And Then There Is The Noise

I work in a building that is currently under renovations. The previous tenants in the floor below me have moved out to a brand new Civic Centre and the future tenants need a different kind of space. So they have decided to do some destruction and construction in the space available below me. I can understand that, but I didn't realize it would involve all this POUNDING, BANGING, and POISONOUS STENCH. They are removing all of the interior walls, which are brick, so they pound and bang with sledgehammers, and cut the metal parts with a grinder, which stinks to high heavens like something electrical burning. Then they will have to hammer into place all of those metal uprights for the new walls.

Kill me now. My desk has been vibrating for days. I have a permanent headache. And my asthma is acting up, due to the cloud of filth that is seeping out of the construction area...probably through the open windows and doors...How can they expect us to do the work that we do with all that RACKET??? I work as a child protection worker, so faced with some pretty important decisions.

Yesterday it got to be too much by noon so I took off and went shopping. Now, it wasn't for me, it was for the Christmas Sponsorship Program we run out of there too. I had $900 to spend on 6 kids ($150 each) so off to Wal-Mart I went, GLADLY. I was hoping it would be fairly quiet, as it was during school hours, but I was wrong. Apparently there is an inservice at some of the local schools, so there were plenty of kids at Wal-Mart...in the section I needed to be in too, TOYS. But their noise was nothing compared to the pounding and banging, so two hours later, I emerged with two shopping carts full and returned to the noisy building.

Then our upstairs neighbors made the mistake of pissing me off. Our offices are located in a building that used to be all residence rooms for the local Nautical College...now they only house them on the third floor. I understand that they have a right to live in their rooms, but they have been told before about playing the headbanger music at top notch during our business hours. So when I returned to my office and the first thing I heard was bass, I was stomping off upstairs to have a chat. I spoke to the security guard, who is the meekest little man who asserts very little authority. He used to guard our floor before we had our own reconstruction last year that placed us behind locked doors. Now he guards upstairs...mostly to see that they don't destroy the building. I told him that if this young person does not turn down the music, I am taking the stereo and pitching it out through the upstairs window. So superguard Ron tells me who the culprit is and asks me to complain a little louder so that said culprit can hear me complain, because when he tells them, they don't really believe that the music is too loud. I inform superguard Ron that I can do one better, I'm going to tell him in person...point him out and I'm there. Ron the superguard and I walk down the hall, towards the culprit who isn't even in his room, but down the hall farther. Hence the music needing to be so loud. I informed him that my office was directly below and that I would like it if he could turn the music down. He asked why and I informed him I heard enough pounding below me, I certainly don't need it above me. We're gone at 4:30pm, so after that, play what you like but until then, can it. Surprisingly enough, he complies and immediately turns down the music.

Finally, some peace and quiet. The pounding below me has stopped. The pounding above me has stopped. Too bad the pounding in my head has not stopped.

I hope they are finished soon, but that is highly unlikely...I heard February...