Bang-Bangs

So you all know I live at Wits End, literally.....and figuratively.  I've also written about my neighbors.  Specifically, my lower neighbors.  For 6 months I had awesome neighbors.  An elderly couple, Nancy & John.  I adored them.  Such a sweet couple, with wonderful kids.  But they moved out & that has made me sad.  I also really enjoy my neighbor Maryellen & her boyfriend Bill.  Maryellen has the most wonderful pit bull mix dog, Rufus & German Shepard Sadie, who both adore my Hailey girl.  Recently, I got new neighbors downstairs.

What Maryellen has gotten from the office is it's a young woman & her 4 year old daughter & their pit bull.

***Disclaimer - I have nothing against pit bulls.  I believe the breed gets a bad rap because of how they are raised/trained etc.

Maryellen said the office advised the young woman downstairs that is there is one complaint about the dog, the dog has to go.  Maryellen spoke with the young woman who assured her several times in one conversation that the dog is friendly.  When I walk Hailey & we pass the door since we share an entryway, the dog scratches, barks, snarls & body slams the door.  It scares Hailey & sometimes I have trouble getting her back inside.  But that isn't really what I'm writing about.

These fuckers downstairs make noise constantly.  LOUD noise, constantly.  Rolling, slamming, banging.  CONSTANTLY.  For hours at a time.  I'm not joking.  One night, in less than a minute, they slammed open & closed the slider 7 times.  7 fucking times in less than a minute!!!!  Right now, there is rolling & banging & running going on, along with a radio I can hear - all over my TV which isn't even at a loud level.  And this is constant.

When they were moving in, they were using a power saw out back to build something.  Oh, which their little deck area.....the Christmas tree is still lying back there, rather than put it in the dumpster 15 feet away, they just left it out there.  We haven't determined what was being built.

Aside from the constant noise, there have been at least 3 different guys there.  We aren't sure what the deal is, but they are there, often.  Jay suggested that maybe it's a flop house.  I don't think that's what it is, but you never know.  We just really wonder what the constant noise is all about.  One night, Jay had headphones in watching videos on youtube & he could still hear the noise.

I have told the office, which they tell me to call the emergency line, that maybe they don't realize they are making that much noise.  They are quiet (with an occasional slam) during the night, so they do have some apartment etiquette.  I told the office yesterday that if Fruity Nutcake thought I was loud, her fucking head would have exploded with the people downstairs.  You can refresh your memories about her here & here.

At the moment, I don't feel the need to call the maintenance line.  But the noise is amazing.  I have not met her yet, I think she's avoiding me.  She hasn't spoken to Maryellen but once.  When she's outside with one of the "gentleman callers" she won't make eye contact with Maryellen but when she's alone, she will.  Maryellen plans to ask her about that.  I like Maryellen, she's a cool cat.  I need to get some of her assertiveness.

I'm trying to think of a name for downstairs.  I'm thinking of calling them the Bang-Bangs.

I'm sure I will have more to write about them once the warmer weather comes.  This could get interesting.

:)

e -

Conversations

Before I get to my actual blog, I have to mention a couple of things.

First: Someone, somewhere (Facebook (FB), I think) reported my blog as being abusive. I couldn't post it to my wall, FB notified me as I was trying to post. I emailed them immediately explaining I've never had a problem & had to wait. So I shut the blog down from anyone trying to read it, until I either figured out who reported me or FB restored my ability. That lasted a whole 24 hours, as my ability to post to FB was restored, which is good because I have something to share with you.

Second: Please know that I would never ever make fun of anyone with a disability. That's just not funny. It's not going to happen here. I will however, point out if someone is an asshole or is funny. That stuff just makes for a better read.

OK, blog time....

As I have mentioned, my street name is Wits End. It's not a joke. I moved here when I was getting divorced. It's the only place I could find that would allow me to have a dog. So the building I live in is a dog building. 95% of us here have 1 or more dogs. I am not sure if I mentioned but the Rock star with the asshole dogs moved about. Apparently he was a disgusting pig. There was poo in the bathroom baseboard heater. I don't know how it got there nor do I want to know. I met the new woman who lives below me when she was moving in. She explained it was going to be her & her son who is 23. Mind you, we have 1 bedroom apartments. He will get the bedroom & she will be sleeping on a pull out in the living room. Her son is autistic that is why he is still with her. I apologized in advance for Hailey & her hopping around, she behaves like a mule deer & sometimes sounds like a horse. They've been here about a week.

While on my blog shut down, she opened the door to talk to me yesterday morning. The conversation went something like this:

New Neighbor (NN): I wanted to ask you if you could keep the noise down at 4am. The floor really squeaks a lot & it wakes us up & when my son gets woken up he gets agitated & then can't go back to sleep. I've been sleeping in his closet.
Me: So sorry. I don't know why they (the cat & dog) have been getting up at 4am. I don't want to be up then & I have been trying to fix that problem.
NN: well the floors squeak, & it's just very noisy & I've been sleeping in the closet.
Me: Well, I've had conversations with the cat & dog explaining that I don't want to be up then & they don't need to be either & we should try sleeping until 6am.
NN: Could you try again?
Me: Sure, I will try & explain & rationalize to a cat & dog why they shouldn't be up at 4am.
NN: Ok thanks, sorry sweetheart, I'm not trying to be a pain.
Me: Sure, I will go talk to them now.

Yes. That was my conversation. I looked her straight in the eye & said I would talk to Hailey & the boy & explain that they shouldn't get up or be so noisy. And I did just that. All day, I mentioned it to them.

And really, sleeping in the closet?? Come on now. If I get up & feed them, it's a matter of 10 minutes. Not really worthy of sleeping in the closet. Seriously.

When it was bedtime, I propped my door shut just enough that the cat could get in & out, but Hailey was forced to stay with me. Hailey is a good sleeper with a couple of exceptions: when her pill makes her sick to her stomach & when there is a thunder storm. The boy, on the other hand, is a real pain. He is very smart & does things, scratches the metal cover where the air conditioner would go, because it's loud. He sits on the bed & meows at Hailey to wake her up. He runs like a wildebeest from the living room to the bedroom & across the bed & whoever is sleeping. He is the problem. I have tried breaking up their meals into 4 small ones instead of 2 big ones. Extra treats. Ignoring them. Nothing works. I don't know what to do.

Last night, he started at 4am. Hailey was forced to stay in the bedroom & pace instead of being able to get out into the living room with the hardwood floors. Here I am telling him to cut the shit & telling Hailey to get back in her bed. Around 5am, an hour of this, I had to go to the bathroom. While trying to be sympathetic to her request, I was slightly annoyed & felt like a prisoner in my bedroom. Plus, I really had to go. So I turned my light on, which instantly causes Hailey to jump up out of her bed. I sneak out of the bedroom, keeping her locked in, go to the bathroom, go to the kitchen quick, give the cat some treats & grab some for Hailey. When I get back in the bedroom, I prop the door again & give Hailey her snack. By the time I turned my light back off, Hailey was already sound asleep & snoring in her bed. Not another peep out of the boy either. I was awake until about 6am, I started to doze & at about 7am I got up to feed the first portion of breakfast. Then we all went back to bed, but I didn't really sleep.

They aren't home right now. I don't know if she is going to complain to me any more. I hope not. I really don't want to be up at 4am or wake my neighbors up. Before she even moved in I have been trying to find a solution to this problem.

Also, I don't know why she chose this apartment complex. I know of a place where she could get a 2 bedroom apartment much cheaper than what she is paying here & they don't allow dogs there. As I mentioned, she did move into a dog building. While I will make efforts to keep the middle of the night noise down, it may not always be perfect. When it isn't perfect she will need to suck it up sometimes. I may seem bitchy & it could be because I'm tired & being up in the middle of the night AND becoming frustrated will make anyone bitchy.

If anyone has tips on how to help me with this, I would appreciate them. Please don't suggest I lock them out of the bedroom. The cat will beat the door until I let him in. I keep Hailey close because sometimes during the night she has panicky itchy fits & get up to keep her calm. I also feed them their final meal just before lights out. So if you have something different to suggest, please share.