Water, Water Everywhere

So obviously with my last post my concern was with the heat in my apartment. Let's just say that is no longer an issue. But let me back up to the battle with the super to get it resolved. My complaints over the heat seemed to fall on deaf ears. First they said they couldn't find a problem which is all well and good but doesn't explain why it's 12 degrees... Clearly there is a problem with the heat. Complained on the 9th when it was down to about 14 degrees and since the maintenance guy was off all weekend nothing was done. They didn't even override the thermostat to jack up the heat. Fortunately it got a little warmer outside over the weekend so the apartment almost got back to 20 degrees. On the 16th I was back to complaining and no one even checked on it. Complained every day that week. Came home Thursday to find my mini book case that holds the printer was pulled out away from the heater, the curtains had been pulled up and the runner that I had by the front door was in a pile by the front door. But it was now down to 10 degrees. Let's put this in perspective. On my bed I had 2 fleece blankets, 2 normal blankets, the sheets and a down duvet and was shivering while trying to sleep. So Friday morning it was back to complaining.... First they tried to tell me that it was because the curtains were hanging slightly over the heater and it was blocking the heat. Then they tried to tell me that the space heater was too close to the thermostat. The space heater was in the middle of the living room floor so that it was far away from anything that might catch fire and, more importantly, was only on for about 2 hours a day from when I came home at night until I went to bed. Their third reason was that it was caused by the draft coming in from the balcony door. So they wanted to put plastic up over the balcony door to prevent heat loss. Fine... anything that will help. But they hadn't even gone into the bedroom since they had locked the cat in there. Had they done so they would've realized that the bedroom was just as cold, if not colder. So then they were going to put plastic up over that window too. Now this is how shoddy our maintenance men are... Steve was there and they asked him if he wanted to do it. Now he doesn't live in the building... and it's not his responsibility. As we were leaving Steve was commenting that he would likely have to redo it. Now before I continue with the story (since ultimately this becomes a moot point) they got the plastic over the bedroom window and that was it. The balcony door didn't even get done. They didn't think they had enough plastic. Perhaps they should have thought about that... and they got attacked by Azrael. I am discovering that he is protective when I am not there. Or maybe it is just the way they react. Some days it is like having a 3 year old child. He will follow me around. Well they try and lock him in the bedroom and freak when he follows them around... so he attacks. But any ways... their shoddy workmanship really doesn't matter at this point.

So I left and went to work. I worked my normal 12 hour shift and then went to Wal-Mart and grocery shopping after work. After all I was off the next day and wanted to get it done and over with. About the only thing I was thinking was about whether or not they had even gotten the plastic up... whether or not Steve had to redo it... and whether or not it made a difference. So we were taking bets on that. Well I certainly didn't expect what I came home to. I got home at 11:53 p.m. and found a note on my door that said, "Major flood. If you get home before midnight come see us." Well I decided to stop in first and just see how bad it was. Now at first glance it didn't look so bad... of course that is also because I was in the living room. Then I realized that the MacBook Pro was dripping. Then I wanted to cry. And then I saw the bedroom. It was immediately clear that I couldn't sleep there. The bed was covered in water and ceiling dust.

Then it was time to visit the superintendent. The first thing they said is that they couldn't find the cat. Good thing he had greeted me when I came home so I knew he was okay. Otherwise I would've really been freaking out. I knew he was stressed out though. Between the maintenance guy being there and the flood he had been sick. So they told me to go stay in a hotel for the night and bring them the bill. Back to my apartment to survey the damage. The futon was a little damp but in the living room it was really only the computer that had been hit. The bedroom, on the other hand, was a disaster. The humidity level was registering at 90%. It was clear that is where most of the water had gone as well. But there was nothing I could do at that point.... so it was time to find a hotel. That turned out to be a challenge since it was the big hockey weekend in the P.Dot. The only hotel rooms available were at the Quality Inn. Not going to lie... I made the most of the night. I had a jacuzzi suite. I will post pictures once I have them on the computer. It was a nice room... but for the $215 that it cost it better be. Would've been even nicer if I could've just relaxed. At that point I had no idea what I was going to come home to... and just how bad the devestation really was.

I might as well back up here and reveal the cause of the flood. The tenants above me broke up. She had already moved out and he told the super on the Monday that he would be coming back, presumably to finish moving stuff. Well he left the balcony door open about 4" and it caused the pipes to freeze, then split and burst. Jeff took me into the apartment the next day and there was a block of ice in the sink and the bathtub and the water in the toilet had frozen. So they weren't there to notice. I was at work. The guy below me was either not home or was too drunk. I did hear that he was on the fifth floor looking for Ron but was on the wrong end of the hallway. So it was not reported until about 6:00 when the water reached the 3rd floor. Does that tell you how bad it was? In the end the water went all the way to the 5th floor. Supposedly the water was just shooting from the pipes in 603 and then instantly freezing in the air. Jeff also said that when he walked in he was in an inch of water. It took until 10:00 for them to get the pipes fixed and the boilers refired. Now they knew about it at 6:00 and didn't call me at all to let me know.... On one hand that is good because I needed the money but 6 hours would've given me more time to bring in fans, a dehumidifier, and to save what I can. As an interesting note the guy's father did the exact same thing a couple of years ago and it was the super that lost 2 of their bedrooms. Something about that gene pool.

While I was at the hotel Steve came back and put the air conditioner in the tub and started running that to suck some of the water out of the air. Also put in a fan and a dehumidifier and got the mattress off the floor. Then he took the MackBook Pro out of there as well. When I did come back the humidity level was down to about 70%. I don't think it ever really got below that.

I walked home from the hotel. I was going to call mom but I really wanted to be alone and wanted to prolong going home, just a little bit. Besides it wasn't a long walk any ways. I got home and the first thing I did was call the maintenance guy. His recommendation had echoed that of the superintendant... moving to a new apartment. There was no way that I could stay there. So he came by and showed me the 2 apartments that were available. There was one on the 8th floor which, due to an event that happened there the same night of the flood (I'll post about that afterwards) I was a little apprehensive about. Not to mention the fact I am not crazy about heights. Oh and the layout wasn't quite the same either. It was a little narrower. I would've had to rearrange my living room. I think that was because it was right by the stairwell. The only advantage to that one is that it was ready immediately. The other option was on the 4th floor. The drawback is that the only room that was actually ready was the bedroom. They still had a lot of work to do but said it would be ready by Tuesday. It was the better option... Well aside from having to live temporarily in a tropical environment that wasn't exactly paradise. But the bedroom had just been re-carpeted, the floors were being redone with laminate (yay for no more carpets), new kitchen cupboard doors and counter tops were going in, and there was going to be a new sink, mirror and shelving unit in the bathroom. I was quickly sold on that one.

Spent most of my day off doing laundry... 7 hours and $42 later. Still waiting to be reimbursed for that... right along with the reimbursement for the hotel room I might add. I was still pretty much in shock. Then I moved everything that I could from the bedroom. Steve came over after work and moved the big items from the bedroom. I called in sick on Sunday. I just couldn't do it. And I still had a lot of work to do. Had to go to mom's so I could have a shower. For Monday and Tuesday I worked for 10 hour shifts (9 hours if you take out the lunches). Wednesday I left 5 hours into my shift. After all the new apartment was finally ready (they finished it Wednesday and not the Tuesday as they had orginally said) and I really needed to finish getting everything out of the old apartment. Mainly I wanted to get Azrael out of there. Now each night after work we had been moving as much as possible into the bedroom. After all I wasn't sleeping there and we were still trying to make sure that the mattress was able to dry out as long as possible before using it. As soon as I got home on Wednesday I brought down Azrael's stuff and then brought him down. Hot got kind of spooked by the traffic... the new floors (he can't sneak up on me now... His claws are long so I can hear him coming... the tap tap tap on the floor)... and just the change so he was hiding in my closet. Mom came over and helped me move a lot of the kitchen stuff downstairs and then cleaned the cupboards for me. It was much appreciated. She left just as Steve was getting here. Now as soon as he brought down the futon mattress (or maybe it was the catnip I gave him around the same time) Azrael was perfectly content and no longer hiding. He curled up on the mattress and just stayed there. Guess it was what signified that it was home. Work was nice and gave me Thursday off as a vacation day so that I could get as much done as possible. I had acrued the time from last year. At least this way I was still able to get paid for 40 hours that week. A far cry from the 55 hours that I had been working but I really hadn't planned on being flooded either.

So by Wednesday night (well early Thursday morning) everything had been moved to the new apartment... except the balcony chairs since the door was frozen and we couldn't get to them. But they were just cheap plastic chairs any ways. By Thursday night pretty well everything was set up. Just the finishing touches on Friday. Friday the cable guy was also here doing the reconnection. He also replaced the modem which had stopped working. Could have something to do with the water... Even did a proper installation so the cable goes around the room and not just across the floor. All the OT that I had been working had to go to pay for the cable installation. Cost me $180 when he got there. :( But hey I had my TV and internet back. Really it's just the reconnection fees of $50 that hurt. The rest was my normal cable bill.

I will say that not everything with the new apartment has been smooth sailing. First it wasn't ready on time. It still isn't completely finished. They still have to put a spacer where the carpet meets the laminate flooring and most of the cabinet doors and drawers need knobs/handles. Those should be done on Monday. Also, they were planning to leave the fridge and stove in there. The stove had obviously been on fire at some point and the top was still charred. The freezer door didn't close properly. Complained and initially they wanted to bring down the ones I had upstairs. Roach motel anyone? So in the end I got practically brand new appliances. The only caveat is that Steve had to help them move them. Say what? Again he doesn't live there... and isn't getting paid to do any work there... But he wanted me to have it so he did it. The fridge is much bigger then what I had previously. They are both nice... although the stove is a touch smaller I think. I need a smaller cookie sheet now. Last Friday I was doing dishes in the new place. No big deal right? Except that the pipe only appeared to be connected.... So all the water drained into the cabinets. Immediately report it to the super who tells me he will call Jeff immediately to get it fixed. Surprise, surprise since it's about 4:30 p.m. on Friday Jeff never shows up. I try not to use the water too much and put the stopper in the drain on that side. However, the next day someone in another apartment was running water and it backed up and once again my cabinet was flooded. Must say that I really didn't want to see any more water. And didn't want to lose anything else to water. Went and got the super and he fixed it in 3 minutes. So now everything is good. I have heat here... the apartment is nice... Azrael has settled in... and I am cautiously optimistic about getting rid of the cockroach infestation. It's still possible that I brought some with me so we'll see.

So the flood happened on the 16th. As I already mentioned Steve brought in fans, a dehumidifier and connected the air conditioner. The maintenance guy only showed me the available apartments on the 17th and did nothing about the water in my apartment. On the 18th he came in and got about 5 gallons out of the carpet. Spent about 20 minutes and then his excuse to stop is that I am moving any ways. Then asked me if I wanted to do it. Not really... After all I am moving and have other things to do. And it's not my responsibility to fix the damage. I moved all of the stuff out of the bedroom so that he could work. When I handed in my keys to the old apartment on the 24th they still had not done any more work on it. You could see mildew on the walls. the plastic over the window in the bedroom wall had come off. Not that you need to worry about the cold. The humidity level was keeping it fairly warm. I hate to see how much additional damage has been done by leaving it for a week... Sure they were ripping out the carpets any ways but what about structural damage? What about the mold and mildew? Not my problem since I no longer live there... but it should have been dealt with immediately.

Other then the MacBook Pro I haven't really mentioned what else was damaged. Now it is really easy for me to say that I got lucky because I didn't lose everything. And that definitely is true. But my MacBook Pro was only a couple of feet away from the TV and the entertainment unit. The entertainment unit definitely has some water damage to it but the TV, the PS3, the cable box and the wireless network were all fine. Likewise the sound system is still working. Likewise the Blu-rays were pretty close and didn't get damaged. But the modem was on the floor beside the Blu-rays and was fried. The futon was a little damn but seems to be fine. As for the bedroom the mattress I am still a little leery about. It dried out and seems to be fine... but I am concerned about the potential for mold and mildew to form in the core since it was wet all the way through. The MacBook Pro has been dried out and cleaned and will not power on. But I haven't given up all hope on that one.

I didn't have insurance so it makes it that much more devestating. I kept thinking I should get it... but when you're about $200 short a month as it is I just couldn't justify the cost. With all the OT I had been working I had actually just done a quote not that long ago but it was still going to be about $30/month. I was told later to try State Farm but it's a little late. Well too late to cover what I had any ways. Fortunately, the only 2 big items are the MacBook Pro and the mattress and they are not even a guarentee that they need to be replaced. and while the area rug was destroyed with the new laminate flooring I don't feel the need to put a rug in, even if it would hide the speaker wire. But if anyone does feel generous there definitely are some items that have not been replaced: white sheet set queen size, white knit blanket, 2 16" x 20" sheets of glass (the glass from my picture frames were broken), coffee table, 2 balcony chairs (folding chairs are probably best), computer speakers, and a living room chair. Okay so some things were replaced already but all in all when I look around at my apartment it could have been so much worse. Yeah it's about $400 or so to replace it... but my mattress alone is $1200. When I did a rough appraisal of the contents of my apartment it totaled around $50,000. Not including the hotel probably about $400 has already been spent so at best it will cost around $800. It is a lot of money but to put that in perspective... that is only about $150 more then the orders I placed at Columbia House. And if Azrael had been injured I couldn't put a price on that. But I definitely think once I have some money I should contact State Farm and get an insurance quote.

Emotionally I think it is going to take a little while to recover. Dealing with the heat and then the flooding has taken a lot out of me. To have everything moved and set up in a week is pretty amazing. Obviously it took a LOT of work to accomplish that. There was a lot of adrenaline involved. Not to mention a lot of uncertainty. It has been quite a roller coaster. Right now I am in the middle of a 3 day weekend. I had contemplated going in yesterday to make up some hours but decided my health and well being was more important. Using it as down time to try and absorb the blow... After all I had so much work to do that I didn't have time to process it and work through the emotional devestation that comes with it. There are still a lot of uncertainties. There is a financial cost.. a cost as far as time goes.. and an emotional cost as well.

Back to the Topic of Heat

I came home from work on New Years Eve and it was 12 degrees Celcius in my apartment (53 degrees Farenheit). Last time I checked that is well below room temperature and I know for a fact it is well below the minimum that a super is required to keep the temperature here in P Dot. Now this has been an ongoing issue. And shortly after I moved in I complained and complained and threatened to file a complaint under the landlord-tenants act. All I got was, "We're concerned about the issue but we're not sure what to do about it." And nothing ever came of it. I gave up fighting it because it seemed to be a lost cause... But this was too much. It's one thing when I work the shorter shifts so the space heater is on more... but now I am gone for 13 hours a day and we are in the middle of a deep freeze. So I wrote a letter to my super demanding that it get fixed. So then the maintenance guy came in and the cover is still not really on the heater making it an eyesore. I kid you not but the answer I got was, "Well I can't find any issues with the heat." You have got to be kidding me. That may be but if the thermostat is turned as high as it will go then why was it 12/53 degrees in here??? Sure when the temperature went up outside the temperature went up inside... but why did the temperature get down so low? On Friday when I woke up it was 14 degrees. I complained but that went nowhere since the maintenance guy was gone all weekend. Now we are about to head into a really cold stretch... colder then it has been in a LONG time... and I have no idea what's going to happen. I can guarentee that it's going to get really cold in here. And they don't seem to be too willing to do anything about it. Told me to call next time there was no heat. Hope they don't mind me calling at midnight or so since I am working the long hours. With the space heater on right now it is registering at being room temperature but I can see the ice forming on the inside of the balcony door. There was no ice when I got home and now 5 hours later the bottom half of the door is almost frosted over. Since it's -19 degrees C out there right now I imagine that it is going to be quite cold in here tomorrow morning since I will be turning off the space heater overnight. And it looks like I will be complaining yet again. It really shouldn't be this difficult to get them to take action.

UPDATE: Complained again this morning and came home to find it 12 degrees in here again :(

Life in the Ghetto

Back to life in the ghetto. No bugs any more which is a plus. But the heating and air quality is still a big issue. Right now the humidity is around 55%. I have turned the heat off but since I have very little control over it the heat is still at 80 degrees. That is with the balcony door wide open and the bedroom window open as well. I've given up on the heat ever being fixed. All I can hope for is that Steve brings me an air conditioner soon so that I can cool the place down. The heat is causing the Fibromyalgia to flare up.

The people above me are also throwing stuff off the balcony. Cigarette butts are bad for a number of reasons. For one if they are still lit someone could get burnt. Even without that I take Azrael outside and really don't want him eating them. Toxic chemicals aren't good for humans.... they're also not good for cats. On Tuesday, just before I went to the hospital, I looked outside in time to see my balcony get soaked with a bucket of water. That was the last straw. I went down to complain. After all, I could've been outside and gotten wet. More importantly, I could've been outside with the MacBook Pro. I have a right to take the computer outside without worrying about what someone else is going to throw off their balcony.

I don't think I have had so many issues in an apartment as I do here. I like the layout here but they certainly don't repair things in an efficient manner. I try and avoid the superintendents at all costs. There are two reasons I don't want to move. For one, I definitely don't have first and last. I have already had to put off getting my tattoo until I have an actual job again. Secondly, I do not want to get stuck in another lease. It frees up more options by not being locked in a lease. But for the price I pay here I would expect a little more.

Congested

I am currently feeling pretty congested. I'm not sure if I am actually sick or if it is just from the dry heat at both my apartment and work. I'm having some difficulty breathing. It's funny because I can hear Christie coughing at her desk and then I have the sniffles. At least I know she's not the one that got me sick. *lol* One of these nights I think I'll have a rosemary bath. It just won't be tonight. I have to go to bed earlier tonight since I have a chiropractor's appointment in the morning. Hopefully I feel better soon though.

Another Pic

Just another illustration of how cold the apartment is. Okay so it actually isn't that bad at the moment... These pictures were taken the last time we had a cold streak. Still crazy to think that is indoors... and that I am paying for this.

More Apartment Concerns

Since it was my day off I decided to go down and talk to the superintendent about the heat. The washing machine stole my money so I had to go down there any ways. As it turns out they turned off the water so the washing machine is working, there just isn't any water. That is a huge frustration for me. It was the one thing I need to do today and I can't get as much work done in the meantime. I have no idea when the water will be turned back on so it's a waiting game. Looks like most, if not all, of my day is going to be spent waiting for that. Since the water is off that also means I can't have a shower.

As far as the heat goes no word yet on when they are going to do something about it. I was told that I am not the only one where the thermostat does not seem to do anything and does not control the heat. That is not acceptable. I pay rent and the ability to control the heat is expected. Well okay if everyone's apartment was controlled centrally by building management that would be one thing but it's not. Heating is individual. If it's warm outside then it's about 75 degrees which is a little warm. And if it's cold outside then it drops to about 65. Since we're in the middle of winter I expect cold weather at some point. I really don't want to be wearing a toque and mittens inside.

Apartment Repairs

After my visit to the hospital I wrote a nasty letter to the building management. Well okay I was still professional but am really frustrated about the fact they haven't fixed the heat. I threatened to go to the tribunal if they didn't fix it. I dropped it off before work and shortly after I got home the superintendent stopped by. He was commenting on the fact I am never home. I have no life... but I do have a job. Now that might be hard to imagine since this is a ghetto building but still. I used to work as a rental agent. I know that they can call or leave a note on the door to let me know they are coming in to do the repairs. So they told me they were bringing in the plumber on Friday. So the plumber was here.... and in all honesty I am not sure what they did or how they figured it was fixed. Last night I turned the thermostat on full and the temperature didn't change.... Then I turned it all the way down and again it didn't change. So what exactly was fixed? *sigh* Maybe they need to get another plumber.... Will it ever actually be fixed?

Heat and Humidity

As I mentioned in another post they still have not fixed the heat. I reported it and Jim told me he was going to come by and take a look. Said something about bringing in an electrician. I talked to him last weekend and he said that he would either come by before I go to work in the morning or today, being my day off. Doesn't even show up. Now maybe it is just me... but I would think it needs to be addressed immediately. The thermostat is not controlling the heat. As long as it is mild outside, which fortunately it has been, the temperature remains above 70 degrees. However, if the temperature gets cold outside the temperature drops and there is no way to control it.

I'm not sure if it's related but it is also really, really dry in my apartmentl. I bought an 11 gallon humidifier with a digital readout. When I first connected it the humidity level was 22 per cent. The humidity level is typically between 30% and 50%. Within 8 hours it had gone through about 5 gallons of water. In the last 3 hours I think I have drank an entire pitcher of water... something I don't normally do. Usually my water is flavoured and carbonated... But I still feel like I am in a desert.

Needless to say this is affecting my health since I am dehydrated... It's also costing me money. The humidifier wasn't cheap. In the summer I will need to replace the air conditioner as well. And when it does get cold then I have to run the space heater...

I just wish I wasn't such a doormat. I really shouldn't be so nice and should really push the issue. I have lived here for almost 9 months now and the heating has never worked properly. They were lazy and did not fix it when I first moved in and have done a half-assed job since then. I have reported it to them numerous times and yet it continues to be an issue. I have a signed lease. And as part of the landlord-tenant act I have the right to maintenance. Not only that but I have the right to repairs being done in a timely matter.

I think that I will write one more letter to get it addressed. If not resolved then I will take it to the tribunal and let the courts decide. Maybe then I could even get them to cover the costs of the air conditioner and the humidifier... Or maybe that is just a dream. In the meantime I am definitely hoping the warm weather continues.

Heating Nightmare

So it's still 80 degrees in the apartment and I am concerned about the health effects. I am also concerned about the potential for a cold streak which would actually drive the temperature update. As an update I told the superintendant today and he said he would have the electrician come in. But he refuses to come in with the cat... Who knew Azrael was such a watch cat? I have never had the superintendent not come in because of a pet... And it's not like you can just put off a repair like this. What if it really was an emergency? They would demand that I be home? Hopefully this time around they actually fix it since this is BS. I pay rent for a reason... and that means timely repairs. I have had to nag them repeatedly over the last 7.5 months and it still hasn't been fixed properly. It's pretty frustrating... and right now I don't need any more frustrations.

Health Woes

'Tis the season for everyone to be sick... I think I am still battling something at the moment. Now the toothache might be playing a role in the sinus congestion but I'm not sure. All I know is that I am dehydrated and congested. I'm having issues breathing. I think I go through half a box of Kleenex a day. Even at work the air seems really dry. I'm also really fatigued as a result. Right now it's midnight and I could go to bed now... if I didn't have some work to do any ways. In the morning I don't want to get up. I just want to sleep. Zzzzzz Zzzzzzz Zzzzzzzz

The heat here hasn't helped anything. They came in on Friday to fix it. They welded the controller back on. But the heat seems to be inconsistent at best. There was a cold streak so the heat had dropped below 70 degrees. It was cold to the point I needed a blanket to stay warm. No wonder I am sick at the moment. I had to crank the heat all the way to get the heat back up. Now it seems to be about 22-23 no matter where the temperature is set to. I haven't turned it completely off to test but I suspect the result will be the same.

I'm trying not to call in sick since it will affect my holiday pay and my vacation pay. But I may not have a choice. The good news is that if I do need to call in sick I am working extra hours over Christmas and will get paid for the sick days. But for now... time to drink some more water and use the saline nasal spray I have to try and get rid of this cold.

Heating Woes Continued

My heating issues seem to be continuing... The air conditioner is definitely not sounding so healthy. I'm still having trouble with congestion and dehydration. It's still about 85 degrees in here. But this morning I did have Jim wake me up. He is planning on coming in to fix the heat. On Friday he is going to come in and do the welding. He wants me to be there. Apparently Azrael is a little protective of the place when mommy is not around. I never knew he was an attack cat *lol* It's funny because normally he is pretty anti-social... He'd rather hide then visit. I have trouble picture him going on the attack. He is lazy after all. And as it turns out they had me move the movie shelf instead of the bookshelf the last time around. They picked the wrong side of the wall. So by Friday I have to move all the books and the bookshelf. I am really not looking forward to that. For those people that have seen it I have a TON of books and magazines. It is going to be a real pain in the ass to move. And then I get to move it back. All I can say is that on Friday they better fix the heat. I am sick and tired of living with this. I pay for repairs to be done. I want them done. Hopefully on Friday that will be the case.

Landlord - Tenants Act

I am really beginning to wonder what my superintendant does all day. I have lived here since May 1. Pretty soon that will be 7 months. When I first moved in the heat was 90 degrees. I went down to complain and they said there were a few apartments having heat issues and left it at that. A month later they turned off the heat to the entire building. it was their way of not dealing with it. took them 2 months to deal with any of the other issues. Shortly after I moved in I had to get an air conditioner from Steve and it has been running ever since. Needless to say air conditioners are not meant to run for extended periods of time like this. So now the air conditioner is dying. It is the end of November now... About a month and a half ago they replaced the thermostat but that wasn't the problem. A week and a half ago they came in and told me it would be 1/2 hour of work... Nope... then they brought in a plumber. I had to move one of my bookshelves and I am pretty sure it was off the wrong wall. Came home... still hadn't been fixed. Right now with the air conditioner on full and the balcony door open it is still close to 80 degrees. The air is also really dry so I end up being super congested and dehydrated. It's brutal. So now it's also affecting my health and that's not a good thing. Plus I need a humidifier and I need to replace the air conditioner. So it's getting expensive for me. You would think that they would want to fix it since they are paying to heat the apartment and for the electricity to run the air conditioner. I guess not. They are about to get another nice letter from me about not fixing it and this will be the 5th time I have had to request that something be done. It will be the last letter they receive. Failing this I will be cosnsulting a lawyer and more then likely taking it to the tribunal. As a tenant I have a right to speedy repairs and this has been anything but. Hopefully it doesn't come to that... but I'm tired of being a doormat and paying the price. I want what I am entitled to. I want my heating fixed.

Maintenance Request for the Apartment

The heat still seems to be on the rise in my apartment. I have put in a few maintenance requests since I moved in. They finally got around to fixing the thermostat last week. But the heat is still an issue. In fact I think it's going up. We're up to about 78 degrees in here. Needless to say that's a little warm. I wake up in the morning and am dehydrated. I have trouble breathing and feel congested. The fibromyalgia also tends to be aggravated when it's hot. I feel like I should force them to act... by withholding the rent until they comply. Or maybe I should just take it up with the tribunal, especially since they don't bother giving me notice before entering the apartment. When they did fix the thermostat they didn't call or even knock. I don't like that. I do have some expensive stuff and am not comfortable with someone just walking in. Having said that I would really like my heat to work properly. I prefer to be bundled up when I go to bed... not in shorts and a tank top. But seeing as my rent is currently late I don't really want to talk to the supers about anything. I just can't win... that has been my conclusion.

Lightning Strikes

When I was writing the post about taking in strays I was also playing poker on the PS2. I was doing quite well too. I had doubled my money and then some. Don't worry that didn't actually make me think I should quit my day job and head off to Vegas. The wind was really picking up outside and I could tell it was raining quite heavily. Then the power went out briefly. There goes my game... I hadn't even had a chance to save it. I had been trying to. It went out and came back on a couple more times. Then the power just went out and stayed out. The screen right now has a reddish-oramge tinge to it behind the trees and you can see lightning flash periodically. Otherwise it is completely black. I was trying to get a couple of pictures but it was too dark and they didn't turn out. It's amazing how quiet everything gets when there is no power. All of the hum of electrical devices just disappears. You can hear the other people in the building and the outside world. It's actually kind of eerie. Of course, since it was 42 degrees outside today that also means my AC is no longer working and it's getting quite warm in here. Good news is that I just might be going to bed a little earlier since I can't exactly do much. I can't even publish this until we have power restored. I'm hoping it's not out too long... I really don't want the frigdge defrosting and would like some cool air circulating in here again. Plus I want to set the alarm for work or there is no way that I will be getting up on time.

New Home

So I have now lived here for almost a month. Overall I love it here. I really feel like I am home. And I don't have to worry about a roommate. It's all my space. But building management doesn't exactly seem to work too hard on maintenance requests. For instance, just after I moved in I told them the thermostat doesn't work and it was about 90 degrees in here. They have yet to come by and fix it. And right now I am unable to unlock the balcony door. So while I have an air conditioner that mainly keeps my room cold. Right now it's about 73 degrees in here. It's better then it was but I would like it fixed... especially since it counteracts the air conditioner. The cold air forces the heat to be increased so the air conditioner isn't as effective as it could be. They also have not given me a buzzer code so after a month I still cannot let anyone into the building. I gave them my phone number about 3 weeks ago. So now I have a few things that I want to be taken care of but I'm starting to feel it's a lost cause. I'm hoping I can get someone else to fix the balcony door and the screen door. They are easy fixes (I think). Of course if I am waiting for Steve to do it then it might take as long as the superintendent. He was supposed to install blinds and that hasn't happened. He's also supposed to be getting me a toilet tank since I managed to break the one I currently have. Relying on him isn't a good idea. The move took longer then it was supposed to... and then he was slow at removing the boxes. And he hasn't followed through on his promise of blinds. I think when I drop off my rent I will also ask them about the thermostat again... and being added to the buzzer system.

Heatwave

It is currently 24 degrees C (74.2 degrees F) in my apartment... definitely a lot warmer then I would like it to be. And that is with the air conditioner in my bedroom. Granted my room is a lot cooler but I'd really like them to fix the thermostat. I'm thinking I might still need a fan out in the living room. The air conditioner doesn't seem to extend much past my bedroom. But that might change once the heat isn't on in the living room. All I know is that 74 degrees is a little too warm for my liking. It drove me nuts when Steve had the temperature cranked all winter. I had trouble breathing and in heat I also notice more pain, although that one is likely perception. Could be worse... when I first moved in it was bout 86 degrees in here... so it is cooler now. A little lower would be nice.