From my second year in college to now, two years and change after my graduation, I've lived the majority of my time in apartment complexes. In that time, I've never had a perfect living situation; there always seems to be something that nags at me incessantly or bugs me into looking for a new place the next year. For that reason, I've lived in four apartments in those short years.

Accumulated from my times and struggles, here's a list of sure-fire ways to irk your neighbors. Whether you're the victim or the offender — most of us are, at least sometimes — they're good to take to heart.

1. Guitar Hero marathons: As much fun as they may seem, endless, days-long battles of jammin' on the latest incarnation of Guitar Hero or Rock Band are, really, just the same song, played over and over — and usually not perfectly — at deafening volume to those in neighboring units. And trust me, none of us enjoys 'Welcome to the Jungle' that much. Sad thing is, sometimes we find ourselves sadly cheering you on, if only to hear a new song!

2. Forgotten alarm clocks: Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. After awhile on weekends, I find myself hoping my neighbors' alarm will take on the soothing qualities of a metronome that will lull me back to sleep, but to no avail. Some alarms go on for a few minutes if left forgotten, others for an hour, others — all day long. Here's a good rule of thumb: If you're up before 6 a.m. by the way of an alarm and you let it go off for awhile, someone around you would probably be very thankful if you clicked it to 'off' instead.

3. Unwanted sharing: Live on the bottom floor? Have a balcony above you? Then you can probably sympathize with me here. To our upstairs neighbors: No I don't pay for my covered patio so I can keep all of your spent-then-tossed cigarette butts warm and dry. Nor did I do it so I could pick up your cat poop or barbecue trash for you. During my college years, people were even good enough to vomit over their balcony and onto my patio — even hit a friend of mine once — yet I find that less disgusting than cleaning up my neighbors' cat litter every other day so I can walk outside safely.

4. Frequent fights: Yes, we can hear you. Whether, like my last neighbor, you begin every weekday by yelling from the kitchen to your childrens' room to 'get the (pick your word) out of bed' or you're having a bit of a heated dispute with a friend, it usually echoes into nearby homes. You choose the volume and intensity — therefore you choose what we get to hear and how clearly, and the weird look you're met with the next day.