Neighbor Behavior Update - Steamed buns
You've lived in a rough 'hood for 10+ years, and you and 4 other households have come up with methods to build community and look out for each other. Someone writes a note (however politly worded) and puts it in your mailbox which you feel is critiquing your methods for dealing with trash. You stew about it for 2 days before you actually see them in person, when you are used to person to person communication and see notes as cowardly. You are angry and defensive. I get that.
But it is 10:30 at night, and there is a cold snap, and your neighbor that you want to rip into because of your frustration is 7 months pregnant, half asleep and shivering in her driveway. Once you have received an apology for the percieved insult (the note) and the neighbor has said they see your point of view (but that it is different from their experience) - how many times do you need to repeat yourself?
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There is no way they are going to agree that their trash methods are not normal/usual. Although each trash can is barcoded to show which house it belongs to and to give the trash collectors a way to track the waste disposed by each house, the mini-neighborhood of 4 houses (the previous owner of our house was part of the four) decided they would all share bins. They just move them around without talking to each other and put their trash in whichever one is empty. This has "never been a problem before" so we are just "causing trouble" when there are more serious issues going on in the area (agreed, prostitution and gang activity don't add character and charm).
Jaffer difused the situation and got me out of the cold and into the house. I might have handled it all better were it not for the extra factors involved. Maybe.