Stupid Bitch

[ShadowBall]

Kind of reminds me of my old college roomie's boyfriend. His ass got kicked out of the dorms his first semester because he was caught with booze in his room (it was a dry campus). So my roomie moved him in with us without asking us first. Would have been nice to know since we would have all gotten evicted had the RA found out he was living there and not just staying a night or two.

And you'd think the fact we were risking our own living space for him would have made him worship the ground we walk on. Nope. He was always loudly bitching and stomping around and slamming the doors early in the morning. He'd have a huge tantrum if his alarm went off late or not at all and he had work. Hey dood, I understand the irritation, but is that any reason to slam all the doors in the apartment at 5 am when I just went to bed at 1 and have to be up at 7? Not to mention my other two roomies who would also be asleep.

The guy wasn't bad when he was nice, but when he got mad, I just wanted to throw him off the fucking balcony. Just....grrr at these people. They seem to think they are the only fucking people in the whole building. Assholes.

[blas]

I'm not even sure what the truth is, I have heard stories that equal the police don't do anything unless it's an emergency, since it's a "landlord issue", (similar stories to mine about noisy neighbors who get the cops called on them but the cops will only drive past or maybe if they hear something stick around for a bit) but then I have also heard of cops who always threaten people that they will report this to their landlord (I had a friend who had a neighbor who called the police on her nearly any time she had a friend over after 10 pm at night, and they had to smoke outside, and I am not joking, one peep and the old lady called the cops. Every time, the cop threatened that he knew the landlord and he'd have it reported and she could be evicted, but nothing ever became of it).

She's still been gone. It's been such a relief. And it will be a relief to be able to go about my nightly routine tonight without hearing a door slam, and not hearing them slam all damn morning.

You guys have no idea how I am NOT looking forward to a couple of weeks from now to a month from now. That baby is coming and I'm pretty sure I'll be staying at my parents' place every day after work and just coming home in the afternoon to change and get ready for work, since I can't afford to break my lease.

And ever since I've been on my own, I have NEVER understood how a lot of landlords/property management companies don't put some money into re-doing the walls of these older buildings. This building was built a long ass time ago. I understand it's "Get what you pay for" with cost of living and semi reasonable rent, and if you want efficiency apartments with sound-proof walls, you have to go to newer ones that cost upwards of $800/month nothing included, but to me, it's almost ridiculous just how poorly insulated these buildings are, not to mention nearly everyone who lives here complains that the windows stick, don't lock or shut properly, and nothing is done to fix them good, and yet they bulldog the crap out of your security deposit and swear up and down that nothing is wear and tear, everything is tenant damage.

Ahhh, renting from the largest, yet cheapest company in town. I will NEVER make this mistake again.

[Pagan]

I thought this might be appropriate -

The People Upstairs
by Ogden Nash

The people upstairs all practise ballet
Their living room is a bowling alley
Their bedroom is full of conducted tours.
Their radio is louder than yours,
They celebrate week-ends all the week.
When they take a shower, your ceilings leak.
They try to get their parties to mix
By supplying their guests with Pogo sticks,
And when their fun at last abates,
They go to the bathroom on roller skates.
I might love the people upstairs more
If only they lived on another floor.

We rarely hear our neighbors since there are firewalls between the townhouses. However we live on a a cul de-sac so anyone having a conversation outside will sound like they are standing in our bedroom talking or if a car is playing it's music loud it will sound like it's in my bedroom. The sound carries in our cul de-sac and most people don't realize it.

Mr. Mis and I have both gone out at different times and politely told people that noise carries here and could they keep it down? most will apologize and do all they can to keep it down. We have come across a few assholes, but I let the police handle that.

I ususally do that, too, the first time. Some people honestly don't realize how loud they're being.

When I was living in El Paso, some college guys moved in next door. I got woke up by their music one night around 1am not too long after they moved in. I had to be up at 5am. From their living room to my bedroom, the sound not only had to go through a couple of rooms, but make a left-turn. I got up, went and asked them if they could please turn it down. They were so apologetic and had no clue how loud they were. I never heard another peep out of them, either.

And the lady that lived upstairs from me there, I never heard her. And she literally wore combat boots (she was stationed at Fort Bliss).

Some people are just assholes and simply don't give a damn how loud and irritating their being. I'm just waiting for the jackasses upstairs to try complaining about anything with me. Let's see, I've lived here 14 years and never had any complaints against me. They've been here @3 years and he's been hauled off in silver bracelets at least once. Who are they going to listen to I wonder?

[Pixilated]

My sympathies to all those with hideous neighbours! I've still got The Jerk living next door to me but as soon as I get my student loan money (so I can get a haircut and look fairly civilized, LOL), I'm going to go talk to the owners with a written complaint and a log of times and incidents.

There is a legal procedure that has to be adhered to and I understand that, but I am at the end of my tether and plan to tell them I'd like to move to another unit as soon as possible. Generally the buildings are good and well-maintained, but I left my last place to get away from idiots like this. Admittedly he's not as bad as he was when he first moved in ... but that's damning with faint praise. He's still a PITA and I'm tired of his loud music and/or bass levels and his frat-boy parties.

Some noise happens because of inherent clumsiness: I rattle and clatter crockery whenever I'm in the kitchen because I simply can't stack anything other than plastic without at least some clinking. Similarly, I don't seem to be able to find the sweet spot where a door closes properly but quietly.

That said, there's a difference between 'forceful closing' and slamming. I'm sure even the most coordinated of you has had awkward-to-close doors.

Seshat, you're right, it's not reasonable to expect absolute and total silence 100% of the time when living in multiple-dwelling places. I clash things together and drop things on the floor as well. Normal day-to-day living noises don't bother me. A fellow tenant was complaining that the woman above her has an extremely noisy treadmill. Annoying, I have no doubt ... but I doubt the woman is on the treadmill for four hours at a time, LOL.

I feel for you, I spent 6 months this past year living in an apartment complex where it turned out the walls were paper thin. There was a family that lived below us with a teenage son, and often when his parents were out he would blast his rap music. It sounded like it was coming from inside our own apartment. I started getting so fed up that I would jump up and down on the floor, slam things on the floor, or blast my TV.

But the real fun started when a mentally ill lady moved in across the hall. Now, I don't want to make fun of her for being mentally ill, and I did feel bad for her, but she was always having hallucinations and screaming at imaginary people all day long. It was a freaky thing to live next to. She also stunk up the hallway with her cigarette smoke.

We got the heck out of there, even managed to break our lease early. We got a house instead and the peace and quiet is LOVELY. I don't understand why they don't make the walls thicker in apartment buildings. But, also, sometimes I think people don't realize how loud they are to their neighbors. I remember the first time I went downstairs to get the mail, I was shocked to realize that I could hear my TV blaring all the way down on the first floor. It didn't seem that loud in the apartment :-(

Yep, sounds like my neighbour! Except he's no teenager; I'd guess he's 30-something.
And walls are made paper-thin because it's cheaper that way.

[PepperElf]

exactly. i know we didn't like the noise when the guy and his (now gone) GF/wife/whatever moved in above because ... we were use to the silence and suddenly there was the sound of people moving around.

still we got use to it, even chuckled when we realized we heard their bed springs bouncing (wink wink).

only thing that worries me right now is that our new dog barks sometimes. Not all the time, usually just one yap (more if it's a cat or an old man...wtf?) but, hopefully not enough to get us in trouble. although the landlady has met our doggy and adores her.


neighbors next door (the ones I call the "North" family (actually they're more like "north west" but close enough for me)... can be loud at times. mr. north has a loud voice and ... to be honest i suspect he's a bit overbearing. not necessarily abusive just overbearing and a bit of a chauvinist.

[Seshat]

Occasional short sections of barking from a dog is reasonable: especially if the dog has been trained to stop barking on command!


Exchanges like this are perfectly okay (to reasonable neighbours, anyway):

dog . o O ( Oooh, something's happening )
dog: Bark bark bark
human: <dog's name> Quiet!
dog: . o O ( Oh. I'm supposed to shut up now. )
human: Good dog!


It's the extended quarter-hour or half-hour or hour-long barking sessions that are unreasonable and unacceptable.




Regarding the thin walls/thin floor/thin ceilings issue: can you put up temporary insulation?
Buy panels of insulative wall materials, and staple them to the existing walls. Use putty or hole-filling-plaster to fill in the holes when you're ready to leave, and paint over it with paint that matches the existing paint.
For the ceilings, a suspended ceiling is effective soundproofing, and removable when you leave.
The floor is easiest: just put lots of rugs down. Or old blankets. Anything you can pick up and throw in the washing machine when you need to clean it.

If you need a cheap option, staple or nail blankets to the walls and ceilings. Multiple layers of thinner blankets will be more effective than single layers of thick blankets.

If you need to make it visibly temporary for your landlord, use some of those really strong stick-on hooks and lengths of curtain rod or dowel.

[PepperElf]

o good. my doggy doesn't usually bark more than a single time. although im getting annoyed that she seems to like barking at old men.

hey those old men are our neighbors and they're nice to us. don't be pissing them off there puppy!

[Pagan]

It's the extended quarter-hour or half-hour or hour-long barking sessions that are unreasonable and unacceptable.

Unlike the one upstairs a couple of tenants ago that clearly had seperation anxiety. Poor little thing started barking almost the second the lady left and went for hours.

For the ceilings, a suspended ceiling is effective soundproofing, and removable when you leave.

That wouldn't work so great for my place. My ceilings are only 8 feet high to begin with. I don't really want to create a cave effect.

The problem is that they're loud, they know they're being loud. They just don't care because they're assholes.

[blas]

We aren't allowed any kind of modifications whatsoever to our units. I mean, even your own jerry-rigged insulation, anything that would require more than a minute or two to put together or hide.

If my landlord ever found out I painted or attached anything to the wall, I'd be out of here faster than my pants come off after work.

[dalesys]

... faster than ...

I'm thinking...

Thinking...

Thinking...

Raphanus sativus!

[42_42_42]

blas, you might want to invest in a really good pair of earplugs to wear when you're sleeping.

[PepperElf]

blas, you might want to invest in a really good pair of earplugs to wear when you're sleeping.

I know of several solutions to that.

If you want cheap, I recommend MAX Pre-shaped foam earplugs. Noise reduction rate (NRR): 33 dB

Or if you want something a little more reusable you might want to check out Surefire. I personally wear these (the pinkish ones). (remember to close the stopper things). i've also seen companies that make their own customizable ones, but those run you 30-40 easily and i don't know what kind of protection they really give.

And if you really really want to make it good, toss on a set of ear-pro muffs over the plugs. will run you a bit more, closer to 50+ but it is good.


double hearing protection (plugs & muffs) ... it can muffle some really loud shit. i'm talking stuff on level with aircraft and weapons discharge.

figure it can also easily muffle bitches screaming too

[blas]

I had a bunch of earplugs in my room, but I must have tossed them while cleaning last fall.

Damn, Stupid Bitch is back. She's been here since I got home this morning, and with the snow and wind we've had, it's been even louder.

They did go somewhere earlier today, and I figured that was a good time to lay down. At least it was quiet for a while.

I knew it was too good to be true. She'll probably be here all weekend

[emax4]

When you notice them leave, why not put a note saying that you've already complained once about the noise, yet it still continues, and that if they don't keep it down that the authorities will be called. Don't sign it though, unless you put "building x tenants".

[Racket_Man]

still we got use to it, even chuckled when we realized we heard their bed springs bouncing (wink wink).

.

try having the cops called on you for having an "orgy" in your apt. (yes I have posted the details before).