arggggghhhhhh

Oh, I feel awful. I was already in tears on the bus home from the last couple of chapters of The Amber Spyglass (so much better the second time around) and then on the way into my house, I saw a couple of blokes parking a car and obviously going into the NN. My heart sank and my rage came instantly, Monday being one of their regular nights for noise.

The night that they moved in I had to fly down there and let them know that music at the volume they were playing it at 1am is not acceptable. I had to keep leaving them notes for the first couple of months but eventually I thought that we had got to some sort of compromise on noise levels. Ivor Cutler I’m with you.

However, over the summer months it's got noisier more often. I tried to grin and bear it for quite some time but the night of their last party was the straw that broke the camel’s back. I found a note on the front door at 4pm saying that they had forgotten to tell us there would be a party that night. Even though the last one ended at 10am I refused to pack my tooth brush and leg it, I mean why should I? I stayed thinking it wouldn’t be as loud as their last party as they had not given us any notice. Ultimately, however, I spent from 4am pacing the streets and sitting in my lovely park.

The gloves came off that night. I soon noticed a twice weekly pattern to the horrible noises that shook the foundations of my flat and made me not want to come back to the home that I have lived in so happily for 10 years. Like I told the Geography teacher type, “band practice, not happy, why should I have to listen to it? If it happens again I’m telling your landlady”. It did, so I did, complain I mean. The reality of having to bang on my bedroom floor at bedtime on a regular basis has left me feeling impotent, pathetic and angry. NN is a very emotive issue. You’ve all heard stories of people reduced to acts of madness when their compaints were ignored, so like most people I’m handing it badly, ie full red headed rage. Damn.

So, the hippy type came to the front door to let the noisy guests in. “I’d better not have to listen to your shit band all night” I said wisely. I was told to get my facts right. It’s not a band, it’s just normal music. This means, that they are playing their music so loud that it actually sounds like they have 2 electric guitars, drums and appalling amplified vocals down there. No apology, just a mouthful back.

It took me a while to clam down and my first instinct was to feel bad that I’d probably ruined their evening but they’ve ruined plenty of mine. Then I wanted to apologise, but I’ve repeatedly explained in a much more pleasant manner. But they don't care how unhappy they've made me. So now I just feel like shit. All I want is to be able to be at home and not feel like I’m living above a bar. It’s not too much to ask is it?