Kylie's Literary Adventures in 2012

[Kylie]

Oh heck. Since I posted my cull list, the books have been heaped in piles on the library floor until I had time to consider what to do with them...Now some time has passed and I've looked at them again and can't help adding some back to my shelves. The initial idea was to get rid of books I knew I wouldn't be reading for many years, but I was still left with so many that I won't read for years to come that it seems like a pointless exercise

 

I need a new bookcase urgently now. I've sent out an SOS to my folks (who have a car big enough to transport IKEA's Billy bookcases and doors), so I may be going shopping this weekend.

 

Books I've re-added:

 

Aravind Adiga: The White Tiger

Muriel Barbery: The Elegance of the Hedgehog

Julian Barnes: Flaubert's Parrot

John Berendt: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

Peter Biskind: Easy Riders, Raging Bulls

Poppy Z Brite: Exquisite Corpse

Poppy Z Brite: Lost Souls

Christopher Brookmyre: The Sacred Art of Stealing

John Brunner: The Stone that Never Came Down

Augusten Burroughs: Magical Thinking

Augusten Burroughs: Sellevision

Isobelle Carmody: The Farseekers

Isobelle Carmody: Ashling

Isobelle Carmody: The Keeping Place

Kiran Desai: The Inheritance of Loss

Brett Easton Ellis: Less Than Zero

Matt Haig: The Last Family in England

Harry Harrision: The Stainless Steel Rat's Revenge

Harry Harrision: The Stainless Steel Rat Saves the World

Harry Harrision: The Stainless Steel Rat Wants You

Harry Harrision: The Stainless Steel Rat for President

Raven Hart: The Vampire's Kiss

Raven Hart: The Vampire's Seduction

Raven Hart: The Vampire's Secret

Syrie James: The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen

Nicola Kraus and Emma McLaughlin: The Nanny Diaries

[vodkafan]

Oh Dagnabbit Kylie that was naughty. That Syrie James book: are they really JA's lost memoirs or is it made up?

[Kylie]

It's fictional. I don't usually go in for other people writing stories about Jane or her characters, but I flicked it open and read a few fragments and thought I might give it a go.

 

I went out for a few groceries this morning and managed to find a book that was too cheap to resist: the Wordsworth edition of the Complete Illustrated Lewis Carroll. It's got all of his bits and bobs that I haven't read before, including his 'stories, verses, puzzles, acrostics, "phantasmagoria" and other comic writings'.

[Kylie]

You know you're buying too many books when you're embarrassed to hear the postie driving up the drive again, and wondering what he must think of you. Hehe.

 

I received a couple of interesting books today and wanted to share:

 

Lester Bangs Psychotic Drugs and Carburetor Dung

Finally! I've been wanting this book for years. Lester Bangs was a music journalist with Rolling Stone and other magazines in the 70s. You might remember him as a character (played by Philip Seymour Hoffman) in Almost Famous—he was the music journalist who inspired William and gave him his first assignment. Bangs died at the age of 33 from an accidental drug overdose. This is a collection of his articles. I expect that I'll be reading about a lot of artists and albums that I don't know, so I'm looking forward to learning some music history and discovering some new music.

 

Angelica Garnett Deceived with Kindness

This book was brought to my attention by Poppyshake (thanks!). Angelica was Virginia Woolf's niece and the daughter of Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant. She grew up with the Bloomsbury set, so this should be a fascinating insight into her life and theirs.

 

There's another book that I'll be receiving soon that sounds so lovely and cute. It's Don Marquis' The Annotated Archy and Mehitabel. Here's some info about it from Wikipedia:

 

Archy and Mehitabel (styled as archy and mehitabel) is the title of a series of newspaper columns written by Don Marquis beginning in 1916. Written as fictional social commentary and intended as a space-filler to allow Marquis to meet the challenge of writing a daily newspaper column six days a week, archy and mehitabel is Marquis' most famous work.

 

In 1916, Marquis introduced Archy, a fictional cockroach, into his daily newspaper column at The New York Evening Sun. Archy (whose name was always written in lower case in the book titles, but was upper case when Marquis would write about him in narrative form) was a cockroach who had been a free verse poet in a previous life, and took to writing stories and poems on an old typewriter at the newspaper office when everyone in the building had left. Archy would climb up onto the typewriter and hurl himself at the keys, laboriously typing out stories of the daily challenges and travails of a cockroach. Archy's best friend was Mehitabel, an alley cat. The two of them shared a series of day-to-day adventures that made satiric commentary on daily life in the city during the 1910s and 1920s.

 

Because he was a cockroach, Archy was unable to operate the shift key on the typewriter (he jumped on each key to type; since using shift requires two keys to be pressed simultaneously, he physically could not use capitals), and so all of his verse was written without capitalization or punctuation. (Writing in his own persona, though, Marquis always used correct capitalization and punctuation. As E. B. White wrote in his introduction to The Lives and Times of Archy and Mehitabel, it would be incorrect to conclude that, "because Don Marquis's cockroach was incapable of operating the shift key of a typewriter, nobody else could operate it.")

 

There was at least one point in which Archy happened to jump onto the shift lock key—a chapter titled Capitals at Last (styled as CAPITALS AT LAST).

[Kylie]

I'm going on holidays for a week or so from Friday. I'm going to Queensland to visit my friend in the Outback; she works as a tour guide at a dinosaur museum and there are digging sites nearby where dinosaur bones have been discovered. I have three solid days of driving to get there: 1,860 kilometres. I worked out that it's similar to driving from London to Edinburgh, then back to London, and then back to Edinburgh again. That's just to get there!

 

I've been wanting to visit the Great Barrier Reef for ages, so there's a possibility I'll nip across to the coast to check it out, but that's nearly two more days of driving, then it would be another three or more to get back home. There's a good chance I'll just stick to six days or driving rather than eight, because I have my limits! I'm trying hard not to think about how much it's going to cost me in petrol.

 

I've been told to take spare jerry cans full of fuel and lots of extra water, which I will dutifully do. I shouldn't have any problems because there are enough petrol stations along the way to keep even my tiny fuel tank happy...as long as I'm sensible and top up at every station I see. The other rule of Outback driving (or driving anywhere outside of urban areas, really) is to drive between dawn and dusk only, otherwise there's a real risk of hitting animals. Kangaroos are not intelligent animals. All of my family members have hit roos in daylight hours, so I can well imagine how much harder it is to avoid them in the dark.

 

Anyway, besides the fuel, I haven't packed anything yet...except for my books, of course! I haven't read a single page of a book for perhaps a week. So my criteria for picking books was to pick short books, young adult books or books that I think will be rip-roaring page turners. In other words, light reading material.

 

Fiction

Judy Blume Deenie

Agatha Christie Murder on the Orient Express

Eoin Colfer Artemis Fowl

Ben Elton Blind Faith

Jasper Fforde Shakes of Grey

Cornelia Funke Inkheart

Kerry Greenwood Cocaine Blues

Charlaine Harris Dead and Gone

Tove Jansson Comet in Moominland

Stieg Larsson The Girl Who Played with Fire

Astrid Lindgren The Brothers Lionheart

Lois Lowry Anastasia's Chosen Career

Walter Moers Rumo and His Miraculous Adventures (my current read)

Chris Priestley Tales of Terror from the Black Ship

Paul Stewart & Chris Riddell Beyond the Deepwoods

PG Wodehouse Money for Nothing

 

Non-Fiction

Augusten Burroughs Running with Scissors

Stephen Fry Moab is My Washpot

William Styron Darkness Visible

 

Given that I haven't finished a single book in over a month, this is probably slight overkill, but I like to have plenty of options.

[chesilbeach]

Plenty of options is always a good idea! Hope you have a great time, Kylie. I have it in my head that if I ever make it back to Australia, I'm going to learn how to snorkel or scuba dive and visit the Great Barrier Reef. There was a brilliant BBC three part documentary on it over here earlier this year, and it made me want to see it for myself.

[Chrissy]

Have a wonderful time Kylie, and enjoy your reading.

[Kidsmum]

Goodness me Kylie you'll need a holiday to get over your holiday after all that driving

 

Out of your list a big thumbs up for the Agatha Christie, Larsson & Burroughs . i 'll look forward to hearing what you think of the last one

 

Anyway whatever you decide to read i hope you have a great holiday

[bobblybear]

Have a safe trip, Kylie! Deenie by Judy Blume....that brings back memories.

[Raven]

Have fun Kylie! (and watch out for the Bunga-Dungas!).

[chaliepud]

Have a great time Kylie!! A lot of Brits wouldn't even consider driving one way to Edinburgh, we'd catch a plane! Will you be listening to audio books as you drive?

[poppyshake]

Hope you have a lovely holiday Kylie .. try not to wear yourself out driving. I like your optimism re your holiday books. I'm only going to Paris for four days and am supposed to pack light but I know I'll be trying to secrete a book in nearly every zipper compartment I know this is where people say Kindles come in handy but I'd be lost without my tree books ... there's such a comfort in it and a sense of nostalgia because it's what I've always done going right back to childhood .. back then I only had to pack my books .. everything else was taken care of .. wish that was the same now

 

Goodness, you were quick off the mark with Deceived With Kindness I said to Alan .. 'Kylie's got it already .. it's not fair' I am deadly jealous .. but in fact I did look for it in Waterstones the other week but they didn't have it. I might treat myself before Paris so that I can stow it away. I've just read my way through Virginia's Selected Diaries .. all 500 pages of them. I feel like I want to read the letters now and the biog because I'm in the swing of things and to let go of the swing might be unwise Angelica's book would fit in nicely too .. I will be such an expert by then I'm still afraid of VW though .. probably more so having read her diaries.

 

I do like the sound of The Annotated Archy and Mehitabel .. will be making a note of that one.

 

Watch out for the Roos Kylie! Have fun!

[Kylie]

Plenty of options is always a good idea! Hope you have a great time, Kylie. I have it in my head that if I ever make it back to Australia, I'm going to learn how to snorkel or scuba dive and visit the Great Barrier Reef. There was a brilliant BBC three part documentary on it over here earlier this year, and it made me want to see it for myself.

 

Thanks Chesil. I felt quite silly listing so many books, but I should have known you would all understand! It's just so hard to narrow down the list. Actually, I keep thinking of more books I want to add. I'm also taking my iPad, which has quite a few books on it, too. Hey, if I get stranded in the outback, at least I'll have something to do!

 

I would love to learn to scuba dive one day. I've never even been snorkelling before and haven't owned a swimsuit since childhood, I think. I bought some board shorts and something similar to a rashie (swimming t-shirt-type thing). No, I'm not self-conscious about my body at all!

 

If the GBR is too far to visit, I might visit Broken Hill, which is a lovely outback mining town I visited years ago. I was very into minerals and gems at the time, and they had a terrific museum. It's also a very arty place and there are loads of art galleries, including an outdoor sculpture gallery in the desert. There's also a virtual ghost town nearby, called Silverton, where a lot of classic Australian movies have been made, including Mad Max II and Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. I wanted to go to Silverton badly the last time we were in the area, but we didn't make it.

 

Ooh, I'm getting super excited now. Being single and alone certainly has down points (like yesterday, when my burly male neighbour came and hurled abuse at me for 10 minutes and I had to just defend myself with no backup) but one upside is getting to go where you want, when you want. Also, because I can take my work on the road with me, I can stay away as long as I want. Awesome!!

 

I'm going to miss Jasper terribly, though. He was so unhappy when he came back from the vet where I boarded him last time, and he's not going to like it any better this time. I know they take really good care of him, but I feel so awful. I miss the little tyke already, and he's sitting right near me. I hope I don't get too emotional when I drop him off tomorrow.

[Kylie]

Have a wonderful time Kylie, and enjoy your reading.

 

Thanks Chrissy! Will do.

 

Goodness me Kylie you'll need a holiday to get over your holiday after all that driving

 

Out of your list a big thumbs up for the Agatha Christie, Larsson & Burroughs . i 'll look forward to hearing what you think of the last one

 

Anyway whatever you decide to read i hope you have a great holiday

 

Haha, Kidsmum. Yes, I think I'll need a day or two to recover! I want to spend a day gardening when I get back. I need to plant seeds for my summer veggies.

 

Have a safe trip, Kylie! Deenie by Judy Blume....that brings back memories.

 

Thanks Bobblybear. Deenie is a book in the Rory Gilmore challenge. I never really read Judy Blume was young, but I'm looking forward to it.

 

Have fun Kylie! (and watch out for the Bunga-Dungas!).

 

I have no idea what they are, but I'll watch out for 'em! Thanks for the warning.

 

Have a great time Kylie!! A lot of Brits wouldn't even consider driving one way to Edinburgh, we'd catch a plane! Will you be listening to audio books as you drive?

 

Thanks Chalie! My folks tried to talk me into flying, but I'd still have to hire a car and drive a long way. My family is used to driving long distances and I really love road trips—just cruising along with good music playing and snacks and drink by my side, watching the country roll by. Good times!

 

Wow, I never considered audio books! Thanks for giving me the idea, Chalie. I've tried audio books a couple of times in the past when I've gone for a walk, but I always got distracted by where I was going and forgot to listen. If I can't concentrate on audio books driving in the middle of nowhere, then there'll be no hope for me! I downloaded Stephen Fry reading the Harry Potter books ages ago. I think I'll take them along.

[frankie]

LM Montgomery Chronicles of Avonlea

LM Montgomery Further Chronicles of Avonlea

Wohoo for Montgomery! I'm not sure which books these are, I've probably not read them. I don't think that many of her novels have been translated into Finnish, so I never had a chance to read these as a kid. I wonder if these are the books that Road to Avonlea is based on, as well as the Story Girl book (which I didn't particularly enjoy).

I don't know much about Road to Avonlea, but I think there's a good chance that it's based on these books. I believe the Chronicles are about other characters that live in Avonlea, and so is the show? I'd love to see that show one day. As I recall, you rate it very highly. What a shame it is when all books in a series are not translated into different languages. You might have seen my post recently about the German author, Walter Moers, and one of his books that hasn't been translated into English. I'm sure I've read similar stories about other series' too.

Coincidentally I just discovered there was a sequel to The Story Girl, called The Golden Road, and I read it last weekend. It was okay, not as great as the TV series, and I don't know if one would enjoy it without having seen the show first... but an okay read. I'm becoming curiouser and curiouser about the Chronicles now, I have to check the library if there are any copies!

 

BTW, I was going to check out if the library has any Shel Silverstein books the other day, but I totally forgot as it was a busy day.

 

I received a book in the mail a day or two ago: Shakespeare on Toast by Ben Crystal. It was recommended by someone here, but I've forgotten who, sorry.

 

I'm thinking maybe Ruth or chesilbeach... Poppyshake?

 

I was really relieved to receive it, because it was shipped out about 3 weeks ago. I usually receive my orders within a week, and I was worried that someone had pinched my mail again. I'd been listening for the postie each day and getting to my mail box as quickly as possible, just in case. I guess I was being particularly paranoid on the day the book arrived, because I arrived too early and had just finished checking my box when the postie rode up. He now recognises me from another time I rushed out the door to collect my books from him. He probably thinks I'm crazy.

 

I couldn't help but notice that he's pretty good looking.

 

Ooooh Strike up a conversation the next time you see him?!

 

Richard Brautigan Trout Fishing in America

Hehe, Brautigan

 

Alberto Manguel With Borges

Another Manguel title, good on you, girl

 

Groucho Marx The Essential Groucho Marx

Groucho Marx Groucho and Me

After our convos on the Marx brothers, I'm jealous you got these!

 

Terry Pratchett Discworld #9: Faust Eric

Frankie approves!

 

Haruki Murakami What I Talk about When I Talk about Running

I've only read about 70 pages of it but I love it!

 

Sarah Winman When God Was a Rabbit

Coincidentally I reserved this book from the library last Sunday

 

You might like the Murakami, James. He runs a lot of marathons (in addition to being a fabulous author) and this an autobiographical book. I don't think/know if you run much, but you've got the fitness thing in common with him.

 

Which should I start with and what is good about his writing, for you? I know liking an author is subjective .

 

I've only read one book by Murakami, it was Sputnik Sweetheart, but it was really great. I think I only rated it 3/5 after having read it, but it's stayed in my thoughts afterwards and it was quite quirky, I would rate it 4/5 now if I could re-rate my books (I don't, unless I've actually re-read them). I can recommend the book. I think Brian's just finished another book by him, it was After Dark I think, maybe you could check out his possible review on it if you haven't already. Weave is another Murakami enthusiast and expert, if you want more advice

 

Jennifer Byrne A Book to Love (guests from ABC's First Tuesday Book Club discuss their favourite books)

You have to tell me what you think of it

Carolyn Cassady Off the Road: Twenty Years with Cassady, Kerouac and Ginsberg

I'm so happy for you, I know how you've wanted this!

[frankie]

I received The Letters of Vincent van Gogh in the mail yesterday.

 

Well not exactly. more of a changed one. I think he formerly thought that Vincent was a bit vulnerable and quite sensitive and indeed he was in a lot of ways but he was also quite bold not to say outrageously cheeky when it came to asking his brother Theo for money and materials (I haven't read it so I can't say but from what Al said he used to write asking for this and that .. money, paper, paint and whatnot .. and it's like don't send me any rubbish like you did last time .. I want this brush or that paper .. and of course poor Theo didn't have an awful lot of money.)

Alan said 'goodness .. he was a bit of a scrounger'. However, it didn't change his opinion one bit .. I think he saw it that Vincent had one focus only and that was his art .. he lived and breathed it .. so to him it was vital to get the means to paint and he wasn't above demanding and being slightly unreasonable if need be. To Alan he's still the greatest artist ever and there's a lot of info in the letters about his influences and inspirations etc so it's well worth reading.

 

Okay, that's it, I'm adding this to my wishlist

 

Lester Bangs Psychotic Reactions and Carburetor Dung (17/8)

Craig Brown One on One: 101 True Encounters (14/8)

Italo Calvino The Literature Machine (9/8)

Roger-Pol Droit Astonish Yourself! 101 Experiments in the Philosophy of Everyday Life (7/8)

Sumner Locke Elliott Careful, He Might Hear You (14/8)

Angelica Garnett Deceived with Kindness (17/8)

Morris Gleitzman After (14/8)

Don Marquis The Annotated Archy and Mehitabel (20/8)

Terry Pratchett Discworld #14: Lords and Ladies

Terry Pratchett Discworld #36: Making Money (9/8)

Terry Pratchett Discworld #37: Unseen Academicals (10/8)

Norah Vincent Self-Made Man (10/8)

 

Wow, what an online haul I have the Roger-Pol Droit book, but I haven't read it yet. It should be interesting! What's the Craig Brown book about? (Do tell me if you want me to google, I'm certainly capable of that, I bet you're busy with other things and have no time to tell me what all your books are about ) And I'm happy you found another Calvino title. The Angelica Garnett book should be interesting (going by what you wrote on it on another post in this thread). And wohoo for more Pratchett

 

I need a new bookcase urgently now. I've sent out an SOS to my folks (who have a car big enough to transport IKEA's Billy bookcases and doors), so I may be going shopping this weekend.

 

Where will you fit another Billy bookcase? I want pics of your crib, please! It must've changed so much since I was there. You've already done so many changes in the livingroom (your LOUNGE), I wouldn't recognise the place.

 

God darn it, I was going to comment on your re-added book list but for some reason the list didn't appear on your post now that I'm quoting it. I'll have to go back and fish it out later. There were some titles I was happy to see you've changed your mind about!

 

Because you are going by car and you don't have to be carrying your books, I'm all for taking a lot of different books, you'll never know beforehand which book you'll want to read on the road!

 

Thumbs up from me for the following titles:

Agatha Christie Murder on the Orient Express

Kerry Greenwood Cocaine Blues (have not read but I'd love to know what you think of it )

Astrid Lindgren The Brothers Lionheart (you know why, heheh!)

Lois Lowry Anastasia's Chosen Career

Chris Priestley Tales of Terror from the Black Ship (have not read, but these books are bound to be great)

Augusten Burroughs Running with Scissors (Wohooooo!)

Stephen Fry Moab is My Washpot (yes please)

[Kylie]

Hope you have a lovely holiday Kylie .. try not to wear yourself out driving. I like your optimism re your holiday books. I'm only going to Paris for four days and am supposed to pack light but I know I'll be trying to secrete a book in nearly every zipper compartment I know this is where people say Kindles come in handy but I'd be lost without my tree books ... there's such a comfort in it and a sense of nostalgia because it's what I've always done going right back to childhood .. back then I only had to pack my books .. everything else was taken care of .. wish that was the same now

 

Hehe. I love packing books and all my gadgets, but I hate packing the rest of it. I end up throwing half my possessions into various bags in case I need any of them. I just packed my salt shaker and bottle of tomato sauce, along with some cutlery, 'just in case'. The worst part of all is unpacking once I get back. There's nothing worse than arriving home after an exhausting drive with a car full of junk that needs to be unpacked. It usually takes me months (literally) to be bothered to unpack it all. In fact, when I opened my boot yesterday to start loading a couple of things, I found some stuff that I hadn't unpacked from my last road trip in April. I left it there.

 

 

Goodness, you were quick off the mark with Deceived With Kindness I said to Alan .. 'Kylie's got it already .. it's not fair' I am deadly jealous .. but in fact I did look for it in Waterstones the other week but they didn't have it. I might treat myself before Paris so that I can stow it away. I've just read my way through Virginia's Selected Diaries .. all 500 pages of them. I feel like I want to read the letters now and the biog because I'm in the swing of things and to let go of the swing might be unwise Angelica's book would fit in nicely too .. I will be such an expert by then I'm still afraid of VW though .. probably more so having read her diaries.

 

I went to check out the price at the Book Depository right after I read your post and it was surprisingly cheap, so I didn't hesitate to get it. I have no self-control.

 

Have you read Plath's diaries too? If so, are Virginia's diaries as, well, difficult to read? Maybe difficult isn't the right word, but I needed to concentrate a lot on Plath's diaries.

 

 

I do like the sound of The Annotated Archy and Mehitabel .. will be making a note of that one.

 

Great.

 

Watch out for the Roos Kylie! Have fun!

 

Will do on both counts. Thanks!

[Karsa Orlong]

That's a lot of driving

 

Have a great time, Kylie

[pontalba]

Kylie,

Exciting! That is a lot of driving, but sounds like so much fun. I'll be thinking of you on the road, in the outback.

Take good care. Read carefully! lol

[julie]

Being single and alone certainly has down points (like yesterday, when my burly male neighbour came and hurled abuse at me for 10 minutes and I had to just defend myself with no backup)

 

Kylie

I might be too late to wish you a happy trip,since you may have already left by now. The above note caught my eye . I'm not single,but I had a run-in with a neighbor guy several years back . I don't know if the Hubster was even home that day,but it wouldn't have mattered to me whether he was or not .

We had a neighbor guy who was always complaining about something and chewing out the neighbors for stupid stuff.

One day, I got mad and went out after the guy . He is about the size of a mosquito ,and only has one arm,but he is meaner than a rattlesnake ,plus he was drinking that day,so add Budweiser to a rattlesnake and it's not a good combo. I went over after him and cussed him out big time . Now that I think back on it ,it really wasn't smart. On top of him being mean and drunk, he was also a hunter and always had his shotgun in his truck .

Would I do it again ? YEP . If someone makes me mad, i'll nail them .

( To add a little footnote to the story, he actually got so mad at me for yelling at him that he drove to the police chief's home and demanded the police come and arrest me for talking to him like that . the police chief refused and told him to go home and sleep off his Budweiser .)

Moral of the story -- Don't back down from the neighbor guy,chew him out and send him home . What could you have possibly been doing to irritate him ?

Edited August 23, 2012 by julie

[Kylie]

That's a lot of driving

 

Have a great time, Kylie

 

Thanks Steve!

 

Kylie,

Exciting! That is a lot of driving, but sounds like so much fun. I'll be thinking of you on the road, in the outback.

Take good care. Read carefully! lol

 

Ha, thanks Pontalba. I'm really excited for the trip.

 

Julia, I'll be leaving in about 12 hours. I have to get a good night sleep first!

 

That's one mean neighbour you used to have. In hindsight, maybe I shouldn't have opened the door, much less gotten into an argument with him, but I will not be intimidated by him or anyone. I think it's absolutely the most cowardly thing for a man to bully and (try to) intimidate a woman like he did to me. He knows I live alone.

 

<takes a big breath before beginning rant>

 

I originally went out and had a disagreement with his wife because of the noise their child (and others) make outside my place. We live in close quarters and it is against strata laws to disrupt other residents with noise. This has been happening for about a year. I didn't want a confrontation so I initially went through strata and they sent a letter to all residents several months ago, which my neighbours ignored. I have let all this time pass and tried to keep my mouth shut so as not to cause trouble, but I got to a point where I couldn't stand their inconsideration anymore (it's my pet peeve in life). So yesterday I went and talked to his wife. We talked for a good 10 minutes and went around in circles. We completely disagreed about the subject, but it was a civil conversation, I thought. No raised voices, swearing or anything.

 

A couple of hours later, her slightly scaring-looking husband came to my door. I thought we would talk through things again, but he was absolutely not interested in listening to anything I said. He yelled and yelled at me for quite a while (I yelled back, but my vocal chords couldn't match his; mostly I kept asking him to stop shouting and just listen to me). He said the most outrageous and stupid things and was completely unreasonable. I went and knocked on his door to ask his wife to come and get her husband away from me, but she was too spineless to do anything (I would be too, if I sent my husband out to verbally abuse my young, single, female neighbour).

 

I have complained to strata and let one of the other members of the executive committee know what was happening. The EC member is all for throwing them out pronto because of his bullying behaviour (people have been thrown out for less around here, I believe). I would rather they just stop with the noise, but if it comes to it, I don't really care if they get kicked out. They told me in the past that they wanted to leave anyway. I would feel bad for the kid, but it's his father's fault. I was disgusted when his father followed me to his front door and continue to yell at me in front of his child. What sort of a role model is he?

 

What really, really made me angry is that I was made to feel (by both of them) that my opinions and right to a quiet life are not important because I do not have children myself. She said that she would stop her kid making noise if the newborn baby across the way was trying to sleep, but she had/has no intention of stopping because I am trying to work to make money to live or to just live a quiet life in my own home. He made me out to be some sort of evil woman who wants his kids to play on the street! By the way, we have two very large, nice green parks right across the road from us and two more within a 2-3 minute walk.

 

To show you how little consideration they have had for my privacy...I open the blind in my lounge room by a couple of feet so my cat can sit and look outside the window. The blind is still low enough that people walking by can't see me inside, though. Her kid evidently has a fascination with my cat and would come right up to my window and press his face and hands all over the glass (which I had professionally and expensively cleaned) to stare in at my cat and ME when I am sitting in the supposed privacy of my home to relax or work. He did this many times and I tried to grit my teeth, but finally I opened my front door one day when I knew his mother was right outside. She said 'oh, you don't mind if he does that, do you?' I was stunned. Of course I minded! How would she like it if I went up to her front door or window and stared in at her family?! It's creepy, even if it is only a kid. I told her that I did indeed mind and she has finally stopped him from doing it.

 

Bah! I can't wait to get away from all this.

[julie]

Wow, Kylie

It certainly sounds like they are trouble . That would irritate me too. People with kids who don't make them mind, especially by disrespecting adults and invading your privacy. I wouldnt like that either . No matter what age the kid, if they were staring in the window at me, I'd tell them to stop and if they didnt,the parents would get a visit next. I am like you, I like my privacy and quiet .

It sounds like you have some type of regulatory group that is in charge of situations like this, so I hope they do the right thing and either reprimand them harshly or send them packing .

We don't have things like that here unless you live in a gated community type place. If it is apartment buildings, usually the landlord is the one who would be in charge . Lots of landlords dont really get that involved unless it is something to do with property damage .

We've met people like your neighbors ,though,who really have no worries if their kids misbehave or act improperly. They just let them keep doing it .

Sounds like you definitely need a vacation ! Kick back,relax and listen to the quiet ! Enjoy every minute .

[Raven]

I have no idea what they are, but I'll watch out for 'em! Thanks for the warning.

 

They are closely related to Anobium punctatum; they eat wood and paper and are especially fond of books.

[lauraloves]

Have a great time Kylie

[Sofia]

Have a great time Kylie