, needs, and desires? What if I worked the late shift and showered, got ready, and came home all while you were still asleep; would there be no excuse for that? What if we had two toddlers living with us? I'm sure things would be much louder than they are now. Are you going to complain about that?
All I can say is that you took a decent place to live, and made it a place we're hoping to get out of. We've seriously considered breaking our lease, and speeding up the home-buying process. I don't know what kind of neighbors you want, but I hope you find them.