You guys know that I basically live in a hotel, right? Well, if you are not aware, I live in condo complex that spans an entire block. There are three low-rise buildings and a tower that are interconnected by common grounds, including a pool area, that are four stories from street level. There's plenty of opportunities for interaction, but the cultural qualities of the place are severely lacking. There's 200+ units and on a warm summer night you can count the amount of people out on balconies and terraces on one hand. By the blue-flickers that are visible through night time windows, occupancy is not an issue. Maybe it's a sign of the times. So it goes.

With that, I'd like to call attention to two occasions where I have had to deal with bullshit, which if you know me, is not a strong suit of mine.

Here's the first: We have a couple that are neighbors. They live above a few floors and across a courtyard. Their balcony faces our terrace. They are renters that appear to be boy friend girl friend. They are our domestic disturbance. We call it the Friday Night Fights. On warm summer evenings you can hear the screaming across the courtyard. Shit flies around, doors slam, all hours of the night. On one such evening I was at home by myself. It was raining and I had a sliding door cracked for ventilation. My desk is right next to the door. I heard something hit the terrace floor. After a second thing hit the out door umbrella, I opened the door and stood with the screen open trying to discern what was happening. It was dark and windy, so I had little sense of what was going on.

Then something hit me in the head. Of course I looked up and then heard the Fights across the courtyard, couple with the other CDs that were on the terrace floor, I put the two together. I waited for a lull and, at the top of my lungs, addressed the male tenant above as asshole and asked him if he forgot that there are people living below him. It appeared that he was using his CD collection to augment his discussion with his girlfriend. I got his attention with a repeat of my first address. He made no acknowledgment of any wrong doing, nor did he offer an apology. He did however offer an invitation to continue the discussion upstairs. I took him up on it.

I calmly locked the place up, put on pair of shoes grabbed a set of keys and headed out. The invitation was repeated a few times loud enough for me to hear it in the halls and walkways. "C'mon up hear..."

I got out of the elevator and was walking to the end of the hallway and the asshole came out of his condo. We've only seen each other from a distance and at a difference of height. He ended up being a bit smaller than I had expected, and my 6-2, 180lb. frame probably grew more than he anticipated as I approached, with a purpose, from down the hall. Whatever. From about ten feet I whipped the broken CDs I had picked up from the incident at his face and asked him if he lost them. He didn't even blink as they, unfortunately, forked to both sides. Add that to his slight slurring and I figured he was drunk-ish. He said he had no intention of throwing them at me. After I told him that I had every intention of confronting him if it happened again, and reminded him that his actions affect his neighbors. He backed down a bit and said the CDs were his girlfriend's and that is wasn't such a big deal. I had made my case, so I left.

Here's Number Two: The common elements in our building feature a dog area that is a place where the dogs can eliminate. It's basically a concrete bowling alley that is accessible to all. With the cold months, it's real nice not to have to take your dog six blocks away to the nearest path of grass. It's a gated area that you can let your dog take a leak in peace.

Needless to say this area can become congested in the morning hours, as people are taking their dogs out before work. Not getting into the etiquette involved. It's customary to have it be a single-user area. Most of the time that's not a problem. Except, with the fuck-sticks that live in my building. They'll come out of the building and walk directly to the dog area without first checking if it is in use. Then they'll stand and wait while starring at you. Or, they'll just walk right in and interrupt. Seriously, some of the people that live in my building are complete assholes - student and adults alike.

There's this one guy that has a bulldog that is constantly off-leash. He and the dog walk around the grounds not paying any attention to other people or dogs. They bulldog is good, but as a general rule, dogs need to meet on neutral terms. If one if leashed and the other isn't the outcome may not be so good. This guy is by far not the worst offender of dog etiquette, but just know that I have to deal with many others. And I am not a patient man.

This morning I was in the dog area, which had its gate removed due to snow blower damage earlier this month. I'm in the area with no gate and an unleashed hound. Well, the fuck-stick I was just briefing you on comes out of the building and walks right up to where the gate was. My wife has had numerous instances similar to this with the same guy. If you know my dog, you'll know that he doesn't handle distractions well. Another dog in his general vicinity completely absorbs his attention. So, he's not going to take a shit. That means I might as well leave and come back when fuck-stick isn't around.

Of course, when I pass him by there's an opportunity to give him some suggestions regarding his behavior. Hoping he would pick up on the sarcasm, I mentioned that I would just come back when he was finished and I hope I didn't inconvenience him at all. He looked at me with a inquisitive expression. I called him an ignorant fuck as I was passing him by. I got another huh as I was walking away. I repeated myself at a higher volume. He came back with why don't you come back and say that.

I did, of course. I approached him and mentioned that most people wait their turn inside the building where it is warm, which is in clear view of the dog area. And, if they cannot determine if it is occupied they at least approach and then yield their ground. He said that he didn't see me and was not aware that I was there. I told him that not seeing me at the range makes him an ignorant fuck which is exactly what I called him. His retort was so you just walk around calling people ignorant, you're an asshole. I told him that I only call ignorant people ignorant and that he could avoid this in the future by being more aware. I had said what I wanted to so I left. None of this comes out quite that measured. In instances like to two described I have a rush of adrenaline that looks like nervousness, but is really just a result of the internal conflict between responsible behavior and the drive to destroy what is in my way.

I guess I have just lost the ability to deal with assholes. And yes, I am comfortable with this.