Neighborly Noise
I use our kitchen table for my computer desk. It is against the wall dividing our apartment from our extra-noisy neighbors. You know, the divorced mother with five children? The one who seems to think that her children still have such a limited vocabulary that using “the F word” multiple times in every sentence will make things clearer? The ones who watch loud movies well into the night on school nights1 and make me remember how grateful I am for the gift of hearing… and earplugs?
Anyway, my location typically means that not only can I hear our neighbors, I can often hear them quite clearly. Their love for ’90s music and pop classics in general has helped me to understand some things more clearly than ever before. For instance:
Tragic in a beautiful way: Hearing an eight-year-old sing along with Elton John to “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.”
Disturbing: Hearing the same child sing along to Boyz II Men’s “I’ll Make Love to You.”
1. The mother apologized the one time when we were home when she called the police in order to get her children to school. I suppose that I should just be happy that, whatever else her mistakes, she finds some way to get the children to school most of the time.
Tragic in a beautiful way is such an eloquent discription!
I have been there, too. I can hear my apartment neighbors fighting all the time. Honestly, it’s a blessing to be reminded that I’m lucky that I don’t live with yelling. Are you on the countdown until your lease is up, too? I’ve got a few more months.
Discription is one of those words I’ll always insist on spelling wrong. Sorry that I put it on your blog.
…and yes, I do realize I spelled it incorrectly there as well…and I digress.
If you hadn’t said anything I never would have noticed.
We’re planning on moving before the baby is born because it’s just too noisy. Plus in the four-plex we live in EVERYONE around us smokes, and the second hand smoke is horrible. Whenever we come visit my mom she can’t get over how much our clothes smell like smoke! I don’t understand why people don’t have courtesy to turn down their music!
Ohhh, smoke is the worst! I am glad that you’re getting out of there before the baby is born.
Wait – so the police took the kids to school? You’ll have to tell that full story sometime!
There isn’t much to tell. The kids acted as if it was normal and had apparently happened before. Later the mother said she was sorry about the police but I just said something along the lines of “hey, whatever it takes” and didn’t get fuller details of the story.
Elton John is my favorriiiittte.
Whoa.
I’m speechless.
I’m so sorry.
Oh, don’t be sorry for me at all, and I think that the kids are as fine as they could be in such a situation. They seem to get along well with each other (and all fight with the mother).
Wow… and I thought I had probs w/ neighbors. No my annoying ones moved and soon we will too… I hope things get better though!
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