The Fight

Since Tuesday, I've been doing very little besides worrying about my apartment situation. I hinted in my previous post that I received an abusive, anonymous note from a neighbor regarding Xerxes' barking. This wasn't the first time. About a month and a half before, I received a handwritten letter from an unknown source stating that my dog barks all day long. The first note upset me very much, but I brushed it off and continued seeking treatment for Xerxes' separation anxiety. I saw a vet, put him on Prozac, and tried all kinds of training techniques. Up until now, I was fairly content believing that he only barks for a few minutes in the morning when we leave, and that he's quiet the rest of the day.

The second note put me over the edge. It was much worse than the first, completely condescending, abusive, judgemental, and above all GRAMMATICALLY INCORRECT. Nothing bothers me more when someone mixes up their "there's." I'm not quite sure what was going through the writer's mind when he or she decided to attack me over something of which I may not have been aware. I was certainly not aware that he barks all day long when I am not there, because I AM NOT THERE. In fact, I'm not aware of anything he does while I'm at work. I am not sold on this barking all day long claim because 1) He's silent when we return after 15 minutes, 1 hour, 8 hours, etc. and 2) Anyone who willfully bashes another person without allowing that person to explain or defend themselves (or gather more information) is not someone to be trusted. Whatever the case, I cannot let this immaturity continue. I did something about it.

I called the office and explained the problem to them. I said that I had been receiving harassing anonymous notes and felt uncomfortable. I told them what I have been doing to solve the problem, including enrolling Xerxes in a $375 militaryish behavioral smackdown class (We start Tuesday Oct 13th!). The guy on the phone told me that anonymous notes are unacceptable and to please bring the note I had over to him so he could photocopy it. (I had thrown the first one out.) I complied and sweetly told him that we don't want to start trouble with any of our neighbors, and that their (the neighbor's) accurate and honest reports of Xerxes' noise-making would be incredibly beneficial to his training. He agreed with me that anonymous notes are no way to handle the situation, since such notes do not allow me to explain to the neighbor that I am not ignoring the problem.

I have to say that after reporting the notes, I feel a bit better. At least the office knows that I'm not some lazy a**hole who makes annoying their neighbors a top priority. They'll see me as a somewhat responsible person and not the "disrespectful" and "inconsiderate" person the neighbor will most surely portray. Furthermore, when it comes to the epic battle that will most likely ensue if Xerxes' training doesn't take, the other side will look very immature by comparison.

Alright, so, knitting. I haven't done anything to Mom's Bristow Cardigan. I'm really bad, I know. I just couldn't concentrate! I started the Balaclava for Kai this weekend. It's been an adventure. I fought viciously with the double pointed needles. I think I've got a laddering issue going on, but it probably won't be noticeable since the yarn is navy blue and the stitches are already big. (Note to self: when knitting socks, knit with 5 double pointed needles, not 4.) I would like to make some serious progress on the cardigan this week AND finish the Balaclava. We'll see. My furchildren may take up all of my knitting time.