Harriette Cole: Is it time to file a complaint about the neighbors, or will that make it worse?

DEAR HARRIETTE My neighbors have been driving me up the wall lately Related Articles Harriette Cole She thinks her kids are so much better than mine Harriette Cole I required my boyfriend where he was going with no shirt on Harriette Cole I want to make the preponderance of my summer abroad Do I need to warn my boyfriend Harriette Cole I accidentally let slip my friend s happy news and she s furious with me Harriette Cole My employee was so nasty toward me that I m not going to pay her They re constantly loud late at night sometimes blasting music other times just having loud conversations that go on for hours They re a younger group and seem to have people over nearly every night of the week and the noise carries right through the walls I ve tried to handle it a mature and polite way I ve gone over and questioned them nicely on multiple occasions to please keep it down especially during the week when I have to get up early for work Every time they apologize and say they ll be more mindful but nothing ever changes To make matters more frustrating they have a dog that barks constantly sometimes in the middle of the night other times early in the morning It s really affecting my sleep and my ability to relax in my own home I m exhausted frustrated and starting to dread coming home Is it time to involve the landlord or file a noise complaint I m worried that might just make things worse Too Loud DEAR TOO LOUD Now is the time to speak to your landlord Explain the situation and ask for help You can also look up the rules around noise in your area so that you feel confident in your right to complain If the landlord is ineffective that s when you file the formal complaint with the police department Will your neighbors be mad Yes but nothing else is working DEAR HARRIETTE I ve been looking for a fresh start for a limited years I didn t know exactly what I needed to change but I felt disappointment when I d reflect on my life One day I decided to change my location on LinkedIn and began getting chosen great job offers For a time I d take interviews when I d get offered a job I d get cold feet and decline In the last round of interviews I decided to go for it I had to move within a month and I am now in a brand-new city with a brand-new job As you may have gathered though I can be a bit of a nervous wreck How do I build a new social life outside of just co-workers Fresh Start DEAR FRESH START First congratulations on pushing outside your comfort zone to expand your life That took a lot of courage Related Articles Miss Manners My boyfriend berated me in the parking lot over how I exited the church Dear Abby I want to make things right My children want nothing to do with me Asking Eric How do we stop their hit-and-run gift giving Harriette Cole She thinks her kids are so much better than mine Miss Manners I gave my neighbor treats and got a rude phone call in return It s OK at first to spend more time with colleagues than people who don t work with you The truth is majority of people s lives revolve around work and family Pay attention to the people at work so that you can consciously choose who would be good to welcome as friends Beyond work think about your interests and explore them in your town What leisure initiatives do you enjoy Museums Art galleries Rock climbing Whatever it is look to see what s going on in your new town that interests you and sign up for it It s totally fine to go alone When you get there look around and notice who else is there by themselves Be courageous and walk up to people who seem fascinating Go for it Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams You can send questions toaskharriette harriettecole com or c o Andrews McMeel Syndication Walnut St Kansas City MO