We have a neighbor upstairs now. This is not a terrible thing, but it is an annoying thing. I've been pondering what annoys me about it in the month since she moved in. At first I thought it was the fact that she wears boots and heels all the time and the floors, both upstairs and down, in this house are wood and tile. But no, I grew up in a house with three siblings. I'm used to noise. The first several times I took my woman to my parents house, it seemed like the noise level startled her.
It isn't that this lady is a worrywart either, although that is bothersome. Since the house was originally set up to be a single residence, with someone occasionally staying in the upstairs as a vacation/getaway home, all the utilities are tied together. When she moved in, the woman was worried because "what if the power gets shut off?" and now that the month has ended, she's asking again. That's annoying, to be having to explain that it's in no danger of being shut off because you have to fall behind in your bills before they even consider it.
What bothers me, what really gets my goat, is the front door. In our house, there is a common entryway, and then a door to the upstairs and a door to our place. The upstairs neighbor insists on keeping the front door deadbolted at all times. If you leave for three minutes (it's a long driveway, so if you want to check the mail, you're going to be outside walking for a bit), she will lock the door behind you. This is ok, in some situations, because in some situations, safety is a major concern. Say, living in downtown Seattle, or in New York City.
We live in the country outside of a smallish town. Literally, the country. You have to drive 10 miles out of town to even get to the road we live on, and you have to drive another mile on that road to get to us. Everyone out here is either related or knows each other. I grew up in a community like this, where locking your door was considered silly because the idea of a "bad guy" breaking in to get you was laughable. One of the reasons I live here is because of that feeling, that it is safe, that there is nothing to fear, except maybe joyriding teens playing mailbox-baseball. If I wanted to worry about if my front door is locked and whether the "bad guy" can get in, I'd move back into town. It's frustrating to share a building with someone who apparently enjoys living that way. I'm ready for her to move away now.
It isn't that this lady is a worrywart either, although that is bothersome. Since the house was originally set up to be a single residence, with someone occasionally staying in the upstairs as a vacation/getaway home, all the utilities are tied together. When she moved in, the woman was worried because "what if the power gets shut off?" and now that the month has ended, she's asking again. That's annoying, to be having to explain that it's in no danger of being shut off because you have to fall behind in your bills before they even consider it.
What bothers me, what really gets my goat, is the front door. In our house, there is a common entryway, and then a door to the upstairs and a door to our place. The upstairs neighbor insists on keeping the front door deadbolted at all times. If you leave for three minutes (it's a long driveway, so if you want to check the mail, you're going to be outside walking for a bit), she will lock the door behind you. This is ok, in some situations, because in some situations, safety is a major concern. Say, living in downtown Seattle, or in New York City.
We live in the country outside of a smallish town. Literally, the country. You have to drive 10 miles out of town to even get to the road we live on, and you have to drive another mile on that road to get to us. Everyone out here is either related or knows each other. I grew up in a community like this, where locking your door was considered silly because the idea of a "bad guy" breaking in to get you was laughable. One of the reasons I live here is because of that feeling, that it is safe, that there is nothing to fear, except maybe joyriding teens playing mailbox-baseball. If I wanted to worry about if my front door is locked and whether the "bad guy" can get in, I'd move back into town. It's frustrating to share a building with someone who apparently enjoys living that way. I'm ready for her to move away now.
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