Crazy Neighbors

If I were in my upstairs neighbor's shoes, I'd think that that girl downstairs is absolutely nuts (but hopefully an endearing kind of nuts).

We don't see each other often, but almost every time we have, I've been a total spaz. I was so frazzled when I first moved in here (because of the nature of my having to leave the old apartment, the move itself and then the whole "hole in the kitchen floor/non-working refrigerator/ too big of a replacement refrigerator" issue. I went up to introduce myself anyway, which (having gotten to "know" him a bit more) is just not the kind of guy he is. I've needed to talk to him about a few issues here and there (a major one being that every time he would shower, it would drain into my bathroom), but he's tough to track down. Often, I just wait until I hear him coming down the fire escape (his backyard/parking area access) and run out to catch up with him. He always seems surprised and flustered to see me, and I'm usually keeping him from being someplace and it's usually over some stupid issue that he really doesn't care about anyway (he was concerned about the shower though).

I know he hears me talk to/argue with the kitties, because I can hear him talking on the telephone. I know he can hear me singing to myself because I can hear him singing to HIMself. In my defense, I didn't start singing until I knew he was the singing type too. Incidentally,my favorite thing about him is the singing--he comes home just about every night with a different song. The other night it was "I've Never Been In Love Before" from Guys and Dolls. Sigh. I almost started singing along but that would have been weird even for me. Anyway....what else? I've set off smoke alarms at 4am (Inauguration Day--we had a 5:30am water taxi and knew we'd need a big, hot breakfast), climbed up the fire escape mildly intoxicated, in my pajamas, with a broken foot at 2am to retrieve a feline escapee, frequently use foul language at high volume when stuck in an endless automated telephone customer service ("I SAID SPEAK WITH A [blank]ING AGENT YOU PIECE OF [blank] ROBOT") and frequently have all the trappings for hand-laundry (basin, washboard, wringer and huge drying rack) set up outside.

The bikes this summer and fall probably didn't really register. But it's winter now. He saw me ride up at some point during my back-and-forth on Saturday (during the "snowstorm") and actually exclaimed "yikes!", and then told me I should be careful riding in this. Tonight, about an hour ago (on my way home from the Metro--had the bike with me on Metro because I rode it in but had dance class on the Hill until late and I don't do the trail alone after 10), I whizzed by him about a block from our house. It's a short ride from the Metro so I hadn't put on the pants I've been wearing under dresses. So I was flying by him he all bundled up, me almost bare legged (I have on nylons) in 32 degree weather. I could be imagining it but I thought I perceived a little shake of the head when I looked over my shoulder to check for cars before entering the intersection.

I hope, at least, that he finds me amusing.