On and off
On and off is the theme of the past two weeks.
The house – was on the market and now off the market. A cautionary tale of knowing that 90% of realtors have a fluid definition of what “working hard for the client” means.
Another “on” is the mechanical device situated up against my bedroom wall that reverberates through my entire bedroom. 24/7, non-stop. It’s why I’m up writing at 1:23 AM instead of sleeping. Writing mode: ON.
Sure, there’s the usual noises of living in apartments. Footsteps, appliances, garage doors, air conditioning units. All part of the normal day.
I’ve been here two months. Sharing a building with other people has given me the realization that up the hill was just too quiet. Being here, hearing people going on with their lives reminds of a time when I lived in a house with my family. The sound of my ex taking a shower downstairs. The music coming from my son’s bedroom. The sound of my daughter’s car pulling into the driveway. The sound of my other daughter’s footsteps on the stairs. Honestly, there’s comfort in all that. Memory mode: ON.
Well, all except when the drunk neighbor across the street would stand out on the front porch wearing nothing but a towel at 2 AM singing Bob Seger’s “Her Strut” loudly but with conviction.
But loud gatherings outside at night do not happen here. Other traditional annoyances are absent – all dogs are leashed and people scoop the poop. Dogs that bark non-stop are not allowed or tolerated. Wind chimes are a no-no but motion activated Halloween decorations are OK. The neighbors across the way takes down the “BOO” decorations at night so I know they’re getting some sleep.
Comes with a warning for a reason
When I lived in Highlands Ranch and had been having trouble sleeping but back then the doctor gave me Ambien. I got a casual warning about possible, “mild” side-effects and a prescription. A couple nights later, the neighbor kids were in the cul-de-sac making neighbor-kid noises at midnight and I opened the window to yell at them, apparently ‘toute nue’ for all to see. That was the first dose.
The second dose of Ambien was taken and the next morning I went to the garage to get in my car and go to work but my big Pontiac was almost sideways in the two-car garage. I’d gone somewhere during the night but with no memory of where but I did remember most steps of parallel parking.
The final curtain for Ambien was when I had taken it and awakened the next morning believing I had passed the ‘side effects’ stage of the drug. On the way to work, I stopped at Jenny’s market for a Diet Pepsi and the cashier says, “Hey, I remember you! You’re the woman who came in here in her nightgown, two different shoes and bought a couple bags of Doritos and some condoms.” Ambien? OFF.
Sleeping problems now can’t be fixed with medication. Every night I am awakened by the mechanical sound of unknown origin (MSUO). Not knowing the layout of the apartments because these aren’t all over/under units. This unit shares walls with four neighbors, a sort of Jenga approach to apartment design popular in the 1970s. I’ve tried to figure out where it’s coming from. I’ve done maintenance requests but those average 7-10 business days for a response. Patience: OFF.
Jesus, the maintenance guy came by today to fix a defective light switch and listen for the sounds coming from the next apartment. Even with a neighbor down the street having tree work done, he could hear it. He said he’d ask the tenant for access to the apartment to see what the noise is all about.
Since maintenance wheels grind slowly I took matters into my own hands. It’s a result and/or fault of living alone on a mountain top. Get ‘er done yerself. Ain’t no one comin’ to help unless you pay them mucho dollars.
I’ve shopped for acoustic dampening wall panels that run a few hundred dollars for stunning and elegant designs to garage band foam boards that smack of making music in your mother’s basement. I settled in on purchasing new mattress toppers and arrange between the bed and wall, held in place by large, flattened boxes used during the move. It doesn’t work. Ingenuity: OFF
My son recommended a great app that has a range of sounds from white to brown noise, mountain streams to summer storms to crackling fires. The brown noise setting was the closest to masking the MSUO but 1 to 3 AM it just gets to me. The app has to be almost full volume to drown out the MSUO noise so that makes ME the inconsiderate neighbor. Sleeping shouldn’t be hard work. Sleep mode: OFF.
The other morning at 2:30 AM I went outside and sat on my balcony to get away from the sound. It was a quiet, fall night with the hint of change in the air, flatland-style. Leaves down here have a rustling sound rather than the almost sharp, whistle-like sound made as wind passes through pine trees.
Peaceful, except for the distant noise of 285 but that’s just … normal. I sat there and gently contemplated all the stuff going on when a rather large black bear lumbered down the street. He stopped at sniffed the mailbox and made his way to somebody’s unguarded trash-can buffet. Going back into bear awareness mode: That’s back ON.
But the stuff keeps piling up, even as I’ve rid myself of even more possessions: pictures, old toys, film negatives, clothing, bits and pieces that just don’t fit anywhere anymore. Like I don’t fit anywhere anymore.
Things that work, things that don’t
One thing that doesn’t fit anymore is my right knee. A new knee is on the horizon. That’s ON.
Lots of expenses with getting ready to be immobile. That’s ON.
Arranging for two cats to board at two different facilities because one is a delicate princess that requires a schedule, personal assistant and non-stop attention. The second does best where the dogs are boarded because she’s terrified of the schedule, personal assistant and non-stop attention. She prefers hissing at the dogs and teasing them through the cat-room door. Or maybe it’s just the possible hunting activities in the rather barn-ish building that most likely attracts things to hunt, kill and eat. Owning animals ever again? OFF.
Another difficult species? Mountain-area contractors. They have their own time schedules. New windows were supposed to be installed last week. Snow’s in the forecast for this week and I wouldn’t think any professional glazier would try to install glass when it’s snowing. No response to the last two texts, so, that’s OFF.
New security cameras were installed today! They’re ON.
Finally had the woodshed painted to match the house. The lack of color has bugged me for years. Just one of many things on the “To Do List” that I never got to. I’ve only seen a pic of the new color but it looks good. So, paint – ON
Someone in the UK tried to buy cheap crap on Shopify with my debit card. I can respect someone trying to buy a one-way ticket to Tahiti but cheap crap on Shopify? The bank caught it and they shut down stopped the transaction. That card? Now off.
I try to be as neutral about all of this as I can. But I’m a bit off what with all the changes and problems. Trying to go with the flow but my limits are tested with no sleep, people who suggest I should submit to bad behavior to “keep a neighborly feel to make a sale” to experiencing my family disintegrating from within, it’s all a bit much.
To quote Captain Kirk from the movie, Star Trek IV, The Voyage Home, “You’re not exactly catching us at our best.” That’s how I feel. Two months ago I was confident, now I don’t get to sleep.
On and off, on and off.
Funny that in the last few minutes, the upstairs neighbor has decided to take a shower at 2:36 AM. Water: ON.