Noisy Neighbors

"Good neighbors keep their noise to themselves."

My landlord's family, the neighbors upstairs, have a pretty regular schedule of noisy hobbies. My brother and I have started to map out the various daily activities. We can fairly accurately guess when the next one will take place. We have had to do this, in order to figure out when is a good time to go to sleep.

I am not sure if it is a cultural difference (the family is Indian) but as a family unit they all stay up really late. They continue to make noise until long after I have turned in and am trying to get to sleep.

The first event in the Noise Triathlon is The Moving Of The Furniture.This begins around 4:30 or 5 in the evening usually. When everyone has returned home from work and school. My brother and I are often preparing dinner and watching the news, when the sound of tables, beds, and sofas dragging across the floor overhead starts. This lasts for about 15 or twenty minutes. I imagine the look of their apartment constantly changing, like the buildings in the movie Dark City.

Next up is the operating of the Weird-Jackhammer-Sound-Making-Device. We are not sure exactly what they are doing. But every evening we hear, in five minute intervals for about half an hour, a rhythmic drilling/pounding sound. It is very loud. I think it may be a device used in cooking. Perhaps they are slaughtering their own animals for the lamb curry. This often happens around 7 or 8 in the evening.

The third event takes place at least three times a night. That is The Running Of The Kids. This is a less structured sport. The only constant is that it must be done three times a night, and the last running must take place shortly after midnight. The event itself is merely the youngest child, who is two or three, running back and forth through the apartment in sets of seven. Seven full sprints from one end of the apartment to the other. Sometimes one of the other children runs around as well, but their participation is not always necessary. For a child no taller than my knee, she sure has a heavy footfall. The stomping is very loud and quite annoying at 12;15 am.

I don't know why a child of two is awake and running around at 12:15 at night. But then, I don't have kids.

Perhaps some day you may like to visit Brooklyn for The Running Of The Kids. You are more than welcome to stay and enjoy the noise with us. You all have an open invitation. I'm sorry I can no longer offer you a freezing cold shower as well. Maybe, if you are lucky, the apartment will flood during your stay.