[bykhed]

OT rant: Guys with an attitude

I'm on the board of directors for my condo's HOA, where we have a great group of homeowners - except one. Mr. Napoleon has an ENORMOUS pickup truck, a diesel that has been modified with a turbo so that it sounds like a jet taking off (it wakes me from a dead sleep, and I'm a heavy sleeper). He also has a large powerboat.

As those of you who live in condos and other covenant-controlled areas know, boats and campers can't be stored on the property. We have put numerous notices on Mr. Napoleon's truck when he parks it and the boat across 5 parking spaces (!!) explaining the rules, which he ignores. He also parks in the handicapped spot (10 feet closer to his door!), but I digress.

It should be noted at this point that I volunteer for the HOA board, which takes a lot of time, dealing with landscapers, the builder, the city, etc. I do this because I care about my home and neighborhood (not because I'm some control freak) and have a vested interest in keeping my HOA dues low.

Last night he had the boat in a parking space, again, and the trailer was sticking out into the roadway a good 5 feet, posing a hazard to residents driving by after dark. I paid him the courtesy of asking him to move it before I had it towed and he slams the door in my face. Of course, once the tow truck arrived he rushed out and moved the boat before it could be towed.

What is it with people who can't follow a few simple rules? Now we have to send more letters, begin fining him $200 each time he stores the boat on the property, put a lein on his condo when he doesn't pay them, eventually ending up in court, making the lawyers rich. ARRGH!

Thank you for letting me vent.

Disclaimer: this post is not a slam on all short guys - in fact I wish I was shorter. It would make airline travel MUCH more comfortable, for one thing. Plus you get to stand in front in group photos.

 

[DM-SC]

Look on the bright side...

At least you have SOME method (though it's a long, drawn out process) to get him to eventually move the boat or move his arse.

We have no such method in my neighborhood AND we have some folks who like to park boats and vehicles in the street and all over their yards. Of course, there are those folks who don't own a lawn mower and have to store most of the old appliances they've owned in the entire life under their car port! We only have 3-4 households that cause the problems but, we have no way to really force them to clean up their acts until it gets really bad. Then the city will issue a citation.

 

[fred3]

As opposed to anyone else...

I'm on the board of directors for my condo's HOA, where we have a great group of homeowners - except one. Mr. Napoleon has an ENORMOUS pickup truck, a diesel that has been modified with a turbo so that it sounds like a jet taking off (it wakes me from a dead sleep, and I'm a heavy sleeper). He also has a large powerboat.

As those of you who live in condos and other covenant-controlled areas know, boats and campers can't be stored on the property. We have put numerous notices on Mr. Napoleon's truck when he parks it and the boat across 5 parking spaces (!!) explaining the rules, which he ignores. He also parks in the handicapped spot (10 feet closer to his door!), but I digress.

It should be noted at this point that I volunteer for the HOA board, which takes a lot of time, dealing with landscapers, the builder, the city, etc. I do this because I care about my home and neighborhood (not because I'm some control freak) and have a vested interest in keeping my HOA dues low.

Last night he had the boat in a parking space, again, and the trailer was sticking out into the roadway a good 5 feet, posing a hazard to residents driving by after dark. I paid him the courtesy of asking him to move it before I had it towed and he slams the door in my face. Of course, once the tow truck arrived he rushed out and moved the boat before it could be towed.

What is it with people who can't follow a few simple rules? Now we have to send more letters, begin fining him $200 each time he stores the boat on the property, put a lein on his condo when he doesn't pay them, eventually ending up in court, making the lawyers rich. ARRGH!

Thank you for letting me vent.

Disclaimer: this post is not a slam on all short guys - in fact I wish I was shorter. It would make airline travel MUCH more comfortable, for one thing. Plus you get to stand in front in group photos.

with an attitude. Do you claim that the person is acting this way because they are short and therefore have some sort of complex? If so then how do you explain all the rest of those who act that way and are of a more normal stature? Is it not more likely they are just inconsiderate, crude and socially inept? I'm afraid height has little to do with how people act. It's just the most obvious thing you see in him. If he were 6' 6" tall would you say he had a big persons complex? Nah. I doubt it. Most people who use your excuse feel shorter people, by virtue of their lack of height, don't have the right to be @ssholes because you feel you can kick their @ss any time you want. Take my word for it. There is no height requirement for being a shitthead.

 

[LoneStar]

What is considered short these days anyways?

OK, it is agreed that lack of height is not a prerequisite for poor behavior. That said, what is the magic number for being considered short these days? Is short and small considered the same? I am 5'8", and while on the short side of normal, I have never really considered myself short and definitely not small, although the current crop of 5" suspension bikes and their corresponding standover heights has me reconsidering

On the main topic, man, I do not envy you for stepping up and being on the board of your HOA. It is a thankless job, and there is nothing like pissing off a neighbor who you will see most days. I lay low during our nomination meetings for that reason. Every neighborhood/complex seems to have somebody who thumbs their nose at the rules though. My neighbor behind me is one of them. Everytime he mowed his yard he would deposit the clippings in the creek behind our house (which is not even on his property). I politely asked him to stop, when they got in my face and told me they had been doing that for years and didn't plan to stop. So everytime I heard him mowing, I would go to the creek afterwards, pick up his clippings and pile them back in his yard in a not-so-subtle fashion. He got the hint and quit. Of course he now dumps them down a lot, but at least he is not my worry anymore!

 

[RobW]

Short people aint got no

reason...

 

[RobW]

Kinda reminds me of the first year I was in my present home. I had a bunch of pines, planted really closely together. So close, in fact, that most of them were not doing well at all. I got out the old chainsaw and cut down the dead and dying ones, and selectively removed a few more so that the best of them would get what they needed to really flourish. The guy behind me came out and started swearing and threatening me with bodily harm. I just ignored him and continued with my task. He finally gave it up, with the parting shot being that he was gonna sue me for taking down my own dead/dying trees. I couldn't do much more than laugh...

 

[sumguy1]

Kinda reminds me of the first year I was in my present home. I had a bunch of pines, planted really closely together. So close, in fact, that most of them were not doing well at all. I got out the old chainsaw and cut down the dead and dying ones, and selectively removed a few more so that the best of them would get what they needed to really flourish. The guy behind me came out and started swearing and threatening me with bodily harm. I just ignored him and continued with my task. He finally gave it up, with the parting shot being that he was gonna sue me for taking down my own dead/dying trees. I couldn't do much more than laugh...

Thats interesting but what we need to know is missing from your anecdote - were you the short one or was he?

 

[bulC]

darned short guys

Is the guy white? I get a lot of attitude from white guys.
Or maybe he's Irish? That's probably why he acts that way, the Irish are known for that.
Or he could be Italian. Or Hungarian. They're known to have short fuses.
Since he owns a huge boat, he's probably from one of those backwards southern states where the folks don't know how to act.
And he probably has type O blood. I know a lot of a-holes with type O blood.
If he's short, then that would make you, what, taller? Tall. I think you suck just like the other tall guys I know.

Reread your original post and pretend someone else wrote it. See if the word "idiot" comes to mind when you picture the poster. Did for me.

 

[kitchenware]

Short people aint got no reason...

LOL, I'm picking my lunch out of the keyboard.

 

[rbart4506]

Is the guy white? I get a lot of attitude from white guys.
Or maybe he's Irish? That's probably why he acts that way, the Irish are known for that.
Or he could be Italian. Or Hungarian. They're known to have short fuses.
Since he owns a huge boat, he's probably from one of those backwards southern states where the folks don't know how to act.
And he probably has type O blood. I know a lot of a-holes with type O blood.
If he's short, then that would make you, what, taller? Tall. I think you suck just like the other tall guys I know.

Reread your original post and pretend someone else wrote it. See if the word "idiot" comes to mind when you picture the poster. Did for me.

I didn't see that...

Yes the poster was wrong in using "Short guys with and attitude"...But the guy he is ranting about is a dick, plain and simple.

I also live in a condo and I'm surrounded by people who feel they are above the rules. I won't go into it in detail, but I feel his pain...

Rich

 

[Duncan!]

Is the guy white? I get a lot of attitude from white guys.
Or maybe he's Irish? That's probably why he acts that way, the Irish are known for that.
Or he could be Italian. Or Hungarian. They're known to have short fuses.
Since he owns a huge boat, he's probably from one of those backwards southern states where the folks don't know how to act.
And he probably has type O blood. I know a lot of a-holes with type O blood.
If he's short, then that would make you, what, taller? Tall. I think you suck just like the other tall guys I know.

Reread your original post and pretend someone else wrote it. See if the word "idiot" comes to mind when you picture the poster. Did for me.

Short guys who are women are THE WORST. D.

 

[RobW]

Thats interesting but what we need to know is missing from your anecdote - were you the short one or was he?

LOL Yeah, kinda ambiguous, eh? I don't consider myself to be vertically challenged, but he was swearing at me over my 6' privacy fence...

 

[skiahh]

While we're picking nits....

Virtually ALL diesel pickup trucks are TurboDiesels these days. So, he didn't mod his truck just to p!ss you off with the sound.

That being said, he sounds like a world class jerk. You should get a couple of buddies and park at either end of his truck and boat so he can't move. Stay there until the tow truck arrives....

 

[tlg]

Go buy a big old POS buick for $150 and clip his boat next time it's sticking out.

We don't live in a "covenant-controlled" area, but have our fair share of ignorant neighbors. Like one whos dog gets out of their fence gate on a daily basis and decides to piss and crap in our yard since we have a dog too (which never goes outside without a leash). I've been contemplating making a complaint to the police or animal control for some time but have been somewhat tolerant.

So last week, the wife gets home from grocery shopping and we're carring in the groceries. And what do you know, the neighbors dog is out roaming around. Comes into our yard, onto our porch, and zips right inside the house when one of the kids opens the door. Then the two dogs start going at each other and we have to break them up. I was outside, otherwise the dog would've been been locked in the basement and I would've called the police.

I go across the street to "inform" the neighbor that they need to control their animal. That our town has leash laws and you can not let your dogs roam. I get a blank stare from the wife, then she says "There isn't anything we can do, he just jumps up on the gate and it unlatches." So I re-explain to her that it's her responsibilty to control their animal, leash law, blah blah blah. And if their dog is in my yard again I'll tie it up and call the police. Recieving the blank stare the entire time.

A few days later the husband comes up to me and apologizes and says he fixed the gate. Great I thought, an upstanding citizen. Then proceeds to lecture me that I was rude to his wife. Ack! Like having your friggin dog in my house wasn't rude and your wife tell me there's nothing she can do. He asked that in the future I just come talk to them polietly if there are such problems. I told him sorry, but if your dog is in my house again I'm calling the police (polietly of course).

 

[bykhed]

My apologies

To any vertically-challenged persons that I offended. I removed the word "short" from the title of my original post. But c'mon, we've all met someone who is of a certain stature that has a chip on their shoulder. Or a person that belongs to any number of slighted groups that has an attitude, whether warranted or not.

To be perfectly honest, I have a lot of compassion for shorter guys after I saw this newsmagazine program one day. They took a group of men of various heights, from 5'2" to 6'2", all with above-average looks and dressed similarly. Then they made up a phony "profile" for each, and had them in a line-up in front of a one-way mirror. A group of women read the profiles, looked at the men, then rated them on desirablilty. Even when the profile for the short-statured man was impressive (world-renowned surgeon, accomplished musician and best-selling author) and the other men were given much humbler careers/accomplishments, the women always picked the taller men as most desireable.

 

[AZClydesdale]

Get Shorty!

He has both legal and height disadvantages.

If your CCR clearly states these violations, keep fining him and build a case allowing the HOA to sell his property, assuming this is under Colorado RE laws.

If he signed your HOA covenants codes and rules, he legally must abide or move to where there are no rules or ones that he can follow. HOA's are not perfect, but their purpose is to protect the other property owners from punks like this self-righteous schmuk regardless of his height. Good Luck.

 

[bob24250]

Getting even is more fun

I feel your pain bykhed. I don't live in a condo, but I do live in an apartment building. Our building sits next to a bar and has apartments above it. Everyone in both buildings has assigned parking with numbered spots and the lot has several "will tow" signs. However, the bar owners feel they are entitled to park where they want because "We pay more rent than you do!" The landlord for both buildings has advised them not to park in our spots, but they do not listen. The landlord will do nothing except tell them not to park there even after multiple complaints from almost all of the tenants. Now these two gentlemen have taken to my two spots because they are right by their back door. So when I come home now and they are parked in my spot I just park behind them so they can't get out. After having to leave their cars there overnight a few times they quit parking there. Especially when they called the police and were told to come get their cars after I left the next day!

I guess it's a good thing the building on the other side of me is a bar too!

BTW: both of these guys are taller than me, and I am 6'1" so I am the "short" one!

 

[LoneStar]

Your braver than me!

I don't know if I would park my car behind the cars of two guys coming out of a bar for fear of revenge...unless it was a $150 POS Buick!

 

[AndyE]

Why change the post

To any vertically-challenged persons that I offended. I removed the word "short" from the title of my original post. But c'mon, we've all met someone who is of a certain stature that has a chip on their shoulder. Or a person that belongs to any number of slighted groups that has an attitude, whether warranted or not.

To be perfectly honest, I have a lot of compassion for shorter guys after I saw this newsmagazine program one day. They took a group of men of various heights, from 5'2" to 6'2", all with above-average looks and dressed similarly. Then they made up a phony "profile" for each, and had them in a line-up in front of a one-way mirror. A group of women read the profiles, looked at the men, then rated them on desirablilty. Even when the profile for the short-statured man was impressive (world-renowned surgeon, accomplished musician and best-selling author) and the other men were given much humbler careers/accomplishments, the women always picked the taller men as most desireable.

I'm 5'6" and I've never been mistaken for tall, and take NO offense to the post. If people are so damn PC and hyper sensitive that they take umbrage to the word short then to h3ll with them, pretty soon there will be no adjectives left to use because they are all bound to pi$$ someone off somewhere sometime.

Aside from that I feel your frustration, dealing with people like this can be very tiresome.

 

[Darkan]

...I got out the old chainsaw and cut down the dead and dying ones...The guy behind me came out and started swearing and threatening me with bodily harm.

Now THAT is stupidity. What kind of dimwit threatens someone who is using a chainsaw?

As my grandpa used to say..."that guy is sharp as a spoon"


Dave