It's a bad season for neighbors
Feb. 23rd, 2010 03:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
susandennisLast night I filed a formal complaint against my downstairs neighbor - his direct violation of the rules will go before the board. I have no idea what happens after that. I guess I'm going to have to go to the board meeting on Monday to find out. Ugh.
Meanwhile just now I went down to get the mail. My door (to the hallway) was open as usual. Usually Travis and Betty go out into the hallway and wait by the elevator until I get back. This time when I got back they were being loved to bits by Prinyarat who lives down the hall and told me she once had 13 black cats. She had them both in high purr mode out in the hall in front of my unit.
Scott (building manager) was walking down the hall and stopped when he got to us. Prinyarat went on into the elevator and Scott proceeded to tell me that her husband, Peter*, had complained to Scott. 'Can't you make that woman keep her door closed? I don't want to live in a commune.' Scott thought it was funny. But Peter also complained about the cats - the ones his wife was just giving her usual cat love to - being in the hallway. Here, he's got me. There is a rule against that.
So I wrote him an email telling him that I very much enjoyed the camaraderie that having my door open brought to my unit but if I understood why he was so offended, I would consider stopping the practice. I also pointed out that the cats like to come out and play with his wife but that I would absolutely not allow them to do that any more.
I'm sure I will not hear from him because he is too weird.
*Peter is the oddest sort of duck. In a Seattle Weekly article of a couple of years ago on his lawsuit against the conductor of the Seattle Symphony he's described as "a longtime SSO violinist with a childlike demeanor who's afflicted with strong anxiety and compulsive tendencies. He also has years of pent-up fear and resentment towards SSO's musical director, Gerard Schwarz." (The judge eventually tossed the suit out.)
Last Summer he attacked me in the hall - roughly grabbing my elbow and dragging me a bit while demanding that I look at a paint sample and sign his petition against the new condo color scheme. I was saved only by the worker who saw the whole thing and stepped in and suggest Peter 'unhand' me. That was actually pretty funny.
But, also kind of scary since I have actually seen him slap his son hard - two different times. (I'm happy to report that his son has grown up to be a very nice looking self assured young man who towers over his father and could take him if necessary, I'm sure.)
Wild, wild, wild. Happily, Travis and Betty don't go into the hall when I'm here. So when I check mail or whatever, I'll just close the door. I'll be sad that they won't be waiting for me in the hallway but rules are rules.
Meanwhile just now I went down to get the mail. My door (to the hallway) was open as usual. Usually Travis and Betty go out into the hallway and wait by the elevator until I get back. This time when I got back they were being loved to bits by Prinyarat who lives down the hall and told me she once had 13 black cats. She had them both in high purr mode out in the hall in front of my unit.
Scott (building manager) was walking down the hall and stopped when he got to us. Prinyarat went on into the elevator and Scott proceeded to tell me that her husband, Peter*, had complained to Scott. 'Can't you make that woman keep her door closed? I don't want to live in a commune.' Scott thought it was funny. But Peter also complained about the cats - the ones his wife was just giving her usual cat love to - being in the hallway. Here, he's got me. There is a rule against that.
So I wrote him an email telling him that I very much enjoyed the camaraderie that having my door open brought to my unit but if I understood why he was so offended, I would consider stopping the practice. I also pointed out that the cats like to come out and play with his wife but that I would absolutely not allow them to do that any more.
I'm sure I will not hear from him because he is too weird.
*Peter is the oddest sort of duck. In a Seattle Weekly article of a couple of years ago on his lawsuit against the conductor of the Seattle Symphony he's described as "a longtime SSO violinist with a childlike demeanor who's afflicted with strong anxiety and compulsive tendencies. He also has years of pent-up fear and resentment towards SSO's musical director, Gerard Schwarz." (The judge eventually tossed the suit out.)
Last Summer he attacked me in the hall - roughly grabbing my elbow and dragging me a bit while demanding that I look at a paint sample and sign his petition against the new condo color scheme. I was saved only by the worker who saw the whole thing and stepped in and suggest Peter 'unhand' me. That was actually pretty funny.
But, also kind of scary since I have actually seen him slap his son hard - two different times. (I'm happy to report that his son has grown up to be a very nice looking self assured young man who towers over his father and could take him if necessary, I'm sure.)
Wild, wild, wild. Happily, Travis and Betty don't go into the hall when I'm here. So when I check mail or whatever, I'll just close the door. I'll be sad that they won't be waiting for me in the hallway but rules are rules.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-02-24 12:12 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-02-24 02:03 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-02-24 12:30 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-02-24 02:03 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-02-24 06:09 am (UTC)You really do think that my having my door open means he lives in a commune? If you do, plz tell me so I'll have some kind of balanced response.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-02-24 02:03 pm (UTC).
I certainly don't think it does. In fact, I think the world would be better off if more people left their doors open. It's a common complaint, after all, that people in condo and apartment buildings never know their neighbors -- what you do helps change that kind of thing. I have no idea (yet, maybe) if people here would complain if I left our condo door open, but I can say that we've had a recent push for people to get to know each other better on their floors, in an effort to build community in response to an alarming rash of recent crime not just on Capitol Hill, but in this building itself -- the reason the entire building is being re-keyed this very week. My floor has a "floor gathering" scheduled for the week after next.
Deliberately remaining behind closed doors strikes me as antithetical to building community. And getting to know your neighbors is hardly the same as being communal. I mean, as long as you're not hanging out inside your unit with no clothes on or anything -- which I certainly know you don't do!
.
.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-02-24 03:58 pm (UTC).
That's interesting -- I'm so conditioned to people thinking of the suburbs as better "neighborhoods" than in cities, I never really thought of it that way. I guess in the end, if you want to build community, there's work to do no matter where you are.
I don't think people would be that concerned if they saw my door open, especially since I'd generally only do it when I was within eyesight of the door -- and therefore people passing by would probably generally see me and see that everything was fine.
My biggest desire for opening the door, honestly, is so my cats can go out and explore a little bit too. But I'm pretty sure that's actually against the rules -- technically -- in my building as well. The truth is, one thing that amazes me the most is how very seldom I actually see anyone out in the hallway to begin with. My cats are a little high-strung about stuff they're not used to so they always shoot right back into the unit whenever they hear the slightest noise, so they'd never get caught out there anyway!
.
.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-02-24 07:01 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-02-24 02:06 pm (UTC).
I just realized that one could make the argument that recent crime would be even greater reason to keep our doors closed and locked. But I actually don't see it that way. I honestly believe that that kind of fear-based behavior only encourages what you're feeling. Besides, we've had people sneaking in the building, thefts in the garages, and we've had a little bit of common-area vandalism, but no one has been attacked by strangers in their own units. Of course we'd keep the doors closed and locked if we weren't home.
.
.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-02-24 03:43 pm (UTC)You cannot see me from the hallway - all you can see is the long hall into my unit. BUT you can hear and you can smell and I totally get the hallway being the path to your domain that should be neutral and protected. I get annoyed by the little girl from down the hall who's mother and grandmother are fine with her screeching and running up and down the hallway. Maybe if I had the door closed, I couldn't hear it!!
Thank you. That's just what I needed. I'll probably, now, open the door much less which will be fine for me and even more fine for Peter.
I really do appreciate it. Thank you,
(no subject)
Date: 2010-02-24 04:03 pm (UTC)And yes on the cross ventilation. Having the door open in warm weather is totally justified. But there is no need to cross ventilate in the winter.
Transoms need a comeback!!
not that this is at all relevant...
Date: 2010-02-24 04:46 pm (UTC)Re: not that this is at all relevant...
Date: 2010-02-24 04:57 pm (UTC)For all of his whackadoodleness, he does/did provide one charming element to living here... he used to teach violin lessons in his condo and you could hear the music up and down the hallway. He doesn't do that any more, though.