Meeting (one of) the Neighbors

Our First Night went pretty well, all things considered.  We weren't able to get the box spring up the stairs (we'll be picking up some plywood at a later date) so our mattress went right on the frame, which helped make our very large room seem even larger.  We sat in bed for a while just marveling.

We took showers, and learned which windows really need curtains ("Hi neighbors!").  We discussed the placement of furniture and potential future additions.  We decided that a ceiling fan is high on our list of "must-have" improvements.  It was all very domestic and good.

After I brushed my teeth I started hearing a strangely rhythmic clinking.  At first I thought we had a leak in the sink, but after about five minutes of me "Shhh!"ing Nathan (because it kept stopping and starting at random) and creeping around from place to place, I finally decided it must be coming from outside... and I could hear music, too, and maybe someone singing...

Suddenly Nathan announced, "He's practicing drumming!  That weird noise- that's the ride cymbal!"

Mystery solved, we talked about whether nor not we should go ask him to keep it down.  "After all," I reasoned, "It's almost eleven o'clock."  I volunteered to be the one to go down (I'm better at getting my way in such a manner that the other party thinks I'm doing them a favor), but as I got dressed we realized the noise had stopped.

"Maybe he only practices until eleven?"

Well with that problem solved I got undressed again, crawled into bed, and promptly fell asleep...

...only to be jerked awake a little after midnight by even louder (and, to be honest, more offensive-to-my-ears: I'm not such a fan of death metal) music, accompanied by correspondingly enthusiastic practice-drum noises.

Once again I pulled pants and shirt on, stumbled downstairs, fumbled my shoes on, and went over to meet our musically-inclined neighbor.  I went out through our front gate and walked over to their fenced-in-patio and said (in my best nonthreatening, adorable female voice),  "Excuse me,"

No break in the drumming.  So I turn up my own volume.

"''Scuse me!"  and a startled head pops up over the fence like a paranoid meerkat.  He's younger than us, and shirtless, and quite possibly... in an altered state of mind.

"Hi," I say, giving my best sleepy-yet-charming smile.  "Could you turn it down a little?"

"Oh!  Oh yeah, sure.  Sorry," and he disappears to do so as I'm offering up my, "We just moved in..." segue.  I trail off, because he is staying disappeared and obviously we are done here.

Possibly my charm is not as charming as it used to be.

But that's alright, because if nothing else, at least one neighbor is quite reasonable.