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© Copyright 1999, Jim Loy
There are good neighbors (the majority) and bad neighbors. I would like to complain about some of the bad ones that I have encountered over the years.
One night, about 3:30 AM, I was awakened when my neighbor decided to play his electric guitar full blast. I was getting dressed, to go complain, when he quit. I never heard him play his guitar again. I had upstairs neighbors who sounded like they were playing Nazi marching music. There are often parties in this neighborhood (plenty of college students) which can be heard for blocks. But I am now in a rather quiet building.
One day last winter, I shovelled about a foot and a half of snow around my car, before going down town. When I got back, there was a car in my spot (which is reserved). One morning, I woke to hear the maintenance man plowing the parking lots. I rapidly got dressed, ran outside, and moved my car so he could plow out my spot. And as I parked my car on the street, my neighbors pulled into my spot. They moved their car when I asked them to. Numerous neighbors have used my spot, one of them even used my extension cord to plug in his heater. I have never had any of them towed, but it has been close. I have stuck a few notes to their windows. I considered using superglue.
The heat for my apartment (and five others) comes from a hot water heater in the top of the building. We pay for heat as part of our utility fee. When one family wastes heat, we all pay for it. And there are always a few windows open all winter long, even in 20 or 30 below zero weather. I don't like other people spending my money.
I now have neighbors in the next building who do not put their trash in the dumpsters. The magpies then spread their trash all over the neighborhood. It happens every few days. I wonder why they even bother to carry their trash to the dumpsters. An open window would accomplish the same thing.
Addendum:
One neighbor stole the fire extinguisher from the stairwell, and happily returned it when the maintenance guy asked for it. One neighbor stole the 9 volt battery out of the clock in the laundry room. And someone stole my drier time (See Stolen Laundry).
The above-mentioned episode of the trash outside the dumpster ended recently. I picked up three bags of garbage (I used my own garbage bags) from around (and under) the dumpster. Many of the papers had the names and addresses of the people in two of the apartments in my building. I put these bags into the dumpster. Then I walked downtown. When I got back, there were two more bags of garbage spread all over the ground. I bagged this garbage, and anonymously dumped it all on their doorsteps.