construction is a part of life

construction cannot be avoided. considering most of the interstates were built 50 years ago or more, they're bound to need repairs. anyone who's driven on the turnpike or 80 during the summer understands this pain. anyone who's ever been on any part of 22 any part of the year gets it too. it's obnoxious, it slows you down, and it's just plain boring to sit in. however, there is something worse. something far more sinister that is much rarer than road construction. that would be remodeling in the same building that you live.
in barcelona, most buildings are not well insulated. it doesn't get very cold there, so there's no reason for it to be. however, this causes problems as far as noise assimilation is concerned. see, the other problem is that all big apartment buildings have a giant hole in the middle of them. everyone has access to this semi-open space with a little porch, and it's where you hang your laundry since they haven't yet introduced the technology of dryers there. at least in most homes. aside from what this does to clothing that you want to shrink back after wearing (can we say saggy ass jeans and loose fitting wifebeaters?), this open space further amplifies the problem of noise. 3 out of the 4 bedrooms had windows that only faced out into this corridor. these windows had no sort of weather stripping or anything remotely insulating, which meant that you could hear much of what went on in everyone else's apartment. i could hear (and smell) my neighbor upstairs making breakfast. like, the sizzling of eggs.
anyway, right before finals started for my last semester there, they started remodeling the apartment below and across the way from us. if you think it's annoying to hear the sizzling of eggs at 7:30am on a saturday morning, imagine what it's like to hear power tools. starting then, and lasting ALL DAY LONG. while you're trying to study for finals. which, by the way, are your only grades for these classes. we were also sprayed with construction dust, and lemme tell you: construction dust + wet clean clothes = disaster. not to mention that our kitchen was covered with a fine layer of orange dust.
so, fast forward about 3 1/2 years. jp is going to law school. law school is like europe, in that you get one grade, each semester, for one test that you take at the end. but no pressure.
now imagine this: it's finals week (which is actually 2 weeks for law students) and you need to study. all day long. for 10 days straight. late into the night. (yuck, right?)
ok, just to make things more interesting. let's imagine you live in a well-insulated american apartment building. sure, you can occasionallly hear the chick downstairs singing some really awful r&b, but it's not too too bad. until the remodeling starts. constant pounding, power tool noise, and occasional "you fucking idiot!" coming from above. starting at 8am.
i believe it states in our lease that we're not allowed to make excessive noise from 10pm to 9am. yet, power tools? gimme a break. and poor jp. the earplugs do little to mask the noise...

update: jp has just informed me that he is on campus because due to the remodeling, we have no electricity.

excuse me, i have a nasty letter to write.