Sorry, I’m cranky without sleep

Posted on July 22, 2005 by Gene

If I do say so myself, I am a considerate neighbor. I keep the noise down, I keep my yard clean, and generally take care of my neighborhood.
That’s not the case with the other people around me. For instance: the townhouse/carriage house that I live in has a really horrible design flaw: There are four homes, connected in a “U” shape. In the middle of the U is a courtyard with the four garages. The two homes that form the bottom of the U are too small for a garage, so the garages are tucked under the other two homes, the legs of the U. The fronts of the “bottom” homes face away from the street. (Try to create an image in your mind, ‘cos I don’t want to draw a floorplan.)
Anyway. The garage for my next door neighbor is located under my bedroom. The garage door opener is about 6 inches below my bed. This is the first point to remember.
The same neighbor parks his SUV on the street in front of my house because his garage is filled with junk. And because his house is behind mine and doesn’t face the street, he never uses his front door — he uses the garage to enter his house.
Every morning I am awakened by rumbling and shaking as he opens the incredibly loud garage door (desperately in need of lubrication) 6 inches below my bed, then closes it again — all so that he doesn’t have to walk an extra yard or two by using his front door.
But last night was the outrage of which I write: he did this at 2:20am. And again at around 3am. And again at a little after 4am.
So, just as I was falling back asleep from the previous time, he did it again.
Now, as a good neighbor, I’m not the kind of person to yell out a window or call someone an inconsiderate prick. But you have no idea how close I was to doing just that.
I’m not sure what to do about this. Write him a note? Try to catch him on the street and talk to him? Complain to the homeowners association?