Monday, April 13, 2009

I love my neighborhood but it is getting on my nerves today...

I live in gorgeous Wagener Terrace about 3 blocks away from Hampton Park and 2 blocks from the water. I love it here and, despite having to make cutbacks due to lack of a regular day job, I'm making do with freelancing so I can keep paying rent here just so I won't have to move. That's how much I love it. My neighbors are great (even though I never spoke to a single one until I got the puppy in December - now I know at least the ones with dogs) and it's such a diverse neighborhood with lots of "creatives" close to my age working from home too.

However, I've been trying to work all morning (since 7am, BTW) over the noise of my neighbors across the street with a hired crew jack-hammering their walkways so they can build new ones. There are two huge work trucks right across from where my home office is and between the jackhammers, the trucks beeping, and the workmen shouting, my usual lovely day with windows wide open has turned into Noise City. Also, the puppy has gone completely insane from the noise and won't stop barking, so I can't even make phone calls.

Two, there's a sort of meth-head older dude from down the street who is living in a house while he "fixes it up" (that's code for smoking crack in a house that someone is letting him "borrow"). He walks up and down the street during the day and I've said hi/bye in passing just to be nice, but last week he started asking me for cigarettes. This morning, he came over when I had Lou out in the yard and asked for money for the bus. And to use my cell phone. And for a ride somewhere (because I told him I didn't have any cash, which is true - I rarely carry cash). He stood in my front yard scratching his arms while I was ON MY CELL PHONE asking me to use it. Um...no, no, and no. One of my other neighbors told me he's like a stray dog - give him anything and he'll camp out on your doorstep. Don't get me wrong: I have feelings. I feel for his being in a poor financial situation. I feel for him not having reliable transportation. But I don't like to feel like I'm being taken advantage of for being nice. So I had to show my bitch side this morning and that's not a great start to my day.

Today feels like a wash. I can't concentrate to work and am afraid to hang out in the yard because I'd rather avoid Johnny Crackhead than have to tell him to f*ck off.

On a positive note, it could be worse. If I lived a few houses up I'd be next to the duplex that rents to college students who have nightly front AND backyard hootenannies that go on until the wee hours. I've walked Lou late at night past that place and there are college girls puking in the front yard, drunk frat douchebags screaming "I love you man," and 50 cars parked half on the road, half on the sidewalk. I feel for the people who live next door to those assholes. I know them and they've called the police multiple times, but apparently one of the college kid's mom owns the building so they're not in danger of being evicted.

So all I have to deal with is a day of heavy construction (god, I hope it's just today) and avoiding Johnny Crackhead. And I still love my neighborhood.

Update p.s.: So not kidding. Five minutes after I wrote this and posted it, I took Lou out and Johnny Crackhead made a beeline down the street towards my house. He apparently didn't get enough bitch this morning. We're going to change our walk route today.

2 comments:

  1. As a former ground breaker in Wagner Terrace (moved there in 1980 when all the folks S. of Calhoun said, you're living where?) Johnnie crackhead or some variant of him has been in the hood for a a looooong time. Used to have them near our house on Rutledge. Keep on keeping on!

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  2. Wow - I've been in WG about 7 years and have definitely noticed a change in just that short period of time. We had a couple of car break ins when we first moved, but not a thing since (knock wood). It's such a great neighborhood!

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