About a year and a half ago in September 2010 when I returned from vacation there were random vegtables in my front and back yard I blamed it on squirrles but thought it was weird that they were in the front bushes and the backyard.
Around October 2010 my neighbor began harassing me about my cat Sammy. She complained that he had been tearing up her screens, we offered to fix them. She complained that he would go in her house when she had the door proped open to bring in groceries, I told her to call me and I would come get him. She said to keep him inside or she would have him taken to the pound. My issues with my pregnancy for Piper had just been diagniosed, I took Sammy to my parents house, I couldn't take the stress. I blocked her from all of my social networks and email.
Random rotten fruits and vegtables continued to land in my yard.
After Piper was born her husband made her make dinner for my family stuffed shells and chocolate chip cookies. She labeled the cookies as containing egg because she knew about Sary's allergies. She didn't label the shells as containing egg. Sary threw up all night. Jake made me write her a thank you note. Jake gave it to her with the pan from the shells.
Then in the spring she started slamming her SUV door into the Scion. Jake turned the other cheek. On the evening of June 16th I parked in the spot adjacent to hers because when I got home Piper's Ocupational Therapist was in my usual spot. She slammed her door so hard into my Jetta that the mirror on the door was pushed back and there was a definent mark.
We installed cameras. She confronted me sort of about the cameras. (Is that even legal? Legal yes!Acceptable by HOA yes! I checked.) She continued to slam her door into the Scion. She threw cheese at the Jetta. Jake wrote an email to her husband he said to take the matter up with the wife. She never responded to the email after Jake forwarded it to her email address. She stopped slamming her door into our car but parked right on the line everytime even if she had to back up to pull in a gain and get closer.
Random rotten fruit and vegtables were lobbed into mine and Sary's garden hitting our tomato plants. I wrote an email to the homeowners association they said it was a police matter. We were not ready to escalate. Jake built a shed to protect my garden from her assults.
Two weeks ago I started driving the Scion to work because I am parking in a tight parking garage for work and well it already has damage. She started getting more aggressive about slamming her door into the car again.
On Friday Feb 24th morning I walked out to the car at the same time as she did in the morning I got Sary into her seat the neighbor loaded her bags into the drivers side of her car. She came around to the passengers side of the car and stood there as I prepared to back out. She opened the door into my mirror as I backed out. She gave me a dirty look I gave her a dirty look. She closed the door. I pulled out stopped and asked another neighbor if she had seen it. By the time we were finished talking she was inside her house.
On Saturday Jake recieved an email from her with some sickeningly sweet greeting asking for my email address describing me hitting her mirror and almost hitting her and suggesting we be more careful around the cars for the sake of the children. I told Jake to ignore her.
Jake asked around and decided to respond on Monday. She then stated that she had reported me and the car to the police. I assumed for a hit and run since you can't report someone to the police for a civil matter.
I reported the incident to my insurance. Then on the way home from work I called Fairfax County Dispatch to see if there was a police report out about a hit and run at her or my address. She said there wasn't an existing report. The dispatcher said that I could call back and get a police officer to come out ant write and incident report.
I called when I got home and got a different dispatcher this one not as nice and sympathetic. He told me that it was too late to report the accident but he did dispatch and officer to discuss the harassment I had been recieving. The officer spoke to me and advised me on strategies to prevent further incidents and also advised me it was not technically harassment (yet). He also spoke to the neighbor and advised both of us to report all vehicular contact to our insurance and if the other party did not provide insurance information to call the police.
Through speaking with the officer I came up with the idea of petitioning the homeowner's association to move visitors spot between our assigned spaces. The President of the association said he would email the request to the board and that we would have to pay for the numbers to be repainted. If it doesn't get passed via email I will have to go to the board meeting the second week of March to make the request in person.
Yesterday I saw a rotten tomato under my rose bush.
Friday, March 2, 2012
Friday, February 24, 2012
I Am Here
There are several things today that have made me think that there is something wrong with this country this society and just people in general today from the micro to the macro and I will do my best to tie them all together. Or this could just be a thought salad.
First my neighbor who has decided for some reason to make my life miserable when ever she can made an extra effort to be obnoxious this morning. She came out to her car as I was getting into mine (the red Scion) she was parked on the left as always. Part of my issue with her is that she enjoys hitting my car (Jake’s car) with her car door. So much in fact that we installed a camera to prevent her from continuing to do the damage. This morning after putting things into the left side of her car she came between our cars as I backed out and hit my car and mirror with her door. For fun or spite whatever. Sary asked what is wrong with her mama. I pulled out and my other neighbor who saw the incident also commented something a little more direct than that. So after dropping Sary off I called Jake to discuss the issue he mentioned all the reasons we should be sympathetic and how he doesn’t even look at her anymore to avoid the dirty looks. This left me feeling frustrated and wondering what gives her the right to spew hate everywhere.
I was happily walking to work from the parking garage (probably ¾ of a mile) as I walked down Wilson blvd I was happy that I had gotten every walk sign. There is nothing better than getting all walk signals when it is drizzling. I saw people with their earphones in heads down walking to work. I was thinking why shut this out the cityscape is great the sights the sounds the smells (for the most part). Then I turned up N Lynn Street about a block from my office I saw a homeless guy with a cardboard sign that said 'VETERAN can you help?' He was sitting there all dirty looking very much homeless sitting in a camp chair smoking a cigarette and talking on a cell phone, laughing a jolly laugh talking to someone who is obviously a good friend of his. I smiled thinking how nice for him to be so happy on this dreary day. Some business men three steps down the block smoking under the edge of a building were not smiling I heard one of them say to the other “Wonder if welfare paid for that phone?” Seriously where do you think he gets his welfare checks delivered “Homeless Bob, Campchair N. Lynn St, Arlington, VA”? What makes you so much better than him? As I always tell Sary he is Gods creature just like you. What in God’s creation makes you superior to him? As I entered my office building I thought, maybe I should wear my earphones on the way back to the parking garage tonight.
Then this afternoon I got a text from my sister our nephew was seen by the judge. He was appointed an attorney he will have his next hearing April 5th. My nephew has a loving family who is crushed by him being back in jail, this time for a parole violation. When will he be able to put the past behind him? When will he get a chance to get a job and a place to live without his past haunting him? Do you think the judge will understand the challenges an ex-con faces in a recession when he has his hearing for a parole violation for not having a job.
There are so many people in our society that just look at other people and think they have them figured out. I do not know why my neighbor doesn’t like me. Maybe she thinks my life is easy, that I don’t have my share of suffering so she has taken it upon herself to make me suffer. I don’t know why the businessmen out smoking dislike the homeless man maybe they envy the fact that all he has to do today is sit in a campchair and laugh on the phone. I don’t know why my nephew has to suffer over and over for mistakes he made in the past. I do know the system is more likely to sympathize with the woman who slams her door into my car and the men who smoke under the awning than it is to sympathize with my nephew or the homeless man.
The best place to make change is from where you are and I am here. Stay tuned because you know when I have made up my mind to do something things happen.
First my neighbor who has decided for some reason to make my life miserable when ever she can made an extra effort to be obnoxious this morning. She came out to her car as I was getting into mine (the red Scion) she was parked on the left as always. Part of my issue with her is that she enjoys hitting my car (Jake’s car) with her car door. So much in fact that we installed a camera to prevent her from continuing to do the damage. This morning after putting things into the left side of her car she came between our cars as I backed out and hit my car and mirror with her door. For fun or spite whatever. Sary asked what is wrong with her mama. I pulled out and my other neighbor who saw the incident also commented something a little more direct than that. So after dropping Sary off I called Jake to discuss the issue he mentioned all the reasons we should be sympathetic and how he doesn’t even look at her anymore to avoid the dirty looks. This left me feeling frustrated and wondering what gives her the right to spew hate everywhere.
I was happily walking to work from the parking garage (probably ¾ of a mile) as I walked down Wilson blvd I was happy that I had gotten every walk sign. There is nothing better than getting all walk signals when it is drizzling. I saw people with their earphones in heads down walking to work. I was thinking why shut this out the cityscape is great the sights the sounds the smells (for the most part). Then I turned up N Lynn Street about a block from my office I saw a homeless guy with a cardboard sign that said 'VETERAN can you help?' He was sitting there all dirty looking very much homeless sitting in a camp chair smoking a cigarette and talking on a cell phone, laughing a jolly laugh talking to someone who is obviously a good friend of his. I smiled thinking how nice for him to be so happy on this dreary day. Some business men three steps down the block smoking under the edge of a building were not smiling I heard one of them say to the other “Wonder if welfare paid for that phone?” Seriously where do you think he gets his welfare checks delivered “Homeless Bob, Campchair N. Lynn St, Arlington, VA”? What makes you so much better than him? As I always tell Sary he is Gods creature just like you. What in God’s creation makes you superior to him? As I entered my office building I thought, maybe I should wear my earphones on the way back to the parking garage tonight.
Then this afternoon I got a text from my sister our nephew was seen by the judge. He was appointed an attorney he will have his next hearing April 5th. My nephew has a loving family who is crushed by him being back in jail, this time for a parole violation. When will he be able to put the past behind him? When will he get a chance to get a job and a place to live without his past haunting him? Do you think the judge will understand the challenges an ex-con faces in a recession when he has his hearing for a parole violation for not having a job.
There are so many people in our society that just look at other people and think they have them figured out. I do not know why my neighbor doesn’t like me. Maybe she thinks my life is easy, that I don’t have my share of suffering so she has taken it upon herself to make me suffer. I don’t know why the businessmen out smoking dislike the homeless man maybe they envy the fact that all he has to do today is sit in a campchair and laugh on the phone. I don’t know why my nephew has to suffer over and over for mistakes he made in the past. I do know the system is more likely to sympathize with the woman who slams her door into my car and the men who smoke under the awning than it is to sympathize with my nephew or the homeless man.
The best place to make change is from where you are and I am here. Stay tuned because you know when I have made up my mind to do something things happen.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
One Woman's Pet Peeve is Another Woman's Endearing Quality
Have you ever noticed you become more like the company you keep? I have found this to be especially true with how I see people in my life. If I am hanging out with people who think that kids are the greatest thing ever I am all smooshy and gaga about being a mom but if I am with someone who sees their children as a burden, all those annoying little things start to bother me. The same goes for my husband. If I am hanging out with women that are frustrated in their marriage I am more likely to be frustrated with the annoying things he does.
To be honest everyone has annoying things they do. It is not that we love them in spite of these things we love including these annoying traits. Also what annoys one person might not annoy someone else. I love that Sary knows her own mind. But I do find it annoying that she feels she must yell to get her point across. I love that Jake likes to have a busy schedule. But I do find it annoying that he is late all the time because he over commits.
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