Two weeks. In a row. Ugh.

[Ellain]

I'm sorry you have to deal with that! I know what its like- the last person to rent the house next door to me was a jack@55. Loud, frequent parties that ended around 3 am, litter thrown into my yard, his pit bull running loose... Oh, and lots of screaming "breakup" fights with the GF. Once, even a fistfight in the middle of the street at midnight.

One of the other neighbors told me that the guy bought binoculars to peep in my windows.

I am so glad he went to jail! I now have better neighbors.

Hang in there!

[TheSHAD0W]

Check the local junkyards, you may be able to find a used tail light assembly for a lot less than what you mentioned, and they're usually easy to install yourself.

[KiaKat]

We tried that. Unfortunately, my car model is new enough that there aren't any in the local yards - at least not the ones my garage deals with. Luckily, I have a fantastic mechanic/body shop guy who has managed to save me about $3,000. I'm just waiting for the new hatch to come in, and then I get it fixed.

So I'm paying $2,500 for all the repairs.

Still no response from the landlord or the police. Seems like no one cares, and nothing I do seems to affect the apathy.

[KiaKat]

Sorry for the double post, but this morning just cemented my thought that the local precinct is just very lazy.

We have something called Alternate Side parking. Basically, one side of a street is closed down on certain days at certain hours for street cleaning. Mine usually coincides with about the time I go to work anyway, so it all ties together nicely.

This morning, I was running late. Not incredibly so, just about 10 minutes. Which put me out the door 6 minutes after Alternate Side starts. And my car was parked on the side of the street that was closed this morning (I don't park in the driveway anymore, for obvious reasons).

I got a ticket. Bloody cops were all over that, FOUR minutes after Alternate Side starts, but they can't be bothered to actually investigate a case of vandalism. Have to get that $45!

Yes, some of it is my fault for not moving the car earlier, but to be completely honest, I think this is the first time I've seen a traffic cop patrol and actually ISSUE a ticket on my street in...probably six months, if not more. There are always cars parked in front of hydrants, driveways, and other spots marked with "No Parking" signs. And that's not even including the two derelict vehicles that have taken up residence with plates, no registration stickers, flat tyres, and filled-to-the-brim-with-junk status. Poor cars. Both of them are old Mercedes-Benz, probably from the late 80's, if I remember my styles correctly. Completely abandoned, apparently, but they've never been ticketed, and never been towed. And no handicap placard or plate to prevent that.

[seigus]

I'm so sorry for your troubles. There are very few things in life as awful, frustrating and unnerving as bad neighbors, and experience (mine and others) have taught me that there's usually very little that can be done about it, other than committing terrible crimes against them, which good people wouldn't do anyway. I do so hope you are able to get this worked out. Best of luck to you.

[Chromatix]

There's a Finnish joke regarding alternate-side parking, which is common here for snow-clearing purposes.

On Tuesday, the TV newsreader warns of heavy snowfall, and instructs drivers to park on the north and west sides of the road to allow the snowploughs to pass. Pekka sighs, and goes out to move his car.

On Wednesday, the newsreader warns of more heavy snowfall, and instructs drivers to park on the south and east sides of the road. Pekka sighs, and goes to move his car again.

On Thursday, the blizzard still continues, and the instruction is once again to park on the north and west sides of the road. Pekka is fed up, and this time doesn't bother taking his car out of the garage...

[protege]

Ugh. Where I work, we have "street sweeping." Meaning, that on the first and third Monday each month...you can't park on the main street. You have to park around the corner, in the alley, or several blocks away. Annoying as hell, because after they "sweep" the street, it looks *exactly* the same. There's still the litter, the garbage (usually blown from the shitty apartment complex across the street), dog shit, etc. Why the borough continues to waste money like that, I have no idea

[NightWatch]

I had an upstairs neighbor once who would report me having wild parties every weekend. Funny thing was that I worked friday through monday 8PM to 6AM... I wasn't home!! I was nearly evicted because of him. I had to show my landlord my work schedule so that they wouldn't kick me out. He went so far as to finding out where I work and trying to call me at work to tell me weird random shit. It freaked me right the hell out. I ended up breaking my lease and moving out... But the place smelled like piss and had roaches, so I don't really miss it.