from the "round 2" dept.

Can't we all just get along?

Apparently no, we can't.

The battle against annoying people has moved into round two on two fronts.

One: The Old Landlord.

Long story short, my old Deep Cove landlord owes me my damage deposit. Despite assurances he would pay up, he hasn't. I have filed a complaint with the appropriate authorities, and they're now on the case. The hearing is scheduled for Sept. 15th. They tell me that if they side with me, I am owed double the original amount. Too bad I have to waste time dealing with something as trivial as this. But money is money.

Two: Barky and Yappy.

Is it any wonder I'm tense at home? The two dogs next door go off every 10 minutes on average. I have relocated to the basement in order to sleep. But the constant barking makes it hard to leave the windows open, let alone concentrate on my work when I am working from home.

In frustration, I have left notes for the owners (using the world PLEASE many times). Nothing changed. I contacted the City, who sent people to visit the inconsiderate owners. The barking continues. In fact, they're going nuts now. So, now I have to waste more of my time to get something done. I have to keep a log of the noise and round up the neighbours. How is this fair? I'm the victim here, yet I have to be proactive and waste time to get people to follow the laws of the city. At this stage, the right to be inconsiderate outweights the right to peace and quiet. Even though there is no by-law about having the right to be inconsiderate. It's shit like this that ruins neighbourhoods.

Keeping a log will be easy, since B&Y go off like clockwork. But it still drives me that I have to do all this extra stuff, just to get people to follow the laws meant to prevent this sort of inconsiderate behaviour.

Now, lest you think all I do is complain (heh) about the places I live... I have had a recent track record of chosing to live in places beset by extraordinary noise. It's no wonder I'm tense:

Cotton Drive: After three years there, the bongo drumming in the park across the street drove me out.

Deep Cove: The incredible traffic noise, and the bowl effect of the street I lived on created a place where there was never any quiet.

Current: Barky and Yappy. 24 hours a day.

I am cursed.

That's the story for now. I'm off to a coffee shop where I can read in peace.

Cheers!