Na na, na na na na. Way-hay, good bye.

As Susie and I were leaving good ol' #8 this morning, we discovered to our great surprise and delight that our nemesis in apt. #4 (We'll call him H. You know, for Herschel.) was moving out.

Instantly, my day went from average to superb.

H. has been a near-constant annoyance since he moved in a year ago. He's rude, loud, and unstable.

Encounter A: We hear music blasting from downstairs. We can recognize the tunes and hear the words. After pounding on his door for a couple of minutes, we discover that H. has been blasting his music in the living room while he was in the shower. He is unapologetic.

Encounter B: 11:00 am on Sunday. Susie's string trio is rehearsing. Herschel knocks on our door, asking us not to play before noon on Sundays because it's his girlfriend's only day to sleep in. WTF?

Encounter C: 2:00 AM. Susie and I are asleep. Phone rings. H. asks us to turn down the TV. After receiving a groggy explanation that we were asleep, he hangs up without apology.

Encounter D: Another instance of extremely loud music. Floor stomped, door pounded to no avail. Police called. At first we think he has just left with the music on, but then we discover he is lurking in his kitchen staring at the policeman and me through the window. He does not respond, so policeman has to leave. Encounters A-D reported to landlord. H. claims that his computer was set to play music as it finished downloading while he was out... which doesn't explain the volume or staring presence.

You can see why we are so jubilant at his departure. Maybe my new amp had something to do with it? Now we can only pray for quiet, polite downstairs neighbors.

Good riddance!