Ramble On

I usually like my blogs to fit into some kind of theme or event. In fact, I’ve had blogger’s block the past few days trying to decide what to write about. This blog is going to be a bit of ramble as I discuss some of the recent events and thoughts happening lately.

Update on the last blog – Flat 53 vs. Flat 58. I spoke with a woman at work who told me that the police have a neighborhood support worker so I called her. I got a call back and explained the situation and they informed me that while they would make a note of my complaint, I needed to be dealing with the environmental health office. The issue is noise pollution so that’s why it’s an environmental health issue. I got a phone call from them and they apologized for the mismanagement of my previous complaint.

What should have happened when I phoned was that a letter was supposed to go the people upstairs informing them that a complaint had been made about the noise. It would have been anonymous except that since I’ve been up there twice I’m pretty sure they will know its me. I was also supposed to receive a letter with a noise diary to log further disturbances (like the one I’m listening to right now of loud techno music!) I’m still waiting for the noise diary to arrive but at least I’m starting to build a case against them. I feel like such a vigilante about this issue but I can’t let it go. Hopefully the next update will be more positive…like they got evicted!

Work has been very busy the past few weeks. Since I am the newest member of staff and basically at the bottom of the totem pole, I’ve been volunteering for any and every piece of work that I can. There are major budget cuts happening and my goal has been to show them how valuable and versatile I am so that they will want to keep me around.

While I prefer being busier at work, it got a little bit out of control. In addition to my regular duties, I was covering for two other people who were on holidays and on sick leave. Every time the phone rang it was transferred to my desk and every time a youth justice officer had a question they came over to my desk. It has calmed down significantly since the woman on sick leave has returned. My hard work has paid off since I’ve been offered a contract on my extension until March 2011! I don’t want to say too much about it yet since I’ve only had one meeting with the head of service and haven’t been offered anything in writing yet. It’s still excellent news.

**Caution to my dad who is reading this – the next paragraphs are about birth control***I’ve been on the pill since I was about 16. Since moving to the UK I’ve had to get a new doctor and get my prescriptions transferred over. The doctor informed me that the pill I had been taking put me at an increased risk of blood clots because I also get migraines. This was news to me! You think that in the 10 years that I had been taking the pill, one of my Canadian doctors would have mentioned this possible side effect or risk. The doctor tells me that I can no longer take that pill and can take a different one, the mini-pill with only progesterone and no estrogen.

I agreed but inside I was panicking. A large part of the reason I originally took the pill was to help with my bad skin. My skin has never been great. It goes through clear phases only to be followed out by extended break out periods. I knew that going off the pill that is supposed to help with your skin was going to be a nightmare but the risk of a blood clot in my brain was also not an appealing option. Having bad skin makes me SOOO self –conscious. It makes me feel like everyone is staring at my face and my spots and thinking ‘wow, she has such bad skin’. There’s a small chance that no one is thinking that. When my skin is bad, I feel like staying home with a bag over my face. The worst part is that at home I take off my make-up and Matt sees everything! Another joy of living together, I can’t hide anything.

While the effect was not immediate, I’ve begun to notice and now have full-fledged acne again. It sucks. I have nothing positive to say about it. I have an appointment with the doctor next Monday so hopefully they’ll be able to help me out.

Matt and I have booked our holiday and we’re headed to Antalya, Turkey. We got an amazing deal and are staying at a 5 star resort. I’m really excited! People in the U.K. go to Egypt and Turkey the same way people in Canada go to Mexico. There are loads of all-inclusive deals that go there. They still seem like very exotic destinations to me. I’m looking forward to having a break and getting to be on holiday with Matt.

That’s about all for now. I feel like this wasn’t the most exciting of posts. Oh well, hope you liked reading it anyways.

Flat 53 vs. Flat 58

I am normally a very calm and collected individual. I like to think that I am slow to anger and usually feel that most things aren’t really worth getting angry about in the first place. I am also usually the defender of stranger who act inappropriately and try to simply ignore them and move on with my day. All people have a breaking point and there is only so much a person can take.

Of all the traits that annoy me the most, inconsiderate and disrespectful people are at the top of the list. My neighbors fit the bill for the most inconsiderate and disrespectful people that I have ever had the misfortune of meeting.

When we first moved into this flat, the paper-thin walls became apparent as we heard the loud and incessant wailing of the baby living upstairs. I have been around crying babies and this was something else. I wondered if the baby was hurt or sick or being neglected. I even reported my suspicions to the community police officer team. I later found out that you need to report something 3 times to social services before they will come out. I haven’t decided if I want to keep reporting them.

In addition to the crying baby, there are the loud, all night parties that happen almost every Friday. You have to give some allowance to people having parties on the weekends but when they are shouting and blaring their music until 4 in the morning is just not okay. I called the police during one of these parties but was told that because we live in a private (gated) apartment complex, they were not allowed to enter the premises unless they believed someone was being hurt. My inability to lie was my downfall here, as I couldn’t in good conscience lie to the police.

The next morning after zero sleep, Matt and I decided to go up there and confront the noisy neighbors about their ridiculous parties. I decided that in the interest of diplomacy, I should do most of the talking. Matt is more of the speak first and think later type of person.

I knocked on the door (feeling very nervous) and the woman who lives upstairs answered the door. I asked her about the party they had the night before and the loud music they were playing .She denied all knowledge of a party and claimed she was home by 12:30 which we knew was a lie because we heard them come in later. She then said we don’t play loud music because we have a baby. At this point, Matt couldn’t hold back anymore and said “We know you have a baby, we hear it screaming all the time”.

This encounter just made me so much angrier. All she had to do was apologize and say that they didn’t know how loud they had been. Instead, she denied that they were making any noise or that they had had a party. Not impressed! I had planned to write a letter detailing my complaints along with the sections of the lease that the people upstairs were violating. I do not have any faith in the building management company and have not gotten around to writing the letter hoping that the situation would resolve itself.

On Friday night, I had an out of body anger experience. It was Matt’s birthday and he had spent the day at the Beer Festival. We then met up for dinner with another couple (our good friend Simon and Clare) at Santa Maria del Sur, which we had seen on the F-Word with Gordon Ramsay. Matt and I got home relatively early for a Friday night and he was passed out by 10:30. I went to bad around 11:15. I had the windows open (as we do almost every night) because it’s stiflingly hot in our flat and we need the air.

The upstairs neighbors were having a party. It wasn’t so much the music that was the problem this time but rather the fact that they were yelling at each other at the top of their voices out the window. Since it wasn’t that late yet, I tried to go to sleep. I couldn’t sleep. Every time I almost did, I was woken back up by their super loud voices.

By about 12:15, I was so tired and so angry that I was ready to burst. I decided that I had had enough and got dressed and went upstairs. I banged on their door and once again the woman answered. I said to her ‘look, you are yelling out of your windows and being way too loud.’ She stared blankly at me and said ‘yes because the windows are open’. I said ‘we were trying to sleep and maybe they could just not yell out the windows?’ She didn’t say much but basically said come on like I was over reacting. At this point, I snapped. At yelled (actually yelled at her) you’re not the only people who live in this building and you need to more considerate of your neighbors!!!! I then stormed off and came back downstairs.

My heart was racing and my adrenaline was pumping. I couldn’t believe that I had actually confronted her like that. They then closed the window and continue their party. I was asleep for maybe an hour or so before Matt woke up from his beer induced coma with a really bad headache and required my medical attention. Another night with very little sleep.

I find it so hard to believe that people can be so inconsiderate! Fair enough, its your apartment and you can do what you want but that has to be within reason.

The above only describes our upstairs neighbors. The downstairs neighbors also have a baby and like to get into screaming matches with each other and slam doors. At least they don’t have their massive fights when we’re trying to sleep!