So there is a Situation in my new apartment building. Remember the guy who was playing loud music at odd hours? Well, I talked to him and asked him to stop playing loud music after 10:00 PM. Which he's done - he's been very nice about it and to me. But he sometimes makes odd, loud noises in the middle of the night. Like loud banging (door slamming?) and loud moaning/weird vocalizations and what-not. Usually just for a minute at a time, so I wake up thinking, "What was that?" and it's quiet again. For example, last night I woke up to what sounded like a cymbal being dropped down a flight of stairs. With the moaning and other odd vocalizations, I don't know what it could be besides some mental illness? But he sounds fine when I talk to him. (I see him around the building and neighborhood a lot.)
But there's another guy on my floor who's really angry at Peter (they guy below me) - he's been ranting about Peter being a psycho because of the noise. Also, Peter's dog is old and sick and today the dog defecated in the stairwell. So the guy just called the cops on Peter because of the noise. I left to go to the cafe half a block away and Peter followed me. Peter apologized to me, explaining that the guy hates him because of Peter's music.
I don't get it. So far I haven't asked Peter why he makes the odd loud noises and vocalizations at night. But so far that hasn't bothered me that much, like his loud music did (I tend to be a deep sleeper once I'm asleep).
Oh, and this is unrelated, but the angry guy said when he first saw me, I scowled at him. Obviously I didn't intentionally scowl at him, but sometimes people just read me wrong, and sometimes I apparently give people odd looks even though I don't mean to. Anyway, the guy's not mad at me for scowling at him.
Poor Kitty Gennovese notwithstanding, there is something to be said for New Yorkers' fabled ability to know fuck-all about our neighbors.