Had a visit from the Law the other day...

[M.D. Holloway]

My Wife decided that we finally need to get our floors cleaned professionally. So, the Tuesday before Thanksgiving she arranges for Stanley Steamer to come by. The only time they could arrange was between 7 and 9PM.

The kids spent a few days in Iowa with her folks so we had the house to our selves till Wednesday night (and yes we did have loads of sex! Like high schoolers all over again).

The guys from Stanley Steamer didn’t get to our house till 9:20 PM and proceeded to clean the first floor. My Wife decided to hit the hay and goes upstairs to the guest room leaving me to watch after these guys. I get a call about 10:20 PM from a neighbor whom we get together with at least twice a week. She and her husband are about the same age as us except they do not have kids. We consider them close friends. The call went something like this:

“Mike, this is Andrea, what the heck is all the racket?”

“Andrea you have to speak up I can’t hear you the carpets and ceramic floors are being cleaned.”

“It sounds like a bulldozer in your driveway! Why did they come so late?”

“It was the only window of opportunity that we could have them. Busy time of the season and all.”

“Christall mighty it’s loud! How much longer?

“About 30 minutes or so. They are doing a great job. Want me to send them over to your place.”

“No, that’s alright…”

Ten minutes later there is a knock at the door.

“Hi Officer Oliver, come on in.” I know pretty much all the cops in our town.

“Mike, how much longer you gonna be doing this? I got a call about the noise. It’s against town ordinance, noise restrictions and all that. You should know, you’re on the Zoning Commission!”

“These guys started prior to ten, they applied some chemicals and I am not sure they can just stop”.

The guy from Stanley Steamer backed up my story and said they could stop half way through the job. It could ruin the floors. Officer Oliver told us he was gonna have to write a citation then. The guy from Stanley Steamer told him to go ahead – they would cover it.

I know Officer Oliver pretty well. He will swing through from time to time and gab with us. Our kids like him and I know he felt bad having to do it. He even said that if we were going to finish up in the next ten minutes then he wouldn’t write us up but the cleaning guy said it would be at least 45 minutes – he had little to no choice.

Of coarse the fact that the Law was called absolutely pissed off my Wife. She requested to know who called. Turns out it was Lloyd – Andrea’s husband.

I don’t think I want to drink beer with them anymore. Pussy law calling pussy! If he had a problem, he should have come over personal like. Our next door neighbors were all cool with it. I wouldn't call the Law on any one of them unless some serious shyt was going down. What a pussy…

[HardDrive]

People can be such gutless worms....

[Porsche-O-Phile]

You can always put some dog poo on his doorstep, light it on fire and then ring the doorbell. . .

[Hugh R]

I've got to go to an HOA meeting tonight about filming that has been taking place at my house.

Three shoots of a day or two each in ten years of being here, and ONE neighbor is calling it excessive.

The other arguments are as follows:

1. "Your giving the gate code to all those people."

Yeah, and like your gardner, housekeeper, plumber, swimming pool contractor and pool boy, delivery guy and every friend of every kid on the street doesn't already have it?

2. "We don't know who those people are entering the HOA"
Yeah, well I have a crew list with their names and addresses. I also know they filled out IRS I-9 forms and provided ID on their first day of work. See the answer to No. 1 above and tell me if you know who every one of them is.

3. "The film company should insure the HOA"

Yeah, well what about all those people in my answer to No. 1 above

4. "The CC&Rs say you can't run a business from your house"

Yeah, well the IRS says if I rent out my house less than 14 days/year, I don't have to report the income. Therefore, the IRS is saying its not a business. Also, what about the three real estate agents on the street who run their businesses out of their houses shall we prohibit that as well? What about the lady who has three tenants, that's a boarding house and is therefore a business as well?

5. "They park their trucks on the street in front of other people's houses"

No! I have 18 acres and they park 100% on my property.

The ironic think is that the main complainant's husband is a retired studio painter and he's painted in plenty of other people's houses, and that's how he made a living for 35 years. No that he's out of the Biz, she doesn't want anything to do with it, or see it on her street.

[Zeke]

After 10 PM is not cool. It shouldn't have started in the first place. When they got there at 9:30, it should have been called off. Lube, I think you ought to buy the next batch of beer and take it over to the neighbors house with an apology. No sense in letting a small deal like this interfere with however many years of good relations.

Listen to me talking, I would have probably gone ballistic no matter which side of the issue I was on. Nevertheless, that's what people would tell me.

[M.D. Holloway]

Milt - wiser words yet to be spoken today! I think I shall take the higher ground and confess my wrongs. Of course I will be doing it for the wrong reasons - to make them feel like shyt and to put me on the moral highground.

[the]

In Texas, isn't it legal to shoot a neighbor making a racket at 10:30 p.m.?

You got off easy.

[scottmandue]

You mean someone called the police on you for noise and they actually showed up?
And when the man showed up he was nice to you?

Thank your lucky stars.

Milt, what do you think the fine law enforcement professionals of Long Beach would say if you called them and complained that you neighbor was making too much noise cleaning their carpets?

[motion]

Sorry, Lube, but you were not being a Good Neighbor.

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by scottmandue

Milt, what do you think the fine law enforcement professionals of Long Beach would say if you called them and complained that you neighbor was making too much noise cleaning their carpets?

LBPD is actually fairly efficient. They have a few sub stations and keep up patrols well. Just the day before yesterday I witnessed a domestic dispute that spilled out into the street midday. The cops were there within 10 minutes. This was in a neighborhood of 800K to 2 mil homes. Usually the cops are pretty cool about simply telling people if they have to come back, there will be consequences. I'm sure if someone called about the gas powered carpet machine after 10 PM, the cops would have just asked that the noise by abated ASAP.

You know, there are self contained cleaning machines that do a good job while completely inside. The trouble is no one wants to unload these beasts and fill them up. It's faster to use a truck mounted machine with a propane fired heater. You can't do that in a high rise. The carpet people should have had both methods on board. If they had to stop in the middle of the job, they can pull out the self contained unit to finish up quietly.

[tabs]

**** I thought you barricaded yourself in the house and had a shootout with John Law. Yelling in a sorta wild way.."Come on in and get me Copper!" while ya pumped off a coupla rounds in their general direction.

[911Rob]

rent your house to some bikers for a weekend!!!

Jeesh, its carpet cleaning man.

Punch him and then forgive him.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

I got b!tched at for running a sawzall at 8PM for under 5 minutes. it was loud! I understood. People like their peace and quiet.

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by tabs

**** I thought you barricaded yourself in the house and had a shootout with John Law. Yelling in a sorta wild way.."Come on in and get me Copper!" while ya pumped off a coupla rounds in their general direction.

Now around here, that's a sure way to suicide. There is a difference between the calls to the PD. LBPD and the swat team don't mess around. With an average of one homicide a week, this is one dangerous place.

[Gogar]

+1 it was lame of your neighbor to call the cops, and it was lame of you to have Stanley Steemer come at 9:30 PM.


Sounds to me like you guys are even.

[M.D. Holloway]

Originally Posted by motion

Sorry, Lube, but you were not being a Good Neighbor.

Maybe, but this guy was supposed to be a friend. I can't tell you how many of my beers him and his wife have poured down. I guess I could accept it more if it was from someone we were not tight with.

I guess you never know...

[motion]

I agree... its complete chicken$hit of them.

[Hugh R]

What time did your neighbor have to get up in the morning? Was he/she trying to sleep?

[strupgolf]

God, that's awful of your neighbor to call the cops. Im my "hood", I could start up a semi and no one whould give a s***. What is this world coming to.

[TerryH]

He may be your neighbor, but he is absolutely not a close friend. I'm guessing you don't make a habit of disturbing the peace? A true friend can tolerate a little inconvenience occasionally.

This a55hole obviously doesn't consider you a friend. Wave, nod, be cordial, but I would never, ever, think of treating him as a friend.