Jamie Lauren Sutton

Dear Ms. Demeanor,

I live down the hall from an urban Martha Stewart.  It seems like every other week this woman is decorating her end of the hallway for some other ridiculous holiday. 

I mean, honestly, she does up her door for Christmas AND Hanukkah; Valentine's Day AND President's Day; the 4th of July AND Canada Day... The environmental impact of her crepe paper consumption alone is enough to make me sick. 

Dear Ms. Demeanor,

We love the staff in our building and we really feel they look out for us.  However, every day when I walk my son to school, we see one of our favorite doorman at the coffee cart just down the block having his coffee and smoking a cigarette. 

It really upsets me, because I don't want my son to have to see someone he admires doing something I don't admire. 

It is appropriate to broach the subject with my doorman?

Dear Ms. Demeanor:

I live in a co-op and my neighbor complains about my dog barking when I'm at work. By using a video camera, we know he's exaggerating about how much barking -- in reality it's about an hour a day. The dog is walked for at least two hours day and we are planning to bring a trainer.

If nothing works, what do you do in a situation like this? We're not going to sell our apartment or give our dog away. 

Sincerely,

Dear Ms. Demeanor,

I am 100% percent certain that my neighbor rents out her apartment for short stints when she is on vacation.  She practically told me herself and suggested I check out the website www.airbnb.com where I found an eerily familiar listing. 

Dear Ms. Demeanor,

Several families in our building organized a mom's group a number of years ago. Once a month, we get together with a child psychologist to discuss parenting issues. There are refreshments and time afterward for socializing. Monthly meetings rotate among various apartments.