Shelves of Opportunity - Revenge is Sweet

This is a quick story of how the douchebaggery of a new neighbour, motivated me to stoop to his level while making our apartment just a little bit better.

Preamble:
Living in an apartment complex is interesting.  I've had lots of less than stellar interactions (and some good ones too) with neighbours in the 6+ years we've been here. 


I keep a dolly down in the parkade for transporting heavy things up to our unit.  I've left it down there, unlocked, without issues for years.  One night, at about midnight, as I remembered I had to get the 250 lbs of concrete-mix out of the back of my truck, I discovered that someone had stolen my dolly.

In disbelief I cased the parking lot and the storage lockers looking for it.  I thought someone must have "borrowed" it and forgot to put it back.  As I peered into the locked van of a new neighbour, I spotted it.  Since said neighbour is a cabinet-maker-contractor, he has his phone number displayed on the side of his van.  I texted him right away to let him know I was not impressed that he had taken my dolly and that I needed it back right now.

He came down, with his thick Russian accent, and proclaimed, "I have one just like that, how do you know it's yours?"  Luckily I had replaced one of two little cotter pins that are part of the dolly, and the replacement did not quite match the original, so I was able to identify it as mine.

I don't really like being directly lied to, but since living in this building I've lost respect for much of humanity and all I really cared about was getting my dolly back to save my back from carrying the concrete bags by hand.

And now the renovation-revenge part:

A couple of weeks later, I had the washer/dryer pulled out to install a water filter.  Before putting the laundry machine back beside the hot water tank, I was down in the parkade and I spotted my crime of opportunity.  In the douchebag's parking spot was a perfectly good 6-foot long piece of wire closet shelving.  I debated it for a second, but then something came over me and I blatantly stole it from him knowing I could simply say, "Oh I thought it was mine, I have one that looks just like it", in case he spotted me.  I probably would have used a Russian accent too just to mock him a bit more.


I've never been so motivated in my life to put up a couple of shelves and give us a bit more storage space. 

Here are the before and after photos showing the water filter and the new "shelves of opportunity" above the hot water tank.

 Before:

 After:

And that concludes the story; petty I know, but simple pleasures for simple minds.  I need to get my motivation for renovations wherever I can.

I should also add that this is my viewpoint of "revenge".  But in all reality I was probably just doing him another favour by saving him a dump-run as the piece of shelving is the same stuff used in all the front closets in this complex.  Most likey the situation was less sinister as he surely had ripped it out of his house and was doing some upgrades.  Still though, I like to think about it from my perspective.