Well, our perfect neighbors aren’t so perfect anymore. Especially since they put an inflatable pool in the yard. Yeah, we’re back to the home-all-the-time neighbors. Should I be surprised? Once I saw that they could be out playing pool all day on a weekday like they did today, I figured they’ll do it every day till we move. If anything, though, it’s good practice for when we get moved as this is nothing compared to the shit we’re going to have to deal with down there with all the music and barking. Fortunately, there are no barking dogs or screaming kids, although I have heard the faint beat of music coming from the house. It’s sometimes loud enough to make me glad I never moved my office back into the living room, but easy to drown out in the bedroom with my own music or the fan. Still, I probably shouldn’t have told Skyler we’re moving because now they no doubt figure, what the hell? They’re outa here soon anyway.

I don’t think he was coming to warn me about their party last weekend so much as coming to feel me out for what they could get away with on a regular basis. I know they partied till at least 2:30 because I looked out and saw people on the porch before I turned in that night. The AC was running that night so it drowned their voices out.

They put the pool up yesterday. I remember thinking it was weird that they’d be doing this at 9:00 at night, but they left shortly afterward, having just finished filling it up. Then this morning at 11:00, I saw a couple come out to the pool, which I thought was even weirder since it was still in the low 50s (God will surely make sure we have no more cold spells before we leave). I could hear them talking in the kitchen, but not in the bedroom. I crashed shortly afterward and was glad that they let me sleep. Not even the loud car they had parked there woke me when it left. When I got up at 8:00, Tom told me that they got a little loud at the pool for a few minutes which would’ve been annoying from the kitchen but would never have woken either of us up.

It just goes to show, though, that no, the bad-neighbor curse is not off, and no, the horseshoe won’t protect us. It’s obvious God wants to give us a little taste of what we’ll be in for down there, reminding us that we’ll be in for a real circus, but it’s ok. It’s all I’ve known for over 20 years, and I’m not going to spite myself with the cold and snow just because people can’t shut up. I just won’t worry about my own noise then. Why bother to try to keep the peace where there never was any to begin with?

I’m just sick of having to live with renters all the time! I know owners would up the chance of barking dogs and screaming kids, but this would still be better than loud music and other shit. Either way, we’ll never live in peace. That’s simply not in our cards and I accept that now only because I have no choice. There’s no getting out or getting around it. I still don’t understand why we can’t live in peace, of course, but there’s no sense in trying to achieve the impossible. Better to just go with the flow, make the best of it, and enjoy the downtimes. It should still be pretty peaceful here late at night and in the early morning hours. I just hope it doesn’t get into the 90s before we go. That’d not only make it more uncomfortable here in the bedroom, but that’d draw them outdoors more, wanting to cool off in the pool during the daytime and hang outside later into the night.

Anyway, it’s going to be pretty chaotic down there year-round whether or not we end up in a house or an apartment, so I gotta get used to it.

Later…

Thanks, God. You’re just so wonderful and I just love ya.

Yeah, we’re going from bad to worse here, and the bastard in the sky is no doubt getting a major kick out of it. I stepped out into the living room and heard a bunch of screaming. I thought they were fighting. When I stepped out front, though, I saw that they were just horsing around in the pool, but there had to be something like 8 people! They were screaming like a bunch of 5-year-olds on a hot summer day. I had to shout a few times to be heard over their screaming to ask them to quiet down. I was worried they’d wake Tom up, who really needs his sleep with all the overtime he’s been doing.

I got a chorus of “sorry,” but they just went right back to screaming like hyenas. I went to pee, then when I went back to the living room to hear what was going on, a guy was screaming by the gate. I couldn’t tell, though, if he was screaming at me for complaining (this is the West, after all) or if it was just part of their antics. These are the kinds of people who are in their own little world, completely oblivious to those around them just like the freeloaders were. I’m surprised they didn’t have every dog within a 1-mile radius going off like crazy. My not mentioning our moving probably wouldn’t have made a difference after all. So much for the friendly, considerate little gentleman that came to the door last week!

What I don’t get is how they could be out there swimming in the 50s. It got up to the 70s earlier, but now it’s back down into the 50s and dropping fast. And who knows how many of them are flying on drugs? They’re obviously going to spend more time in the pool than indoors, so no, the late-night time hours won’t be peaceful. I guess the best I can hope for is some peace between 3 AM - 9 AM. Maybe 4 AM - 8 AM?

This is definitely a sign of the evil that’s to come down there, but hey, I’m still going!

Later…

Well, I’ll be damned! They may’ve actually packed it in for the night, though that’s what I thought before, so we’ll see. I won’t bother complaining again cuz I know it wouldn’t do any good. We’ll either get the hell out of here on his birthday or contact their rental company if it looks like we’re gonna be stuck here throughout the summer. I know I should just deal with it, though, because this is what we’re going to have to live with for the rest of our lives. These people won’t shut up till the fall.

A part of me wished my stereo were in the living room and Tom weren’t home, so I could at least make them listen to my music if they were going to carry on like that, but that would’ve only got them going with their own car/house stereos like crazy. That’s what immature 20-year-olds do. I was once young myself.

I called and got Carrie’s machine early this morning, and sent an email tonight, wondering why no one’s contacted me yet with more information on the trip. I’d really like to know how long I have to take it.

In some rather shocking celebrity news, they actually canned an actor for making gay slurs! What’s even more surprising was that it was a black guy. Shouldn’t a black person of all people know better?

Another shocker is that hotel heiress Paris Hilton got sent to jail. Then again, should it be that much of a shocker? She’s white and female. She was charged with reckless driving as was black singer Brandy. Brandy killed someone yet walked.

With all the whining and crying Paris and her mother have done you’d think she got years instead of days. As sucky as I know jail can be, it’s kind of hard to feel sorry for her. This bitch has millions and a life most people can only dream of. We haven’t even had the simple luxury of a washer and dryer in 3 years. That judge better watch his ass, though. Not just because of fans supporting her, but because unlike my folks ever would or could, Paris’ folks are going to see her sentence as a life sentence for something she didn’t really do. I know I wouldn’t want to be the object of someone’s wrath and hatred who had that kind of money!