“you can hear a cotton ball drop in alaska.”
that’s somewhat of an exaggeration, but it’s how my daughter describes my hearing.
she makes this whistle sound using her voice box and throat that apparently only dogs can hear, but i can hear it too. woof!
i don’t consider my hearing a superpower because i’m also good at tuning out sounds, especially at work.
if the noise is supposed to be there, i’m not bothered, but if it’s something out of the ordinary, then houston, we have a problem.
this brings me to my new neighbors.
the man who used to live below me was an elderly gentleman who, other than an occasional loud sneeze, i never heard much out of him. unfortunately, he passed away.
my new neighbors are late 40s early 50-ish with an older teenage son and they each have their own television.
ask me how i know.
because depending on where i am standing in my apartment i can hear at least two different t.v. shows.
i didn’t realize just how thin the walls were until they moved in. now i’m hearing sounds of life and i hate it.
it’s quiet where i live and extremely quiet at night. everyone and everything goes to sleep.
even the crickets show respect and rather than rub their legs together to communicate, they hold up signs with their onomatopoeia written in english.
my new neighbors are not aware of the no late-night noise ordinance.
in fact, every time a new family moves in, i throw my hands up and say there goes the neighborhood.
i’m scared people will bring the noise to the area, but no family ever does.
i like my new neighbors, very friendly and they seem like nice people.
nice, hard of hearing people, but nice people, with surround sound.
noise during daylight hours is not a problem, but the wife sleeps with the television on, and like heat, that noise rises to the top, of my ceiling.
i know it’s the wife because the husband arrived from out of state first and it was quiet. then his wife and son arrived thereafter and that’s when i noticed the change.
i tried a mediocre pair of earplugs and nope, i can still hear their televisions. i did some research and found a better pair that sucks the wax out of my ears and they’re better, but i had to be born the black jaime sommers with bionic hearing. the noise is still there.
i also purchased a pair of noise-canceling headphones to use over my earplugs. sometimes i wear them around my apartment just because, but haven’t slept with them on, yet.
i only turn my television on if i want to watch something. i know others turn theirs on for company and that’s okay, but if one lives around other people, please consider lowering the sound.
so why haven’t i gone downstairs and pulled the plug from the wall? because i spoke with the rental office, i’m trying to do whatever i can to remedy the situation myself and my third option is to knock on their door.
i’m not tiptoeing around upstairs and i’m sure they hear my 80lb dog walking or sliding around the hardwood floors.
also, i have cats and they get the zoomies, so sometimes they’re running around, but not late at night. we make noise too, but we’re not keeping anyone from sleeping.
i’m going to give my current setup some time and then i will talk to my neighbors.
maybe I won’t be able to hear (not likely) or identify my future killer, but either i will get some sleep or die trying.
to be continued…
update: they moved around the corner. my new neighbors are great!
