infuriating neighbors

That is to say, neighbors that are infuriating, not infuriating the neighbors. A new family moved into the apartment directly above ours last night, and they are out of control. Last night I was up past midnight working on a school assignment - the same one I'm currently trying to work on. For the entire evening and into the night, past midnight, there was an unholy cacophony coming through the ceiling. Voices, thumping, things sliding on the floor, electric appliances, televisions: you name it, they were doing it. They apparently have at least two small children that have mistaken the apartment for some sort of race track, because they seem to do nothing but run back and forth above me with the occasional pause for yelling and screaming.

Last night I actually went upstairs and knocked on their door (something I have never once done) asking them to quiet down because it was past midnight and my wife and I were trying to sleep, an endeavor that was largely unsuccessful due to their racket. The dad (I assume) opened the door after I knocked about five times...they were understandably wary of someone knocking on their door past midnight. I told them I lived downstairs and was trying to sleep. I don't think the guy knew english very well, but I'm pretty sure he got the gist of what I was trying to say. He said "I just came" by which I believe he meant that this was their first night in the new place. I told him that it was fine and I'm sure they weren't doing it on purpose, but could he please keep it down because it's late and people are trying to sleep. My request met with marginal success...the bumping and talking became less frequent, and I figured it would be easier to go to sleep than go up again and try to get them to be quiet. After all, little kids in a new place, you can expect them to be excited on the first night, you don't need neighbors getting on your case too.

I've been working on this essay since 3pm today, here in my living room. I have left the house once or twice since. During that time there has not been a span of longer than 2-3 minutes without some ruckus from upstairs. As I type the kids are running back and forth above me, their feet creating an annoying and irregular thumping noise traveling across my ceiling. It sounds as if they're constantly moving large pieces of furniture up there, throwing things at the ground, and knocking things over. I can not believe people could make so much noise so incessantly and so inconsiderately. I mean, seriously. For 8 straight hours? What the crap. That is why I'm typing this post, to try to express my frustration, because it's at a high point.

I'll probably be up late doing schoolwork again...and I hope I don't have to make another visit up there. While moving this week puts a bigger crunch on things, I don't think I could stomach living underneath these people for a day longer than I have to. I thought our previous upstairs-neighbors were bad. This family puts them to shame. And they sometimes played bass guitar through an amp. Good Lord, help me. I want to bang on the ceiling like a crazy man till they shut up. Either that or bang on their stupid faces. Just kidding. Kinda.