One of the perks of being a nomad is if your neighbors are noisy, you can almost always drive away. Now that I’m housed, I’m more of a homebody. Although there are so many advantages to being housed, if you live in an apartment, one of the major downsides is that you could have noisy neighbors.
If you have lived in an apartment, you have probably experienced neighbors walking heavily. Maybe you’ve heard their music coming through the wall. Either one can be super annoying, expecially if you have a condition known as misophonia, which I do.
I have neighbors on both sides. The neighbors in No. 6 are quiet. I hear an occasional bump on the wall, but that’s it.
The couple in No. 5, specifically the husband, is a different story. The husband’s name is Allen. Allen and his wife are quiet most of the time. However, between the hours of 3 pm and 6 pm, Allen likes to sing.
I can’t actually hear his voice unless I put my ear to the wall. What I hear, quite clearly, actually more like what I feel, is the pounding bass. The bass comes through the wall and goes straight into my bones.
I’ve had trouble with boom bass situations in other places, not just apartments. Cars, for instance. I cringe when a vehicle goes by playing music with a booming bass. I can rarely hear the upper registers. Most of the time, I can’t even hear a melody. But I feel the bass in my gut, interfering with my breathing and elevating my heart rate.
I think Allen might have a karaoke machine. Either that or he has a good stereo system. Something that puts out a strong bass beat. Whatever it is, to me, it’s like fingernails on a blackboard.
To cope with Allen’s music, I have several options. First, I can leave. For example, I can go for a walk, drive to the store, or just sit in my car if it’s raining or cold. If I don’t want to leave, I can go into the bathroom (although I can’t do much in there because I don’t have a tub). I don’t do earplugs, but If I’m at my computer, I can put in earphones and turn up the sound. If I’m indoors in my workspace, I can still feel the pounding, but it’s ignorable. All these are viable options.
Or I can put my ear to the wall and hear how much Allen loves to sing.
Allen and his wife are from the Philippines. English is not Allen’s first language, but that is not the issue. Allen is not a great singer (in my opinion). That doesn’t stop him from belting out the tunes. He butchers Frank Sinatra. Neil Sedaka. Barry Manilow. All the classic crooners, he wrecks them all. That’s his jam. He practices almost everyday for an hour or two just before dinner.
Even though sometimes I want to tear out what’s left of my hair, I can tolerate and even appreciate a person who loves creative self-expression as much as I do.