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Monday, June 28, 2010

Awkward Neighbor Situation

I hate my neighbor. I am going to let you guess what the problem is. Here's a clue, from the street view, my apartment building looks like this.

It is a rough sketch (hyperbole and a half-style,) but I think you get the idea.

If you guessed that my neighbor's nasty, roll-your-own cigarette smoke is wafting into my apartment via my bathroom window and stinking it up with carcinogenic fumes about four times a day, you were right.

Here's the thing. I signed a contract stating that I would not smoke in, or within 30 feet of my apartment building (with threat of a fine.) I am going to go ahead and assume he (the offending neighbor) signed a similar one. Seeing how my balcony extends 4-ish feet from my building (and it was stated explicitly in the contract) that area is off-limits for smoking I am going to venture that his is off-limits as well. So, unless he wants to build a 26-foot extension from his balcony, I have a right to complain about his nicotine addiction.

This has been going on for about 2 months. I would have done something a long time ago, but last term I was gone all day, everyday. That meant that the only one of his fixes I smelled was his late-night smoke. At which point I was already in bed, in my pj's. I don't typically shy away from confrontation with strangers, but I prefer to have these encounters fully dressed.

I figure I have a few options here. I can call my management people and have them fine him (pissing off a neighbor, but saving me an awkward conversation,) or I can warn him myself. Tonight, I am too tired for either.

So, I am going to go to bed and worry about it tomorrow. I think my current strategy can be summed up as "ignore it until it goes away." It hasn't worked very well so far, but I remain hopeful.

PS. Yesterday I made these muffins. They were incredible.

PPS. My building has more than three units in it. I wanted to focus on the relevant factors (I threw the third apartment in for symmetry.)

9 comments:

  1. Does your building really have a purple roof?

    On muffins: I have been intrigued by those muffins before, but never really thought to try them. A good recommendation is always a good push though.

    On cookies from the same place: You know the chocolate cookies? Well, I've made them three times now. The first two times were fully successful. The third time, I had lumps in my cocoa, so after I added the yogurt and vanilla, I beat it with a whisk to break up the lumps and because it seemed fun. Well, it resulted in a completely different cookie, or something more aptly referred to as a puddle. So, I added a bunch of flour, tripling the amount originally required. Then, they were the right consistency, they just tasted a little off.
    Moral of the story: Be kind to your butter. All I changed was a little stirring technique!

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  2. Yikes...thats tough and kind of how I'm feeling with the "Pug People" next door. The smell of dog mess surrounds my car and so much worse when it is hot outside!! GROSS!

    On the flip side...I really want to make these carrot cheesecake bars And yesterday I made pulled chicken for the first time and it was so easy and delicious!

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  3. oh, it didn't post the link to the cheesecake bars... http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Carrot-Cheesecake-Bars/Detail.aspx

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  4. Have you talked much to this neighbor at all? Maybe not friends but if you saw them outside the building would you wave or know they were living next to you? If you would at least acknowledge them in public I would say warn them first. Then I think would tell the management people if it persisted. There are my $0.02

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  5. You may need to commit to some sort of confrontation soon. Hot, still August weather is horrible when smokers are around.

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  6. Jessie, I wish my apartment had a purple roof. Sadly, it does not. I took artistic license because I was tired of using brown.

    Danika, I would not recognize this neighbor if I passed him on the street. The only glimpses I have caught of him are from me peeking through the blinds of my bathroom window back when I was trying to figure out where the smoke was coming from. Come to think of it, I have only met two people in my entire building.

    As of now, I am still looking into speedy and diplomatic solutions.

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  7. Maybe try a passive-aggressive note? For inspiration, try looking at passiveaggressivenotes.com. You could like, attach it to some Nicorette gum.

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  8. Jo, I love it. I posted an update on the situation a few moments ago. But if the need arises (again) I will keep that in mind.

    By the way, I got a lot of procrastination mileage out of passiveaggressivenotes.com. Very entertaining.

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