Hate thy neighbor? You're not alone


Years ago, in a self-help book, I read about a Chicago-area man who unknowingly bought a house on an O'Hare flight path. Though miles from the airport, planes droned right above his roof. Of course, this upset him very much. Every time he heard the screaming engines it compounded his humiliation, discomfort and anxiety. One day, however, he decided to seize the day: He got a bucket of white paint, a ladder, climbed onto his roof and wrote in big letters "Welcome to Cleveland!"

The moral of the story, I'm guessing, is that if someone parks his boat in front of your house, if your neighbor's car alarm goes off repeatedly at 2 a.m., or if a local teen occasionally micturates upon your lawn, realize that the frustration is, you know, all in your head.

Just don't say that on the AOL message boards: In their cantankerous Neighbors From Hell forum, folks are hashing out all kinds of issues. From the mundane ("my neighbor has a hedge that extends into my yard a good foot or more that she does not trim") to the worrisome ("my neighbor secretly listens to my phone calls") to the downright frightening ("my neighbor lays on a hammock in my front yard ... nude!").

For those who need the visual, they've put together a sildeshow of favorites, including the neighbor who runs a cabinet-making business from his garage.

According to the accuser, "The vibrations from all the saws go through our windows, on our floor and into our bed. The noise and vibrations never stop. They have a 24/7 business, so every four or five hours is pickup time; vans drive in and take the cabinets all day and all night long."

But the point, I think, of the "Welcome to Cleveland" story is that, to achieve a happy neighborhood, the mental game must first be won. Sure, having a chop-shop next door or a 6-Foot Self-Inflating Lawn Snowglobe across the street (in April) can be totally annoying. A touch of the Zen approach, though -- with the following adjustments in perspective -- and you'll seize back the neighborhood in no time.

Problem: My neighbor runs a cabinet-making business from his garage and the vibrations make my bed shake.
Solution: Free massaging bed

Problem: My neighbor parks his 43-foot cruising yachts on either side of the street.
Solution: I have beach-front property.

Problem: My neighbor lays on a hammock in my front yard ... nude!
Solution: I don't need cable anymore.

B. Brandon Barker is the author of the novel Operation EMU.

Reader Comments (Page 4 of 4)

Symbol Lookup
IndexesChangePrice
DJIA+40.8712,410.25
NASDAQ+5.332,784.12
S&P 500+4.001,299.22

Last updated: May 21, 2012: 10:05 AM

Hot Stocks

General Electric

19.01+0.06(+0.32)

Alcoa

8.50+0.07(+0.83)

Apple Inc

536.00+5.62(+1.06)

Google Inc 'A'

602.05+1.65(+0.27)

Bank of America

6.97-0.05(-0.71)

Wal-Mart Stores

62.55+0.12(+0.19)

Exxon Mobil Corp

81.54+0.07(+0.09)

Ford

10.035+0.025(+0.25)

Citigroup

26.12+0.11(+0.42)

IBM

194.88-1.00(-0.51)

Yahoo

15.28-0.14(-0.91)

Starbucks

51.68+0.15(+0.29)

Microsoft

29.20-0.07(-0.24)

Home Depot

46.67-0.38(-0.81)

DailyFinance Headlines

Benzinga Headlines

TheFlyOnTheWall.com Headlines

BioHealth Investor Headlines

WalletPop Headlines

DailyFinance BlackBerry App

My Portfolios

Track your stocks here!

Find out why more people track their portfolios on AOL Money & Finance then anywhere else.

BloggingStocks Partners

More from AOL Money & Finance

BioHealth Investor Headlines

Page Loaded in 1337609152113 ms.