I sent this email to building management this morning:

SUBJECT: Hallway etiquette, or How can we say this nicely?

Since I have been living here at Avalon at Grosvenor Station, I have noticed some behavior in the hallways that seems to be acceptable and I do not understand how this is reasonable:

1. Every weekday morning (6:50am) and evening (4:30pm) it is apparently ok to let your kids run screaming, yelling, chanting or stomping as loudly as possible in the hallways. This is similar to releasing your hyper children into a McDonalds play place. So apparently the halls of Avalon Grosvenor are a place to allow your kids to have a discipline free LOUD wild run in the hallway EVERY WORKDAY.

2. Apparently if the weather is not the best, it is okay to turn the hallway into an exercise yard for your dogs. I guess its okay (and even comical) to let them run up and down the hallway with no leash at top speed chasing each other like it’s a grey hound track.

I had no idea that this was accepted as common courtesy in a shared apartment complex hallway.

Next time, if I come home drunk early in the morning or at any odd hour, I’ll be sure to hire a brass band to march down the hallway and play loudly OR I will allow my cat to use the hallway as a litter box.

I realize that this negligence of others is accepted behavior in Montgomery county and the DC metro area (as I had the unfortunate pleasure of living in this area before and I realize coming back here is not a step up in quality of life). I have grown to consider that, in this area, one cannot expect other people (especially strangers) to be considerate of others. If that was the case, the traffic around here wouldn’t suck so bad.

Do you think I’m out of line by expecting anything different for a common use hallway?

 UPDATE 11:32 AM SAME DAY!

UPDATE 11:54 AM SAME DAY!

Now I guess I should just wait for the flaming bags of poop and dirty diapers in front of my door.  We’ll keep you updated!

UPDATE 11:57AM SAME DAY!

Yeah!  Go!  Go!  Go!