Keep It Down, You Punks!

[revena]

It's only a matter of time before I start wearing really unflattering housedresses and get even more cats... A couple of weeks ago, I gave a stern late-night talking-to to some college kids sitting on the front wall and gossiping late at night. And then a day or two later, I shouted at noisy middle-schoolers.

Just now, I got up from my comfy chair, where I was ensconced with my laptop and a bridal magazine (I'm getting addicted to these things - so fun to cut up for my "ideas" scrapbook!), put on my Birkenstocks, and trudged across the street to what has lately become the neighborhood party house. I let myself into the yard, walked up to the screened porch, and summoned the attention of one of the many very loud, very drunk young men playing ping-pong therein.

"I want to talk to someone who lives here," I declared, authoritatively.

I think they're probably good boys, at heart. They were all very polite - if smashed - and apologized for being so noisy, promised they'd go in the backyard, and said they hoped they wouldn't bother me again. I said I hoped so too. And then they all wanted to shake my hand and tell me their names (which I promptly forgot), and get my name again (I had introduced myself at the start of the conversation, as one does).

I dunno if their beer goggles were working overtime, and they've decided to shut up in order to impress the Neighbor-Who-Appears-Hot-Late-on-Fridays, or if they're worried I'll call the police, or if they genuinely don't mean to be such a nuisance and only need to have their obnoxity pointed out to them. Whichever it is, they're being reasonably quiet now.

We'll see how long that lasts.

Comments

[affreca.livejournal.com]

There are reasons why I moved out to the nonstudent part of the town. I love being a student, but I love having my windows open and not hearing drunken people stumble through my lawn. I'm getting old.

[revena.livejournal.com]

Well, we're near the university, but this neighborhood really isn't geared for student housing. I dunno how this pack of kids can afford to live in that house, honestly... I guess because there are a lot of them.

[spic-ity-do-da.livejournal.com]

Sometimes a party just gets out of hand, through little or no fault of those living there. Case in point: last night at mi new casa. Most of those living here were off in Scottsdale for the night and came home to a cop at our front door responding to a noise complaint by our neighbor. However, I would have much prefered if the neighbors, like yourself, simply came over and told us to shut the hell up, then we could have dealed with it personally. We plan on apologizing today and giving them our phone numbers so they can deal with it in the future if/when it happens again in a semi-direct manner...

[revena.livejournal.com]

*nod* And I do think they just don't know how loud they're being. But the thing is that they are extremely noisy well into the early morning hours several nights every week, and often are shouting at each other in the afternoons, as well. It gets tiresome.

[betacandy.livejournal.com]

LOL at the image of you in the housedress. You need curlers, too!

Loud talking is a classic symptom of drunkenness, which I first learned while training to be a server (so I'd know when to cut customers off). For them, the volume gradually goes up and they don't even realize how much louder it was when they started.

Of course, drunkenness can also lead to stupid judgment calls, like a recent incident in my neighborhood. My small block alone contains hundreds of people, with apt bldgs crammed within feet of each other, so you can imagine how one person yapping at top volume on her padio interferes with the sleep of at least 100 others. Here's how this unfortunate incident went:

Drunk Girl on Padio: YAP YAP YAP GIGGLE YAP YAP YAP...

Nice Woman: Excuse me, but could you go inside and close your door, or talk a little more quietly?

DGoP: FUCK YOU, YOU BITCH! I AM TALKING TO MY FRIEND! MAYBE YOU SHOULD GET SOME FRIENDS!

Me: Screw that, just call the police.

NW: I think I will. She did this last night, too.

The LAPD showed up about 30 seconds later - a full three hours quicker than their average response time to a homocide in East L.A., LOL - and that was the last I ever heard from her.

[revena.livejournal.com]

I think I'm gonna try talking to these kids some time when they're not sloshed, and see if we can't establish some ground rules that are fair for all parties.

If not, I'm gonna have to start calling the cops on 'em, I guess.

[betacandy.livejournal.com]

Are they still doing it? If they do it repeatedly, then yeah I think you'd have to assume the apologies are disengenuous, and move on to the next level. Your suggestion sounds fair.

[(Anonymous)]

t's only a matter of time before I start wearing really unflattering housedresses

Really unflattering housedresses often have this going for them: what they lack in beauty, they make up for in comfort. There's something to be said, particularly on one of those bright, clear, sweaty, sticky, monsoon-season mornings in August, for a loose garment that touches you in only two places: each shoulder. I just made a really unflattering housedress for my mom so she could wear it to water her plants each morning.

But I will admit that they're not exactly the ideal outfit for chatting with neighbors, especially the young and male variety....

Holly

[revena.livejournal.com]

My favorite unflattering garment that's too comfortable to give up is an ancient pair of cotton dobok pants. I love those things, and wear them around the house all the time. And sometimes out of the house, too, which always gets me a few strange looks...