Ducati Monster Forum

I am one of the younger ones around here, I turn 30 in July.

But I remember growing up how close everyone in my neighborhood was. Everyone waved. Everyone helped each other out if they needed it, etc.

There was a sense of community on my street. The kids would all play together, the Dad's would help each other with a home improvement project or whatever it may have been.

Fast forward to my adult years and have been living in a condo I bought in 2004.

Barely anyone waves at each other. The people I live next door to are make the beast with two backsing pregnant doges. It is this mother and daughter. I always say hi to them and all I get back is a dirty look. My wife and I are good people, we are good neighbors, etc.

My neighbor two doors down is a little older than me and we've become good friends. When he moved in (he rents), the bathroom needed a new light / fan combo. So he asked to help and I ended up installing it for him. Took about 3 hours, but we had some beers, didn't electrocute ourselves and he learned how to install a basic light.

My neighbor across the street used to be a contractor, so he is handy.

A few years ago I asked him if he could help me install two new toilets in my house, as I've never done it before. I read all about it, but still wanted a professional to make sure everything was done properly and seated. I did all the work and he charged me make the beast with two backsing 150$ for 20 minutes of work. Seriously?

I went over to him this weekend and asked if he could cut a piece of wood for me. We had some recent work done and I needed a precision straight cut on a 12in wide board. I don't have a chop box / miter box, so I would have had to use a hand saw or my jigsaw. I ask if he can do it and then wants 20$ for it.

Are you make the beast with two backsing serious?


I ended up cutting it with my jigsaw and it came out just fine. Why would he even ask for money?



Has anyone else noticed that over the years, neighbors aren't what they used to be. If your neighbor came over with a measuring cup and needed some flour or sugar because they ran out, you would gladly help them. I think if you did that now, mine would be like WTF?


I just miss the sense of community and feeling of a neighborhood where everyone watches out for one another.

Maybe it is just where I live or people don't like me because of my loud motorcycles.

Who knows.


///rant off.

highlighted.....condo's are a whole different type of person in terms of space and living...it isn't like living in a house as far as a sense of community and neighborhood IMHO...

I've got a cup of sugar for you...








That will be 12 bucks.





P.S.  It sounds like your neighborhood sucks.


Thankfully my current neighbors are like the ones you remember.    [thumbsup]

Devo - Beautiful World (Live) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wt8P_3gaHtQ&feature=related#lq-lq2-hq-vhq)

+1 Totally agree.  Different mindset in different environments.

Yeah I agree too. It's the condo living. I live in a small town in north Idaho and it's the same way you remember it.
Everyone waves, everyone borrows tools from each other. Helps moving shit, fixing cars, showing off new guns, coming over for dinner. That's why I'm still here  [thumbsup] I could make more elsewhere but why give up the quality of life?

I live in a condo and on my floor we are all friendly.  We have hall parties, borrow food, beer, and rides to the airport. 

Jud,

I live basically exactly opposite from you in Westerville and my neighborhood is exactly opposite too.  Everyone is nice, I've helped and had help working on cars, houses, shoveling snow whathave you.  There are gangs of kids and people always walking their dogs.  Even the cops are cool and don't harass people who live in the neighborhood with speeding and such.

It must be the condo situation or maybe all of the stuck up people in Dublin.  ;D

WOW... $20 to make a cut for you is dirty.  The guy is a scumbag.  So much for Midwest friendliness.  


My neighbor rant:

I have a neighbor that is a "contractor" that has been out of work forever.  He sits at home all day and plays his radio too loud.  I have never said a word.  

I had a boat parked in my driveway that he didn't like looking at.  One day he moved it on my side yard so it wasn't next to his house.  I went to go look at it and the motor was hanging off the back of the boat strapped on with a tiedown.  When he was backing it in he snapped the motor mount and strapped it on so I wouldn't notice.  

When I found out it was broken I walked over and asked him about it.  He said that he thought he was doing me a favor by moving it.  I asked him if he noticed that he broke the outboard while he was moving it and he said "NO".  
"So you are telling me the motor just broke off while sitting there and you strapped it back up there for me?"  
"Yeah, I packed it up all nice for you, but I didn't break it".  
"Ralph, you are the only one who touched it"
"Well I don't know what to tell you, I didn't do it"

He then proceeded to tell me that I needed to clean up the sticks in my yard that had fallen from a tree. He didn't like looking at them.  I laughed and said "No, I like looking at them" then walked away.  

That make the beast with two backser came on my property and broke my shit then had the audacity to lie about it...

So much for being a good neighbor.  We just had 10 windows replaced... he DIDN'T get the job.  He sat on his porch as another contractor made $$$

I think you guys are right about the condo living, but I would think that would be a sense of community too.

We all live rather close, our driveways are close together, etc.

and Jay (metallimonster) probably brought up the biggest thing..........where I live.

I live in a ritzy bullshit community where property taxes are high and people are house poor and all drive 50k Honda Minivans and husband drives a BMW. Most are well extended beyond their means.

I live in a condo built in 1983, so to get a sense of the sort of place I live.


I'd love to sell my condo and buy a home, but I like the area I live in, but can't afford a house and pretty much refuse to live here for a number of reasons (i.e. you aren't allowed to have a fence).





dick!


That's what I said!!!!!!


make the beast with two backs it, I am going to go buy a Kolbalt Miter sliding saw tonight.

Just had to swing by the Post Office to get a Change of Address packet because there is a 10% off Lowe's Coupon  [thumbsup]

+1

Maybe they're just pissed they live in Ohio?  ;D

My neighborhood in NY sucks ape balls..it was once a nice block and a nice town...

then it became a "destination community" in the late 1980's and especially after 9/11 when people dumped their brownstones and fled out here...we used to have 2 topless joints and a dozen shot-and-beer joints in town

the only time you see kids now is when they are coming or going to the car to their "planned activities"   kids don't hang out and just play like they used to

I am the last person on the street who still cuts his own lawn...they all are chopping down the old trees...it is turning into Queens NY...they sneer at me because I am not in the game, own my house and don't give a shit to join the golf-yacht-country or tennis clubs

I hate the northeast or more accurately the NY area, I hate the attitudes up here, I hate the make the beast with two backsing miserable unhappy sneering "I've arrived" self-entitled self-important douche bags riding up on your ass in a fake Hummer on a side street because they have to get little Mikey to soccer and their nail appointment ran late or they lost track of time at the gym...

or when they size you up at a check-out and try to cut in line in front of you explaining they are in a hurry...to which I usually scream...I am older than you and will die sooner,,, make the beast with two backs your hurry

they are all about saving make the beast with two backsing Darfur but they won't lift a finger to help the old widow next door shovel her walk when it snows

Move down south to a non-migratory town...at least people are polite and have some semblance of manners or they just bother to pretend to....there are still humans on the planet but they are getting harder to find...I think they are pretty much extinct in large urban areas

God please get me back to Asheville for good...my neighborhood there is just that...a neighborhood...we throw a couple BBQ picnics a year, people drop by and just hang out on the porch

they see us digging a trench for a new sewer hook up and they come over and ask for a shovel to help...makes you want to weep with joy that real people still exist

Not many complaints here. I do have some oldies that pregnant dog about just about everything, but they are generally ignored. My neighbors usually help or at least have valid excuses not to, one guy's back is shot. I wave at most neighbors, even the annoying ones, and they generally wave back or at least smile.

When we bought our house, the house next door was a big part of the reason we picked the one we did. You know, the one painted a vivid chartreuse with favorite quotes painted on it in lavender (every morning as I'm making coffee, I read out the window "Ever notice that 'what the hell' is usually the right decision?"), with an opulent garden of native plants & full bird feeders that draw lots of seed-eaters and the raptors that prey on them. The neighborhood is weird, diverse and friendly -- in no small measure thanks to our neighbors Tom & Johanna.

We have monthly neighborhood potluck dinners in the park at the end of our street and are planning a block party for later this year. Everybody waves, and we share tools & expertise pretty freely -- though now that you mention it, a couple of my hand tools appear to have taken up a new residence. Our Monster lives in our garage, but the ST2 is parked across the street in a neighbor's garage -- he saw me pulling the cover over it out in our fenced back yard and offered to move his Kawasaki over to make room so i could store mine indoors. When our rainwater storage ran out last summer, Johanna gave us water out of her tanks (giving away water in Arizona?!?!?!) for the garden.

Tom was recently diagnosed with advanced esophageal cancer and Johanna's pretty overwhelmed keeping track of his care, so the neighborhood has stepped in to help them out. People bring food over all the time, help them out with housework and Ann-Marie, our daughter and I have taken over walking their dog Sara most evenings. Because the neighborhood they've built isn't an accident, we've also tried to step in to do our part to keep the community going now that Tom & Johanna can't do that anymore.

And the irony of this is that ours is considered the "rough" neighborhood in our little town. It's kind of funny; I've lived in fairly tough neighborhoods in DC and NYC (and avoided the really sketchy ones at night) and our little 'hood is laughably tame by comparison -- mostly, on warm weekend nights you hear Mexican pop music & narcocorridos from the apartment building across the street -- music that invariably shuts down at 9:00 sharp. But it's hard to even find a real estate agent who will so much as show a house in our neighborhood. But I hear a lot of similar stories of isolation and lack of community from friends in some of the gated, HOA-patrolled (and after the real-estate bust, 1/3 empty) developments up the hill from us. Different choices.

 (http://site.despair.com/images/dpage/dysfunction03.jpg)


(actually I agree with the condo vs. house thing...condo neighbors are like apartment neighbors).

Of course   [roll]

Jerry had it right.

Jerry Reed-Talk About The Good Times (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkuTCxyCbBs#lq-hq-vhq)

Cyrus, the guy that wanted to charge you $20 to cut a piece of wood is probably an asshole, but try to look at it from his perspective. He's the one guy in the neighborhood that can fix anything and has tools and truck, etc. That guy must get hit up for shit all the time from friends, family, neighbors, coworkers, etc. If you knit socks for 50 hours a week in order to pay your bills you'd get pretty snippy with the 100th person who asked if you could just to knit some little socks for the new baby or whatever on your weekend or in your free time. He wanted to charge to $20 not to get the $20 but to make sure you never asked him for anything again. Don't take it personally, he just doesn't want to use his free time that way. What you see as quick little cut he sees as dragging the tool out (got move that other shit out of the way first) set it up, get the extension cord out, measure and mark the wood, make the cut, bullshit with you for 10 minutes, unplug the saw, wrap up the cord, put the cord away, clean up the saw, break the saw down and put it away, get the broom, sweep up the saw dust and put the broom away. All the while worrying if there is a nail in that piece of wood he doesn't know about that is going to make the beast with two backs up his blade and if the dimension you gave him is incorrect and that you'll come back and yell at him for cutting it wrong. So, yeah, if he ain't looking to make friends, $20.

I work as a contractor. For the very reasons described above I don't want my neighbors to be all friendly. If there was an emergency and the little old lady down the street needed something, no problem. Other than that as long as they shut the make the beast with two backs up and leave me alone I consider them to be good neighbors. If people from my neighborhood walk up my driveway they generally get met with a large dog and a sneer. I'm friendly on the street and wave and say hi and all that, but I ain't looking for more friends or any favors from anyone.

I've spent $4k putting good fences up and Robert Frost was right, I bought better neighbors.


sac





/I know that's not what Frost meant

make the beast with two backsing

that doesnt even make sense

Turn the nanny off.

sac

That's how it was growing up.

I remember when we installed a wood fence on the wooded part of my parents house. We put that in and then some pro's came out to put up the actual mesh fencing. First time we fenced our yard in; it was for our Lab.

So we are out there digging holes, my dad would get home from work and even throw a hand on a post hole digger in his suit and tie.

On the weekends some neighborhood kids would come by and want to help.

My brother was having some problems sweating some pipes in one of our bathrooms, so goes to the neighbor behind us who is really handy. He gladly came over at 830 at night to help my brother complete the job.


I just miss a sense of community and don't have it now.

My neighbor across the street is a contractor.  Just like every other contractor in the country, business has been slow lately (framing new homes was his core business).

I've asked him for some free advice on our home projects.  I've also had him do some small project work on our home - and paid him for it every time.  When we finished off our basement, I asked him if he was interested in bidding on the job - he declined, because he didn't want to do the General Contractor deal.  (he was actually pretty busy with other projects at that time anyway)

Being a 'good neighbor' is one thing, but like SacDuc says about the contractor, "try to look at it from his perspective." 

Can't you just friend them on facebook??

thank god the single ladies on our block dont try to take advantage of my skillset

You're right they probably couldn't handle the crying why you mumble "I'm sorry, that's never happened before" over and over.   ;D

I thought he said take advantage of his skillet

have you been reading my wifes facebook page?

what a shock  [roll]

I tend to agree with Sac on this one.  I work for Porsche fixing cars.  I don't do work on the side, period.  I have made the mistake of helping a neighbor with a small problem, next thing you know I can't even open the garage door without someone wanting me to fix their car. I turned down neighbors before and they get rude like I owe them something. My time off is just that, time off. I don't bring my tools home with me, they stay at the dealership. I keep a very limited amount of tools at home, usually for bike stuff. If one of my cars needs something it goes to the dealership and I do it there.  Now if a neighbor wants to drink beer with me or come to one of my barbeques that's great. If I'm mowing the lawn and accidentally mow my old lady neighbors lawn, oh well.  Just don't ask me to fix your damn car on my time off. 

I agree with you, but if I ask you to borrow a specific tool or simply to use it in your garage to cut a piece of wood, then why be a prick about it?

I will acknowledge and respect the nature of the rant and say that guy sucks. I bet he would not charge $20 for four seconds of saw time for a customer.  On second thought, I guess he would.  Ass.

I will say though, and as others have illustrated, your proximity to assholes does not necessarily mean the end of the neighbor relationship as we know it.  Good neighbors are out there, you just don't live by them...

When hurricane Ike barreled through Houston, this became what is known as the Great Get to Know Your Neighbor event as we exchanged ice, food, rumors about what was open, that status of clandestine FEMA operations, etc.  So, if your neighborhood consists of known and suspected assholes, sometimes it takes some event  -12 days without power, but I don't recommend it-  for a neighborhood to pull together.  The best you can do is be the neighbor you want to live next to, and hope the people around you follow suit.

I should have clarified a bit about this guy.

He sold off his truck a long time ago to buy some coffee house that failed.

He does do projects for people on the side.


I paid him to paint a portion of the inside of my residence because it was a vaulted ceiling area going upstairs and I don't have the means to get up there to paint via scaffolding, etc.

He even over charged me for that come to find out. I won't even post what I paid him to do that.


It's not like I am asking for free shit from him. I had the board measured, line drawn, etc.

He has a miter saw on a table in his garage.

It would have taken him less than 10 seconds to make the cut for me.


I have also paid him to move some electrical wires in my house when I had some new windows installed. Again, he overcharged me for that work.

As for talking..........he should pay me to have to listen to him babble every time I come home. He doesn't really work and always catches me when I am coming home and yaps my ear off for an hour.



but I do get what you are saying about doing side work, etc.

I wouldn't ask that of him, but just a little advice on a toilet wouldn't kill someone.

I would do it for free anyway but if I had charged you for work performed in the past I would feel like the worlds biggest d-bag for even thinking of charging you.


 >:(

I just can't believe he wanted 20$ to chop a piece of wood in half.

Why did you go to a guy for service that you felt dissatisfied and overcharged in previous experiences?

I don't see a problem with the way you handle your situation.  Turning someone down is totally different than saying "sure I'll change your oil, but it will cost you $200"  If he had said no, "I can't cut that piece of wood for you right now" I think it would have been different.

Asking for an absurd amount of money to do a favor makes that dude a prick, even moreso because you have paid him do work in the past.  

I wouldn't ever hire him again if I were you.  

Admittedly I have over charged people for bullshit work, and the only reason was because I it was did not like them and never wanted to do work for them again.  Maybe he doesn't like you?

Take a shit on his front step. Fire optional.

So he can complain when he does it again. ;D

sounds right..  what part og ny you in, LI?   cant wait till we are able to move out of state..  for me its a bit diff.. i live and have always been in the ghetto..  i need me some lawn and backyard all ready..   shit, couple months ago some one was murded feet from my front door..

the circle is complete young jedi

You couldn't pay me enough to live in NY.  I think people get friendlier the farther South you go.  Something to do with the Frustration Aggression Hypothesis coupled with lack of Vitamin D.

I was in a severe pinch on the electrical deal. He happened to be home and worked with my bootleg contractor.

My fault on paint and toilets was cheaper then a plumber or me spill shit everywhere, but still my fault.



I just didn't realize asking for one slice of wood would be a 20 spot!


like hell his make the beast with two backsing dirty hippy son is going to get any beer at my 4th of july bash this year make the beast with two backser came over last year and pissed everyone off and just helped himself to our keg.

He never introduced himself.

Found out the next day who he was.

Nice neighbors.

For the first 10 years of my life I grew up in a small College town. Probably no more than 2500 people including the College.

It was like some have eluded to, kinda like a fairy tale existence.

A very close knit group of people , most had lived there all their lives .

My parents belonged to several social clubs so there always seemed to be people in the house .

Everybody was friendly and everybody knew everybody . There was one long street that ran the length of the College and a lot of the homes on the one side of the street were occupied by professors.

Then we moved when I was going on 11 to Ohio and it was tough at first not knowing anyone but I soon made a lot of friends as did my folks and once again all the neighbors were friendly and associated freely , shared tools and helped with anything that you can think of.

Now I have pretty much isolated myself . I treasure my privacy and socialize very little.

I enjoy riding my bikes and collecting fine things. I can play my " Classic Rock "  LOUD and stay up until 4-5 am enjoying the good things in life.

It's nice here in the Northern edge of the Hocking Hills only 5 minutes away from a great road full of curves and wild scenery.

Dolph    :)

 [laugh]  [laugh] [laugh]

Ive got a neighbor like that.  You can tell him you have a meeting in 10 minutes and he will ramble for 20.  Pisses me off.

Charge him $20 for a cup this year.  ;)

Up on the north shore in Port Wash...which used to be a nice scrappy unpretentious service community for the old Great Gatsby estates up north in Sands Point and the big homes in Manhasset to the south. all the marinas for the yachts, restaurants are here etc etc. Real Estate demands drove it upscale, some of the estates sold their acreage off to developers who immediately built high-density gated condo communities with retarded fancy names.

People are now servicing insane mortgages here to own the kind of house that I paid squat for in the 1970's...back when the town's cache was topless joints and dive bars...but we are really fancy now...the old hooker married a sugar daddy and now has conceits....I am waiting for housing prices to re-emerge  so I can get me the make the beast with two backs outta here

I miss my old cell phone for people like that...I had an old neighbor that was like that and I would often put my hands in my pockets while talking to him and then conveniently my phone would ring ( because my finger would be on the volume button setting my ringer off as if I got a call) and I would excuse myself to take the call breaking the conversation....

Dont get me wrong, I will not suffer a fool for over 5 minutes.  Last time was a test of his obliviousness.  Good polite trick with the cell phone!

I've been through most of this country and still think that the Hocking Hills in Ohio and Sedona in Arizona are the two most beautiful areas I've ever been too.

I don't think you have to live in the south to see freindly people.  I grew up in Southern Ohio and my neighborhood was perfect and everyone knew eachother and was always nice and helpful.  Hell, I still hang out with 15 or so guys every weekend that I've known since kindergarden.  I love living in Columbus but I would move back to small town Chillicothe any day.

That's actually what I do right now when I am in my car. If I spot him outside milling around when I am set to park, I just grab my phone and pretend to be on a phone conversation and walk inside.

Unfortunately, I can't do that when I am on the bike.

He typically will hear me coming, then when I pull into my driveway, I find him walking in to my garage to start talking about absolutely nothing.

Why does it matter to me that his daughter went to Pugs in the Park in Denver last weekend and there were over 200 Pugs there?

I am going to have to sort of disagree....um........yeah.....


ever been to Glacier National Park?

I think that is the closest you can get to Heaven in the US and like you, I've seen most of the US (disclaimer: never really been to the Southwest. I have been on a helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon and a landing on the Native side for lunch).


but hey.......that's a different thread and everyone has places they find more beautiful then others  [thumbsup]

(by the way, Desmohio Anniversary Party tomorrow evening, 5:30p at Mezzo in Gahanna.........email me at work)

Seems like there is an easy way to get rid of him. Every time he starts yapping at you just ask him if he could help you out with a little project real quick.   ;D


sac

I've got a mill and lathe in my garage, the lathe is right out by the door when it's open, so every one knows it's there.   I've got a neighbor that every now and then needs a broken bolt taken out of something, not a problem, he's a car mechanic and every now and then, walks over, and without my saying anything, puts his diagnostic meter thing on my Silverado and does a check on it.   It works out fine that way.    Besides, who knows who those neighbors are, it could lead to some real work. 

On the other hand, now about a 2 bedroom house, with 20 illegal aliens living in it?   With all the attendant cars, loud parties, garbage, etc., etc.   We've got those, too. 

Of course, 2 days after I moved in, I was burglarized, and being a gated community, I think it was one of my neighbors.   For over 2 years, I've been looking into garages for my compressor and tools, but so far, no luck. 

As for the contractor that won't help his neighbors for free, or cheap, he's a prick.   What goes around, comes around.  Go ahead, ask me, I'll help you.   Your Karma will thank you for it.

i'd go broke

I will lend out tools to trustworthy friends.  I will help friends with their bikes.  I do draw the line on working on cars on my time off. When I moved into this neighborhood several years ago and introduced myself the neighbors couldn't have been happier because they thought all their cars would get fixed for free.  Small neighborhood and things spread quick.  Every person I met asked when I would be available to look at their car.  If I helped one neighbor I would have to help all of them and there goes my free time. I don't think so.

So, we live in a small community up in the hills away from the Bay Area.

When we moved in the nearest neighbor swung by and introduced herself, offered to let us use her phone if we needed t in case ours wasn't hooked up yet. Others in the community swung by and said hi.

Same nearest neighbor gave us a bucket of apples, which P made into an apple crisp and gave to her. We're nice to the locals, wave, they wave back-hired one of the neighbors daughters to walk the dogs one week.

Every now and again because of downed trees, power outages or landslides, the community will come together and help clean up the road, so it's passable. This makes sense to me.

I don't know why you think he should help you out for free. If you weren't intending on paying him did you make it clear? Something like, "Can I pay you in beer" or "I can't afford to pay you..." If not, why would you think what he does for a living should be free to you?

I consider Nate a friend-I wouldn't consider asking him to paint a tank for me without paying him. It's just not how life works. You say you miss the sense of community. I say you just can't take care of yourself.

Buy your own tools, and figure it out. There's nothing for free.


PS if you ship the board to me and pay return shipping I'll cut it for $10.

You and I are on the exact same page.

Make that one more, except I'll cut it for $9.50 unless you want me to use a finish blade.  For $20 I'll ease all the edges, too

Trust me......you dont want an engineer cutting anything for you.


 ;D

The neighbor in question used to be a contractor / handyman.

He sold off his truck, ladders, etc.

He just does odds and end jobs.


I didn't complain other than being raped for him painting my hallway. I should have price shopped first and that is my fault.

My only complaint with the toilets was I did all the make the beast with two backsing work and his hourly rate came out to 3x that of a doctor.

I was in a pinch and overpaid him to move some electrical.


I've given him over 500$ in business.

I ask for a make the beast with two backsing piece of wood to be cut and he wants 20$?


Not sure where you guys grew up or where you live, but you don't charge a neighbor 20 make the beast with two backsing dollars to cut a piece of wood.



So should I have charged my neighbor Shane to install his ceiling light/fan?


Better yet to my line of work..........


I've helped countless friends with spreadsheet issues and managing finances and given advice.

I would never think of charging a friend to set them up a spreadsheet to help them.

I guess I am too nice.

carry on.

Based on your guys mentality..........I hope Duck Stew hasn't ever helped in the tech section.


If so, me included, we all owe him his hourly shop rate.

I am in to Stu for at least 300$ + of advice.



I think I am going to spend the remainder of my day invoicing said neighbor for all the advice I gave him at my kitchen table about 2 years ago and charge him for the beers and chips he ate.

His coffee shop was failing and wanted to know why.

So he brought over his pricing, invoices, books, etc etc.

So I sat with him for 3 hours and figured it out for him.


I didn't charge him. Guess I should have instead of being a nice person.


My Dad taught to help when you can and never turn away someone that you can help. He spent hours out in public discussing medial issues with patients he would bump into. Guess he should have charged those 80yr old people for 2 hours of his time at the Farmer's Market when he was with his family.

I was raised differently is my only logical explanation.


If you have experience in a field and someone asks for help...........charge them.

No thanks, I don't do that.

i think the problem is its all on a case by case basis.

all the contractors that say well my tools are my tools and if i'm off of work i'm not helping anyone, etc.

ok i agree with that, if someone asks you to do work on a major level for them then by all means say its a job and charge them.

now if someone has a simple question of hey can you tell me how to do this and its not like you are realy doing work, then being courteous or "doing favors" at times may have a benefit in the future when you need someothing from someone else.  its a personal decision if you want to do this or not.  and that is ok too.

now i know what you will all say, i don't need help from anyone never ever.  if that is the case then fine, but then don't complain later if nobody is being "courteous" or doing "favors" for you when you finally need it or they "charge" you for things later.

for example your wife goes into labor, can't drive to hospital you aren't around, guy across the street drives cars for a living, now you wife needs a ride, he says "pay me $100 that is my driving fee i'm off of work".  according to all you contractors, he is fully in his rights to say that, afterall, he is off work and nobody should ask him to do his job off of work, you asking him to do something that is his job is cutting into his free time, simple as that.

most normal people will help others out if they can so long as it doesn't "inconvenience them", its when they "feel" that others are taking advntage of them that it becomes an issue.

then again everyone is a prick most of the time anywa, so no need to complain about how people are pricks.  [laugh] [laugh] [laugh] [laugh]

have a good weekend.  [laugh] [laugh]

I think you hit it there.

I went to him with 3 jobs and asked what he wanted for the work.

I don't think him cutting a 12in piece of wood to be an inconvenience; apparently it was.


Oh well.

I am just a huge complainer.

takes all sorts to turn the world

some people are transactional

other people are interactional

I prefer interactional types...I might learn something I didn't know

No matter how many transactional encounters I have that I come out on top of...

well I tend to think I will assess and measure the quality of my life by what I gave of myself and what I got of someone in return....

not how much money and shit I am leaving behind for my ungrateful relatives to piss through or wreck

You have a history of overpaying the guy-why would he treat this job any differently? You already set precedent.

Pretty much. ;D

Now you know how a Doctor feels at a Country Club.

I used to play golf with 2 Doctors and after our round we'd be in the bar and always someone would come up and ask one of the Doctors to diagnose some aliment they were having.

I always thought " man that takes balls , " or what a dumb shit for doing that .The Doctor isn't going to be rude since most of the people were his patients so I guess he didn't want to piss them off.

He did give them rather quick and short answers and said make an appointment which usually got rid of them.

Some women would have several drinks and be pretty lit and be very crude and not think anything of interrupting our discussion of our matches or just enjoying our drinks.

Dolph     :) 

My Dad was the opposite.

He would talk and talk as long as the patient wanted.

It was mostly about adjust medications verse diagnosing an ailment as he already knew their issue.

My Dad hates insurance companies and if he could adjust a patients current medicine (he never wrote new scripts in public) without them making an office visit, he gladly would.

Probably saved him a lot of time at some point.


Not to mention, I learned a lot as a little boy about interaction and helping people. Regardless if it was family time or not, it is always kind to take the time to help someone in need or have a concern.

make the beast with two backs, some would call the house.

I agree..................


It does take balls to speak shop with your doctor outside of the office.........

I've bumped into mine in public, said hello, he asked how my shoulder was feeling, I said "eh" he goes "you are due back in a few weeks, hang in there and we'll talk soon. Have a great weekend"

Too bad we all can't live in "Cyrusland"   ;D

I won't work for neighbors.  The surest thing to get between friends, family or neighbors is money.  I will happily help someone out as a favor.  One day, and that day may never come, I might ask a favor of them........Ive already had a couple neighbors welch on that concept.   [bang]

Case in point:  After our first blizzard of the year, a neighbor up the street asked if I could plow their driveway with my atv.  It took me an hour of nibbling away at the 20" deep heavy snow.  They gave me a zip lock full of home made granola.   [roll]

Another neighbor up the street paid 4 guys $225 to shovel his driveway that wasnt as large as the one I did.  

The granola neighbor asked if I could plow his driveway after the second blizzard that was deeper.  I told him about what the neighbor up the street paid and told him I would do it for $75.  He balked and said he would do it himself.  I laughed out loud in my helmet after watching him shovel out his driveway for the next 4 hours!!  Douche.

Another neighbor dared to complain that I left a lump of snow on the street that he couldnt get his Mercedes sedan over.  (HE CALLED ME AT MY HOUSE AT 8AM ON SUNDAY MORNING)  I told him, I didnt plow the entire street for 6 hours yesterday for him, I did it because my little girl wasnt feeling well and we live at the bottom of a dead end street thats uphill to get out.  If she got worse, I wanted to be able to get out.

BTW, my neighbors took up a collection to pay for my efforts, $37!  Meanwhile other streets in my neighborhood were locked in for an entire week.

Perspective.

IMO, it's not kind to the family to spend family time on the patients.

I can tell you what happened in America about people being real neighbours. Its called greed,. Subdivisions all have 6 foot wooden fences in their yards. These do not promote friendships between neighbours. You are locked in to your own space. "OOOH Look at me!I have a big house in a new subdivision look at how well I am doing." Its bullshit. I live in an old house built in the 1940,s in an established neighbourhood. I have lived here for 6 weeks and know most of the neighbours already. I have a 10x10 foot room in that house. Thats my space. I spend time in the garden and in the garage and walking to say hi. I talk to my neighbours. I know their names. Its awesome. Big fancy houses and fences are wrong. Knowing my community is what its all about. If someone is in need the word gets out and we all help out as best we can. Thats what being a neighbour is all about. Greed and living in an ivory palace creates this not nice feeling you get when everyone has the perfect house with the perfect yard and debt up to their eyeballs. So your neighbour has a beemer? Mine has a honda like mine, beat up and runs. A car is a car it gets you from point a to point b warmly and dry. The other option is on the motorbike where you get cold and wet. My choice i guess. Fancy cars and houses impress me none. Been there and had it. Its all bolloclks and dont mean squat imo. [thumbsup]My .02

+1 Badgal

I work in some very upscale homes.  Its interesting to see the lack of neighborly interaction let alone ANY interaction. 

My street has 30 kids under 15 and its great to see them play and interact, we also have block parties and get along well. 

Maybe the "saw guy" simply does not like Jud.


 [cheeky]

I cut my neighbors lawn the other day






and sent Jud the bill

[laugh]

Long thread with many different directions going. As I read I thought of a few things.

-I learned long ago it's ok to ask your neighbor to help you out with anything that isn't their normal job. They do that all week and don't want to do that on an off day. If they offer to help or see you doing it and jump in that's fine but never ask.

-RE: bugging doctors and such at the golf course. Poor taste. Lump cops in there too. We don't sit at the furthest table away from you on accident. Someone always has to come up and interrupt our short "break". I quote break because we can get called off of it at any moment and we are required to listen to the radio. If you need directions, want to say a quick hi, or there is an emergency, by all means come talk to us. If you got a ticket you want to talk about, your neighbor is a cop and you think we know every cop in the world, you are thinking of applying, or you want us to discipline your kids, move on.

-I'm also a contractor. I overbid jobs I don't want.

real neighbours, yes this has gone in many different directions. A few days ago when I was going to Starbucks in Vancouver Wa I saw two Washington State Patrol officers walking back to their cars as their break was over. As I walked past I just said thanks Officers for all you do and the lady officer, said "your welcome neighbour!"
How cool!
I did not know her from Adam but what a great responce from a state employee who works hard to keep life good for the rest of us so to you good lady cop neighbour................. [beer]!

Or it is a lessen on helping people in need that are having issues.

Perspective, right?


Sort of what I deal with.


He shows an odd way of showing it!

He make the beast with two backsing harasses me all the time with stupid shit.

I should have charged him 200$ last year to lug his make the beast with two backsing old water heater up his stairs with him.


Holmes was out of the contractor business when I approached him with work.

Based on what he has done, he pretty much sucks which is why he probably stopped.

Now he picks up jobs around the condo complex and rapes people for his prices.

This whole thread should be in NOGAS.


I can see banding together with neighbors for something mutual, like keeping the road open.


Everything else-if you want it....do it yourself. We're not some group of individuals in this together. I need to take care of me and mine first.


Seriously-cut your own wood, install your own toilet, paint your own house, etc etc etc.

Or pay someone to do it.

Stop thinking people should help you for free-it's not how life works.

And just because you might help people for nothing doesn't mean you deserve the same. Life is unfair.


None of this is news.

Youre just sore cuz none of your neighbors asks you to work on their rockets......

 ;D

+1

Perfectly said. Now I have a man crush on you.   :-*


sac

That's why you pay taxes for the county/city to take care of.


I'll never turn down a neighbor if they need help with a project.


I do care about helping others, some must not or not give a shit.


Just a difference of opinion.

Its more than a difference of opinion. Its a combination of not wanting to be bothered and not wanting to be viewed through a horrifically judgmental lens that makes people say stuff like this:




I mean, god damn that is an arrogant thing to say. Why does it have to be greed? What if some people just don't like other people. Such as, oh say, me. I don't like the asshole neighbor to the west that illegally rents his single family home as three units to eight people. I just want them all to shut up and leave me alone. I don't like the gaggle of asshole community college student neighbors who live in the apartments east of me. They make me weep for the future of America and I just want them to shut up and leave me alone. I wave to the neighbors across the street but the street is four make the beast with two backsing lanes of traffic. I'm not just gonna pop over and say "hi" every afternoon. I've hired that guy to do some data recovery for me. Never even considered it as anything other than me using his business. He sent me an invoice. I paid it and said thank you.

My six foot fences (which are apparently wrong to have in a picture perfect Norman Rockwell version of Mayberry) are to keep my dogs safe. And to keep them from eating the busy bodies that litter my driveway with the neighborhood gossip rag once a month.

Greed got nothing to do with it. Perhaps some of us don't want to interact with people who judge us constantly for not baking the neighborhood pies every other weekend. Maybe our ideal "friends" aren't people who judge us as greedy or selfish for not rushing over with a chest of tools every time we hear a saw kick on. Perhaps we're busy. If that makes us selfish, then fine, go whine to rest of the neighbors about us, just leave us the hell alone. Then everybody wins. We get peace and quiet and you get a sense of superiority. We have to struggle on our own to get our projects done and you have to put up with other people's shit whether you want to or not lest you face the wrath of the neighborhood judgment brigade.

sac

;D

nah.  It's greed allright.  greedy people who think neighbors should do shit for them.   Notice it's not the guys doing the stuff that are here ranting...

I'd drop everything I was doing to help some people.   Others I wouldn't piss on if they were on fire.   Their homes proximity to mine has little to do with it.

I have a question

why is that arrogance?

best case it is an educated opinion

worst case an assumption

but why arrogance?

Not just that but most of the rest of the post. But the greed comment is arrogant for the following reasons. Condemning someone who values one set of things (in this case actual things and money and such) and then stating that the the right things to value just happen to be exactly what I value (neighborliness, etc.) is presumptuous at best. Going on to say that the values of the other people actual cause ill and harm in world is in my opinion arrogant.

This line of arguement might work if "bad neighbor" was substituted with a universally agreed upon evil like "rapist" or something. But to make the following progession is to me, arrogant:

Some people are bad neighbors.
They are bad neighbors if they have fences, big houses and don't talk to their neighbors.
Greed makes them this way.
I am not greedy.
I talk with my  neighbors and do not own a big house.
The way I live my life is superior to the way the greedy live their lives.
I take it upon myself to judge who is greedy and a poor neighbor.


sac

I'm probably last on the list of roads to clear. If anyone can make a call, what with the lines being down and all. My wife is knocked up-if there's a tree in the road, I remove said tree (odds are I'm bringing it home to burn it anyways).



This might be because you're in a condo. Houses tend to need a lot of work.

I initially considered her post arrogant as well. The inference that somehow she is better then someone else because she has decided to aspire to nothing more then a rented 10x10 room is what did it for me. That's fine if that's what she wants. It's also fine to want a big ass Gates style house on the lake as long as you get it with honor and integrity. There is a difference between greed and ambition. Fancy houses and fences are wrong and helping the community is what it's all about? Sheesh  [roll]...helping my family have a safe and secure life is what it is all about. Not to mention I would be willing to wager that we are able to help more people in our community with some of our discretionary income then the poster that looks down on me because I bought my wife a Beemer (she had an old Honda too  ;)).

 

Both interesting replies

To me it was just an opinion with a backing point of view

but

I am also more inclined to take her side do to similar viewpoints

I would rather have a giant yard, small house, and friendly neighbors

vs

a giant house , crowded easment, and a fence

but I think i'm with her on the greed portion

I think greed takes many more forms than simply the aquisition of things

getting here late to the conversation, but...

i help out often, especially with neighbors that i like (most) or those who might reciprocate (some).  i haven't turned down a request for help, but b/c i'm often busy doing something, i am able to help them at my convenience which is usually not at that moment or even the same day.  time passes and i "forget" about the request and "poof", my help is no longer needed.

side note.  i have a brother that has neither the skills, tools, or patience to do very minor fix-it jobs around the house.  he and his wife are both doctors and spend more money than i make.  he's cool, but his wifey thinks and expects that i will do almost anything for them.  i will, but on my schedule.  usually they just hire a professional b/c their needs have greater urgency than i can accomodate.  this keeps the peace and the requests in check.

funny stories all.  ride safe.  Ciao! [moto]

you know nothing of my life and you do not know me.

Do not make assumptions about my life when you know me not.

After being punched in the face abused and spat upon for the last time and told to get the F out of my home I left. I took whatever I could grab and that was it. I did not have a knife or a fork. My 10 x 10 foot room is warm and safe, I am happy and safe here. My first spouse took their own life. I have lived in large fancy houses.I have in my past had more than most and I will again. This is a setback in my life, but spousal abuse is spousal abuse. I choose to live here because its all I can afford at this point in my life . It is better than the street. Do not so quick to judge others.

I speak from the experience of a life well lived.

BGB

^^

You're right. I know nothing about you. However, your original post sounds arrogant. Maybe re-read it as someone who knows nothing about you. It is you telling everyone who has a nice house with a fence and a nice car that they are greedy and make horrible neighbors.

Sorry to hear you had to go thruough all that you described. That truly sucks.

Who are you to say those ranting don't assist others?


that makes sense if you live in an area where you will be the last to be bailed out. I have no idea where you live, so I would not have known this.

I know that houses require a lot of work; I have lived in one before.

I do most of my outdoor work anyway because the make the beast with two backsstick's the complex contracts suck.

but

they usually do...

I have a nice car and a fence  :'(

you have a truck and a fence

that's different

lemme 'splain my POV

as the Tax Increment Finance district took hold on the mountain

Gentrification happened

locals moved out cuz it got too 'spensive to live

new houses got bigger and bigger rising to between 500,000 and 1.5 million

from the 64,000 range they used to run in

and along came the rich city folk with their nice things and fancy cars

they moved to the forest to be apart of nature and raise their children in a safe enviroment

so

they cut down all the trees on their property

replaced the vines and ferns for grass and metal halide lights

and built fences

They are wholey unfriendly unless you carry around a certain amount of zero's in your paycheck

and

they killed the Ratskeller

they made it a "Family Dining Experience"

The built a 5 story hotel in  between Charlies Mountain View and the Mountain

Now its Charlies-view-of-the-side-of-that-make the beast with two backs-awful-modern-retro-log-shithut

That all depends on the class of people

"faux rich" as my buddy Rat calls them........probably are like that.

The town I live in is such that (with the obvious exceptions that always exist).

Big houses, BMW's, fancy clothes, and zero dollars in the bank account or furniture in their 7000sq ft house


No fences though..........they are "illegal" here.

I live in a condo in Ohio. MOST of my neighbors are good people. I walk my dogs 3x a day and get to know people on those walks. I've helped my neighbor put brakes on his (vintage) Benz, helped the old lady with her groceries, kept an eye on a neighbor's kid, given moto advice to an aspiring squid (take the MSF class!). There are good neighbors in some condos. There are bad neighbors as well (don't clean up after their dogs, rude/inconsiderate, housing 6 people in a 3 BR condo against the condo rules).

You take the bitter with the better and make the best of it. I'm currently keeping an eye open for a modest house where I can have a bigger garage/shop and a fenced in yard for the dogs. I'm taking my time because my neighbors aren't total jerks.

the saturn is not a truck  :-*

BGB,

I know more than you think. My wife had an experience almost identical to yours. Married to a rich abusive bastard, finally left because a counselor told her she had two choices, leave or he will eventually kill you. So while I have not experienced this myself I have had the most personal first hand account you can imagine.

The thing is, this has NOTHING to do with your previous post.

Read the part in my reply where I said that if you replace "bad neighbor" with something universally hated and then your argument becomes much more valid. I think "wife beater" qualifies. So my hunch was correct and now I see your point. But direct your anger where it is due. I stand by my statement, to condemn not just a whole neighborhood but an entire lifestyle, an entire class of people just because of your bad experience is not right. There were good people in your neighborhood, believe it or not. There are good people everywhere. There are horrific monsters everywhere too.

All that being said, I am in awe of the strength it takes to do what you did. My wife amazes me everyday with how kind she is. If I went through what she did I would probably have come through the other end a crumpled heap of a person. Bitter, mean withdrawn. I went through a fraction of that shit as a kid and I'm still a bit, well, bitter, mean and withdrawn.

I don't live in your neighborhood, but I would bet our lifestyles and values are similar. Small home with no need to "trade up." Happy to have a spot of our own, a little garden and some dogs. By this point you probably think I'm a huge prick, and that's okay, but if there is anything you need please send a PM to my wife (Polpetta) here on the board. She truly does know a good deal about what you are going through and we would both be happy to help if we can. And I mean that in truly the most neighborly way.

sac

I'd say they sometimes do, not usually.

First, I said nice house, not McMansion. Fences are often used to keep dogs in, and neighborhood hoodlums out.

I have a nice house (not huge or anything) and a fence, and I try my best to be a good neighbor.

I also walk my dogs through the neighborhood next to ours...HUGE house, views of the Sound, lots of BMWs, etc. For the most part everyone there is very friendly...saying hi, chatting, petting my dogs, etc. when we walk by.

...and as a fireman I'm sure you would agree that cutting down trees on your property next to your house if you live in the forest is usually a good thing...creates a fire break and all. Not to defend the people moving in if they aren't nice people...but that one point seems valid.

Also consider...the "have-nots" (a relative term) are sometimes hostile towards the "haves" (also a relative term) when they move in and increase property values, viewing them as outsiders and acting unfriendly towards them before they even meet them. Which then causes the "haves" to be unfriendly in return. I'm not saying that's what happened with your situation, but something to consider. I witnessed it firsthand when my parents moved into a small town in central Oregon and bought a nice house (again, a relative term as my parents aren't rich by any means).

Can't we all just get along? Don't wanna get this thread locked.   [thumbsup]

I have real neighbors....

I've touched them.  ;D

The Tanners had it right.   ;D

What ever happened to predictibility?
The milkman, the paperboy, evening TV.
Everywhere you look , everywhere you go (there's a heart).
There's a heart
A hand to hold onto.
Everywhere you look , everywhere you go.
There's a face
Of somebody who needs you.
Eveywhere you look,
When you're lost out there and you're all alone,
A light is waiting to carry you home,
Everywhere you look.
Everywhere you look.

 [laugh] [laugh] [laugh] [laugh] [laugh] [laugh] [laugh]


Probably the best post of this thread



Redx - god damn, don't get me started on people cleaning up dog shit.


If I am feeling extra nice, I go out on the weekend with a nice big bag and a shovel and clean up others shit.

For the pure fact that I am sick of make the beast with two backsing stepping in it.

Our association actually paid >500$ to have a service come in and clean it up last year.


god damn. That just enrages me about people not picking up after their pets.

As the others said, your initial post do not proclaim anything other then a misdirected judgement of success (or what some define success as) which came off as arrogant. You didn't get judged, your post did.

I'm glad you got out. In my line of work (LEO) I see many that don't. But just as you say "do not so quick judge others," remember that there will always be others that have walked your walk and maybe worse. I grew up with a mother that is on her 7th (!) husband, watched her be beaten, got beaten when I thought I was big enough to protect her (but wasn't), went to seven schools during k-12, and finally was on my own paying rent at 16 (a garage, bigger then 10x10 but not heated or cooled). I worked hard to have a stable home, nice things, nice cars, and am just now able to afford to finish my education. Is that as bad as being an abused spouse? I don't think so, but being an abused kid sucks to. I never use my childhood as an excuse and always remember that there is always someone that has had it worse.  

I live in a 40' x 7' by 8' container that I share with one other individual. My neighbors would give me a magazine and I would give them one as well (even my last). We drink together, we eat together. When they can't get their computer to work, they knock on my door. Yes, it's my job, no, I'm not responsible for your personal internet. But, if I don't, who will? I'm here. If I don't, you don't call your wife tomorrow morning to wish her a happy mother's day. Would life go on? Likely. Would there be any repercussions  if I didn't? Doubtful. Will life go smoother if I do? definitely. Is it an inconvenience? Not likely.

Does any of it really matter in the grand scheme of things? nope - not one bit. you do what you want, others will do what they want. Life will go on. New neighbors will come, old ones will leave. Your personal standards of what you would "do" fora neighbor have no bearing on what anyone else's standards are.

Connex?

That'd be giant for IZ

in their naughty spot?!?!?!?

Naughty spot... happy place...

Semantics.   [evil]

Is that why you sent me away after 5 mins?  [clap] Oh, and you told me that you had a meeting to go to. [thumbsup]

Did I use the "meeting excuse" or was it "rearranging my sock drawer"??  Dont remember.   ;D

Olney Ale House has to happen.....soon!  Im sure Zooom and Dolci will be in as well.  Yer in Ballmer right?

"rearranging my sock drawer" is the second best euphemism for masturbation, right after "pulling the goalie".

Gutter mind!

I've seen my neighbours boobies.

 [thumbsup]


They weren't that good.

 :-\

Dang Duck Fat, I didn't know we were neighbours! [laugh]

Neighbor- one living or located near another, fellowman.

I had a Client that did business with my Company the lived in a semi closed Community on the lower South side of Columbus , Ohio called German Village.

German Village was as you might conclude an area that was once settled by Germans.

The homes have a distinct Architecture about them , there are brick streets and the area has been very well taken care of and now the homes are pretty expensive.

Most have been restored and there are many single proprietor businesses like specialty Restaurants , Bakeries, and other eclectic retail shops.

If you are lucky enough to own a home in the " Village ," you must follow the Village Associations rules w, regards to what color you can paint your house, what types of shutters you can use, type of fence you can use ,etc.

As my Client used to tell me even though the homes were almost touching each other he and his wife didn't really know his neighbors.

The neighborhood was composed of Professionals, Artists,younger people on their way up the ladder, and retired folks looking for the peace and quite and beauty of the area.

It would be a nice area to own a home  ( I looked at buying a house there ) but I doubt there was according to my Client , much neighborly stuff going on.

He said the appeal was the almost impersonal nature but feeling of complete safety within the " Village " even though it's surrounded by bad neighborhoods.

I think in places like German Village there is such a diversity of people that everyone is interested in what it is they are in to and living in the " Village " is more of a status symbol for them.

I think if you want a good " neighborly " experience, you need to live where there are people that own there home or are buying them, people that have lived there for at least 5 years, people that have kids in school and have grown up there themselves is better , people who have a vested interest in the area where they live.

People that have " Roots " there. A sense of being from there and there is their " Home."

I think you need to have " Roots " and a feeling of " Home " for people to really be neighborly.

Dolph     :)

Well, if we aren't, I'd like to be.

 [evil]

want something done..  watch DIY network or go to their site...

<insert beating a dead horse smiley here>

This one? (http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll161/porschaholic/thdeadhorsebeat_4.gif)

muchas gracias!

 ???

You wondering why he didn't charge for the smiley?

"muchas gracias" means many thanks.

Look above.

I probably should have used... [evil]

I think CyrussSsS is proud of this thread's tenacious cling to the first page

Nothing is forever

How long ago was this?

German Village is pretty well known as "Gerbil Village" if you get my drift.

I am not sure how diverse it is anymore, but understand everything else you are saying about what the area was at one time.