Sometimes a single word will surface and attach itself to something in my head following some kind of occurrence, like an event. As an example, microclimate. Defined best as, “The climate of a small, specific place within an area as contrasted with the climate of the entire area.” It’s an unrequested mnemonic and that’s largely where the titles of my posts come from, I’m not really sure if the connection’s always clear so I thought I’d spell it out – that the connection’s not always crystal clear to me either but I’m kinda’ compelled because it shapes how I write about something.

Stone cold chillin’ at my apt the other day and I hear one of my neighbors going through one of his periodic moments of verbal churn. He’s a shouter. He’s shouting with his on/off gf or he’s shouting on the phone (he runs a biz out of his apartment), or he’s shouting at one of the other neighbors. When he’s not shouting he’s pretending he’s the king of the hood. And being nosey. And not treating our Indian neighbors the same as everyone else. I do not like this man. At. All. He’s a bad neighbor. Let’s call him “A-hole”.

I have another neighbor that I like. I don’t like him for the obvious reasons, I like him because I appreciate that how he grew up wasn’t ideal and he’s really having to do a lot of corrective action now to get squared away. Getting to know him has also given me a greater appreciation for how fortunate I’ve been. He’s a pretty rough young dude and not “well educated”. He was in a life changing car accident several years ago that left him with a permanent disability that, although not externally visible, affects him enough that he loses jobs because of it. He gets these debilitating headaches and it impacts his attendance. I really feel for the guy. He’s kind of stepped away from a rough, fringe of society, making money in dubious ways life, and has a wife (who seems really sharp) and kids. Probably way ahead of schedule. I really feel for the guy. Up to a point. That point where he’s tripping himself up. Everybody does it and he certainly doesn’t owe me any apologies. Let’s call him Dump Truck…

So this is what I had to hear a few evenings ago: A-hole to DT: You cheater I caught you cheating!!!!!

Did I mention that A-hole and DT are neighbors and they share a common exterior door? And all of our doors face a U shaped courtyard with about 3000 square feet of grass. All of the living room windows in our two story garden apartment face this courtyard. Mine point south-southwest so when the sun sets I get this really nice golden light in my pad. Even with this I still can’t take a self portrait worth a crap… that really bothers me. I also have lots of trees by me and, especially now in Spring, there are always birds tweeting away and whatnot. I love that kind of stuff. 🙂

I should also mention that A-hole and DT have had run-ins before because A-hole is a crap neighbor who thinks he owns the space he has to share with his neighbor(s). I don’t like A-hole. I hope that’s blatantly obvious. I don’t like it when he’s trying to butter me and my kid up one day then pumping me for information about an evicted neighbor the next. Mind your own damn business. That’s going to be my new response whenever he talks to me. Or asks me what I’m making my daughter for dinner. Mind your own damn business. He always sounds so damned condescending.

A-hole to DT: You cheater I caught you cheating!!!!! I saw you bring a girl…

Sigh.

I don’t know if it’s true. I don’t really care. I am not part of DT’s life and I certainly didn’t see anything. My big question is, why the hell do I, and everyone else in my hood, need to hear a broadcast about this? Why couldn’t A-hole pull DT aside, since he felt a need to say something, and say, hey man I think you’re making a big mistake or something like that? DT does NOT have to listen. A-hole needs to then walk away and let the chips fall. But he’s an A-hole so that’s not going to happen.

Although life as I know it here is, generally speaking, blissfully cool and golden (clearly I’m delusional) at the moment (returning to rational…) I DO get that there’s a lot of stuff going on all the time with other people. Life is for living and they’re living it. In the meantime I’m staying away from both those dudes until the heat dies down.