mystery solved!

in the past 10 months of living in my apartment, i have never seen anyone enter or leave the apartment next door. for awhile i assumed that the neighbor is just a hermit. but lately, it's started to nag at me.

occasionally, i hear noises but never anyone coming up or down the stairs. there is a picture of the ramones next to the door.

knowing that i'm a scaredy cat, my friends like to tease me that there is a ghost living next door. . .sometimes we'd debate about whether or not anyone lives there at all. . but that wouldn't make sense since these apartments are nice, rent is not outrageous in terms of market average, and demand for apartments in williamsburg is high.

so instead, i've been imagining (or trying not to imagine) that there is a ghost or dead body residing in the apartment next to mine. all my friends told me i should just call the landlord and ask him what the deal was. . but part of me didn't want to know. . if he told me no one lived there then i would be freaked out b/c i have heard sounds coming from that apartment. for example, last night i heard the phone ringing next door, but no one picked it up. . no answering machine either. . .

today, i ran into my landlord on the way to the gym. i asked him if the apartment was empty. he said that there was a man that lived there. . . it's probably just the little, old polish man i see once and awhile leaving the building.