Hi--

We have lived in this apt for 11 years, and we've never had a cross word with anyone in the building, including our landlord. All in all, a great group-- However, today....

We have assigned parking places that are clearly numbered. Renters are told this policy when they move in, and are also told where the visitor's parking area is. It's a fairly simple idea, and one that has always worked, for the most part.

We have came home several nights to find a strange car parked in our space, and we assumed it was someone from the next building, and have never said anything b/c we don't know who to say it to. (I'm not calling the mgr on this--it's anmoying, but unless we get the police involved (which is waaay overkill IMO), we have just let it be. Up to now.)

We came in this morning, and lo and behold, a woman w/ 2 kids and some bags was getting out of the same strange car, and she had parked in our clearly marked space.

I rolled down the window, and said 'excuse me, but you're parked in my parking space'. She looked at me blankly, and she 'well, I'll just be a minute'. To which I replied' what do you want tme to do? Drive around the block a few times?' (Yes, I shouldn't have been sarcastic, but the nerve!) And she looked at me and (I swear, I am not making this up) 'yeah--that'd be great--thanks!' In a serious, non-sarcasm catching way. And then proceeds to go to my new neighbor's apt (they live under us, and have been here 6 months; long enough to know the rules), and knock. I parked in the visitor's space, and unload my groceries, and then come back down--her car is still there, and she's no where in sight. I went to the office and told the mgr the story, and mgr said that she would call my neighbors.

I went home, and about 5 minutes later, I go out to check to see if I can move my car from the visitor's space (I can! Yea!), and then our downstair's neighbor comes out to the parking lot and starts yelling at me that her friend didn't know better, and that she had kids, and that ... that... that... I told her what happened, and all neightbor can say is that friend didn't know, she has kids, and then friend comes out and starts hollaring too. At hat point, I said something to the effct of "if anyone is that d@mned stupid not to realize that the numbered parking spots correlate to the numbered apartments..." my neighbors gets in my face and asked if I called her friend "d2mned stupid'? I looked at her and told her. 'yep'. (Well, I did.) So she starts screaming and tells me she's gonna pray for me, and I tell her she better get her praying self inside b/c I was going to get the mgr.

I did, and told her my version, and mgr told me she'd take care of it, and to move my car, and not say anything. I did, but I could hear the neighbr yelling at the mgr, and when I went up the steps, neighbor was glaring at me, and calling me names--

These neighbors have been quiet, and we have been too. If I see the husband out, I always ask about thier baby, and ask if we make too much noise, and if we do, please let us know. I know which room the baby is in, and I make sure that we rarely go in our's above it after 8pm or so, and I don't run the washer or dishwasher after 8pm, either. Heck, I even asked if it would be an inconvenience if I washed off my balcony this spring (I didn't want to wake the baby, or cause them not to be able to use their patio.)

I am floored by this entitlement attitude, particulary as I was nice, and asked the friend to move her car. I could have had it towed.

Sorry for the rant--just had to get it off my chest--