Sunday, March 25, 2012

Fatigue

I spent most of Saturday sleeping.

From after lunch until dinner and from after dinner until bedtime, all I did was sleep. It could have been due in part to those back-to-back meetings early in the week that reminded me of Plainfield's seemingly intractable problems. After the second one, I had to take a break and blog later than usual. The experience of hearing so many heartfelt pleas for something better for Plainfield was quite wearing to the psyche.

The week ended with another, more particular situation that neighbors here had hoped would be solved, but it also is dragging on. A large group of young adults holds parties in a second-floor apartment next door, parties that start early in the evening and go on until the wee hours, on just about any day of the week. As luck would have it, my apartment and specifically the window by my bed get the brunt of the noise, but many neighbors are annoyed at the racket, the cars pulling up and leaving throughout the night, the stream of strangers (to longtime tenants) in and out of the building.

I was dozing over my Kindle just before midnight Friday and decided to turn off the lights and go to sleep. For once, the party was in abeyance next door. But then a strange noise woke me up and I had to get out of the covers and look. It was a young man who had climbed up the hanging fire escape ladder and was entering  the apartment through a window off the fire escape.

What to do? Call the police? Unfortunately, I had seen the same thing before and it just seemed like yet another  social rule that people in that apartment liked to break. Why go in through the front door when you could stand on someone's shoulders or on top of a car, grab the lowest rung and climb up to the window?

Forget sleeping, I was wide awake. Apparently some of the crowd had come back and the screeching, yelling, music and influx of cars pulling up under my window resumed. Now, readers know I often sit up blogging until way past midnight (that's how I know how long those parties last). So what's the difference? When one is older, sleep can become elusive. Feeling sleepy and then actually being able to fall asleep is like winning a lottery of some sort. I lost it on Friday.

Fatigue just overwhelmed me Saturday. I'm glad in a way it was cold and windy outside, so I didn't lose any of that recent spring balminess by snoozing away the day. As for Plainfield's problems, they won't come into sharp focus again until the special meeting Wednesday, which should be short, and the April 2 meeting, which will most likely keep me up late blogging afterwards.

Sleep is a necessity and many have mused on it. To see a compilation of quotes on sleep, click here.

--Bernice

6 comments:

  1. :-( You know I sympathize with you about bad (or badly behaving) neighbors and sleep deprivation. I take it that the offenders are in the Columbia building. I remember that one was bought in auction, but don't know who has it these days.

    Thankfully, my own home front has improved so much that I can almost say I love it here. The neighbors in my floor/wing are about as good as you can get for apartment living. Next door he does tend to play classic rock a bit loud, but it's turned down or off by 8 PM. Everyone else is on the quiet side and we've lived here for years. Across the hall and down one, the nice young woman who liked really loud music and throwing parties (although she herself was very friendly and pleasant) moved out long ago and that rehabbed apartment has been sitting empty.

    Once I let my upstairs neighbors climb up the fire escape from my bedroom to their bedroom as they locked their keys inside their apartment. Other than that, fire escape climbing here would definitely get me to make a police call.

    I hope your situation improves ...

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  2. Bernice, go to the block association meeting on Tuesday at the Senior Citizens home. Tell Officer Abney about this. You should not be subjected to this kind of behaviour, and this city should not have these kind of people living here.

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  3. Call the cops on your inconsiderate neighbors, they don't have a right to disturb everyone and you have a right to sleep. Keep plugging along, we appreciate your thoughts and observations.

    Bob Bolmer

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  4. Bernice, Do not worry, you will be able to get Luxury Apartments at the Muhlenberg site.

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  5. Bernice --

    You should not tolerate that kind of noise. We have laws. It should be quiet after 10pm. Call the police.

    I've had this happen. Young kids in the downstairs apartment had a huge party Sunday night. I waited until 1am, called the police. The police came, shut them down. When the police left, they started right up again. I called the police again. The police came out and again and informed them if they get 3 calls, the person has to go to court.

    The next day I talked to the young tenants, told them our lease said it had to be quiet after 10pm, and they were in violation of their lease. I understand everyone has special occasions when they want to throw a party. Once in a while is understable -- but not every night! They got the message, and they've been good neighbors since.

    You have the right to quiet enjoyment of your home. We all do.

    Just tolerating or ignoring this kind of behavior gives them permission to this. It's like anything -- if you don't stand up for yourself, say something is wrong -- then nothing will change.

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  6. Bernice
    I sympathize with your issue...Please do not let this continue...Do you have an association
    where you live?
    I believe that applying pressure on the pesons involved by and through this means will be effective

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