What could this noise be?

[perldiver]

Pretty often, I hear a noise that sounds like the neighbor on my left pounding a nail into the wall in order to hang a picture -- short, sharp, rhythmic thumps, maybe six or seven in a row. There is usually some other, indeterminate noises associated -- heavy things being moved, perhaps? -- but those noises only come at the end, and only last a few seconds. There are never voices associated. Now, they can't be hanging THAT many pictures, so I'm a little stuck as to what it actually is.

My top four guesses for what would cause thumping noises from a neighbor would be "banging a nail in to hang a picture", "turn the music down", "headboard knocking on wall", or "domestic dispute", but I don't think any of those is right, based on when I hear it and what it sounds like.

I could go over and ask, but I feel odd about that.

So, what could it be? Any ideas?

Comments

[zorkian]

My initial thoughts are some sort of food preparation. Cracking walnuts before tossing them in a blender, maybe?

[perldiver]

Oooh, that makes sense! They are Indian, so there could well be something like that...tenderizng lamb or chicken, perhaps?

Thanks.