sf wrote:

> On Sat, 12 Jul 2008 14:50:25 +0200, ChattyCathy
> > wrote:
>
>>I don't miss living 'cheek by jowl' with the neighbors that's for sure.
>>People always find something to moan about. Heh. I was on the 'committee'
>>at the last complex I lived in so I used to get people knocking on my door
>>(five or six times a week at least) complaining about their neighbor's
>>dogs, cats, loud music etc. One resident even used to complain about the
>>smoke from outdoor grills wafting over onto his property from the
>>unit 'next door'. There was nothing in the 'house rules' that stated
>>outdoor grilling was banned at that complex, so what the heck he expected
>>me to do about it, I have no clue. Oh, and the arguments about who had
>>what parking spaces (especially for visitors' cars) was always good for a
>>bit of 'stimulation'.
>
> You got what you signed on for. If you didn't want to deal with those
> issues, you wouldn't have been on the board. It's called acting like
> a grown up. <shrug>

I joined the committee the first year I lived there, not realizing how
childish so-called adults can be. I wanted to resign after the first year,
but I kept getting 'talked into' to staying on at every Annual General
Meeting of the complex by the other unit owners after that, because nobody
else was prepared to take my place - and we had to have at least two people
on the committee according to the local "Sectional Title Act" - which is
law. I had a string of 'second' committee members over the years who had
the good sense to move out of the complex before they were suckered into
joining up for a second time.

However, one of the 'amusing' things I remember was getting knocked up at
3am by a resident who had just arrived home. Apparently her remote control
for the garage door had 'stopped working'. I asked her if she had checked
the battery in it. Her response was "Oh, do these things take batteries?".
Anyway, I opened up the garage for her so she could park her car - and
asked her to please check the battery in her remote control in the morning
and buy a new one if necessary...

> My dad got stabbed with a screwdriver by a
> fellow condo owner when he was on his board (this is no slum either,
> it's the ritzy part of N Lakeshore Dr. in Chicago between the zoo and
> downtown). He still lives there and he's back on the board at 80+.

Heh. Didn't get injured myself, but had to stop a knife-fight between a
married couple that lived in our complex once. Shook me up a bit, I have to
admit.
>
>>These days I need field glasses to see my nearest neighbor's house;
>
> <shudder> As a kid, I lived in the woods and didn't see anything
> except trees and wildlife. Oh, it was next to a large lake and my
> family owned over half of the surrounding property. The neighbors
> were two (summertime only) camps that, combined, owned the other half.

That's where we're different. I got tired of the traffic, noise and fumes in
the city... I like the local wildlife. I hate the big crowded shopping
centers too (especially over the weekends). Just irritates me, having to
stand in long lines at the check-outs while you have people breathing down
your neck. <shudder>
>
>>I can park wherever I want to on our property
>
> I have a garage. Whatta concept! Lots of street parking too and the
> streetcar is half a block away, so I don't have to drive if I don't
> want to.

Believe it or not we also have a garage - yep, they have those on 'lots of
acres' too. It can park 3 cars. And a double car-port attached to it. But
if I feel like parking under a tree, I can do it without some neighbor
complaining that I'm in his/her parking space.
>
>>and I can play my music as loudly
>>as I want without 'disturbing the peace'. If I want to grill outdoors,
>>nobody else is close enough for the smoke to bother them.
>
> Me too, except I don't like loud noise, so loud music is out of the
> question.

Of course, that's your prerogative.

> I also know how to bbq without neighbors summoning the fire
> department.

Ya thunk? You didn't live in *that* complex...
>
>>I like it that
>>way, and I personally don't find it boring; on the rare occasion that I
>>voluntarily want to be in an overcrowded area, I can get in the car and
>>find one. So I would rather describe living here as 'peaceful'
>>versus 'stressful' on no acres - JMHO, of course...
>
> Stress is what you make of it. There's good stress and there's bad
> stress.

Give me an example of 'good stress', please?

> If you didn't want any stress you wouldn't have gotten on
> that "board", for starters.

Asked and answered above.

--
Cheers
Chatty Cathy

Egg tastes better when it's not on your face...