Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Just being neighborly...

I think I was just a big jerk to my new neighbor.

I came home from dinner and there was a strange girl on my stoop. As I was getting out of the car, another strange girl came out of my door and left both the doors to my house open. (Cardinal sin #1, according to the somewhat anal landlord.)

Note: By strange, I mean strangers-to-me, they were in fact both your typical upper-or upper-middle class white girls from Penn.

By the time I said goodbye to my fun-friend Anitha, I had missed saying anything to the girls. So I waited at the entryway, because I know that I would be freaked out if I went to get a box from a car and some weirdo chick bolted into my house and locked the door.

This was the conversation:

Me: Hi! You must be my new neighbor. I didn't want to scare you by going into the house and closing the door without introducing myself.

Her: Hi, my name is ___. Sorry I can't shake your hand with this big box in my hands.

Me: I'm Kathryn. Do you want help? Can I guard the door for you while you and your friend bring the boxes inside?

Her: No, no. I was just going to prop the door open. Is that okay?

Me: (Here's where I get all craptastic in the neighbor department) Oh, this neighborhood can be a little dicey sometimes, and everyone in the building helped me move in, I don't mind helping at all!!! I think I owe something to the universe or something for all the help I got.

Her: No, no. We'll just move the boxes in first and not take them upstairs until we get them inside.

Me: Okay, are you sure you don't want any help.

Her No, thank you. Nice to meet you Kathryn. (Making mental notes about how paranoid and freakish her new neighbor Kathryn is)

Me: Okay! Goodnight! Welcome to the building. (Making mental notes to stop being weird and screechy with new-little-cute-girl neighbors who have no idea how to handle non-frat-boy-non-sorority-girl neighbors.)

Me: (sarcastically in my head) Great. That went well.

PS to this post... I got my new phone. Once I get all the numbers entered and figure it out, then I will resume normal contact with the world.

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