Shane and I have a quandary of etiquette, a perplexing pickle on the path of politesse, if you will.
We are settling nicely into our new place (video tour to come), but our apartment is regularly invaded by the awful stench of cigarette smoke. We have narrowed it down to our next-door neighbors. They are nice people who kindly opened their backgate when we moved in so we could get our stuff into our place. We live in an apt complex and their balcony adjoins ours.
Now, I believe in a person's right to smoke in the privacy of their own home, but I also believe in my right to breathe clean air (please hold all wisecracks about living in L.A.). So the question is--how do we resolve this?
Shane thinks we should make some of my famous banana nut bread as a peace offering and go over there and discuss it with them. The coward in me prefers the anonymity of going to our landlady. Can we really even expect any change? I mean, what are they going to do? Stop smoking?
We realized we don't really have any friends who smoke, but do you have any input on what we should do?
3 comments:
I think going to the landlady is a bad idea. Because, the neighbors will probably be able to tell that it's you who complained. I'd do the peace offering to them. Though, it'll probably end in a fight. Just be prepared for that. :)
Gee thanks :P
blech. this happened to us in our last apartment, and the smoke became unbearable whenever we turned on the furnace (so we kept it off all winter; bad decision when it's regularly -40 with the windchill). the landlord can only do so much; i would talk to them first, since they probably have no idea what's going on, and if it doesn't stop, see if the landlord can install some sort of air filters for you.
good luck!
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