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Partial victories
First, read this.
I'm glad the lockout is over. I'm also glad that CBC Unplugged isn't going anywhere (or if it is, it will go kicking and screaming) because it has become one of my favourite blogs during its short existence. A lot of the other CBC blogs are really good, too, so it'll be interesting to see which ones stick around.
In other news, I settled up with my landlord today. This guy really knows how to charm a girl, let me tell you. He really likes to talk. He launched into a monologue about the '67 war and how after all of that killing, Israel finally "gave up" Gaza, and what was the point of it all, apparently thinking that it was a very apt metaphor and very appropriate given that his tenant is a Jew. Man, if I'd wanted to cry anti-Semitism I could have had some real fun.
Anyway, he has some relative coming from Greece so he's happy to evict me. In turn, I informed him that I'd fight it. He informed me that the Rental Tribunal were all friends of his, which is probably true, given the complicity of such bodies in tenant exploitation. So after both of us threatening to make the other's life a living hell, he offered to swallow a bit less than half of what I'd withheld. He then went on to another monologue about people with mohawks, and while tuning him out, I contemplated the offer.
I could keep pushing for the whole thing, and legally, I might win, but if the Tribunal is all Greek-landlord mafia, I could get completely screwed, too. If I paid and then appealed to the Tribunal, I might have to end up paying the whole shot. So I went for it and made my landlord sign a note that we'd settled up and there was no money outstanding.
I figure I'll be out of here within six months. Moving will be stressful enough without having to go to court. And I did end up with some discount, at least, and maybe in the future he'll know better than to fuck me around.
In other news, Fearless Leader is two hours late. I don't think he's coming. Of course, if he called to say he was late, lost, etc., it wouldn't have done me any good because the stupid phone has been ringing off the hook all night and no single person in my life seems to understand the meaning of I don't like talking on the phone, I don't have call waiting, and I'm expecting to hear from other people.
EDIT: [The following morning.] Ooops, Fearless Leader did come by, exactly when he said he would. Apparently, my doorbell isn't working (or maybe I just didn't hear it because of the ringing phone). Sorry, Fearless Leader, for implying that you are flakey!
PEOPLE HAVE TO STOP CALLING ME. IT'S DRIVING ME NUTS. IT HURTS MY EARS AND MAKES MY HEADACHES WORSE AND MAKES ME STRESSED. AND I AM TRYING TO POST, DAMMIT.
Yeah, so I'm glad that's dealt with.
I'm glad the lockout is over. I'm also glad that CBC Unplugged isn't going anywhere (or if it is, it will go kicking and screaming) because it has become one of my favourite blogs during its short existence. A lot of the other CBC blogs are really good, too, so it'll be interesting to see which ones stick around.
In other news, I settled up with my landlord today. This guy really knows how to charm a girl, let me tell you. He really likes to talk. He launched into a monologue about the '67 war and how after all of that killing, Israel finally "gave up" Gaza, and what was the point of it all, apparently thinking that it was a very apt metaphor and very appropriate given that his tenant is a Jew. Man, if I'd wanted to cry anti-Semitism I could have had some real fun.
Anyway, he has some relative coming from Greece so he's happy to evict me. In turn, I informed him that I'd fight it. He informed me that the Rental Tribunal were all friends of his, which is probably true, given the complicity of such bodies in tenant exploitation. So after both of us threatening to make the other's life a living hell, he offered to swallow a bit less than half of what I'd withheld. He then went on to another monologue about people with mohawks, and while tuning him out, I contemplated the offer.
I could keep pushing for the whole thing, and legally, I might win, but if the Tribunal is all Greek-landlord mafia, I could get completely screwed, too. If I paid and then appealed to the Tribunal, I might have to end up paying the whole shot. So I went for it and made my landlord sign a note that we'd settled up and there was no money outstanding.
I figure I'll be out of here within six months. Moving will be stressful enough without having to go to court. And I did end up with some discount, at least, and maybe in the future he'll know better than to fuck me around.
In other news, Fearless Leader is two hours late. I don't think he's coming. Of course, if he called to say he was late, lost, etc., it wouldn't have done me any good because the stupid phone has been ringing off the hook all night and no single person in my life seems to understand the meaning of I don't like talking on the phone, I don't have call waiting, and I'm expecting to hear from other people.
EDIT: [The following morning.] Ooops, Fearless Leader did come by, exactly when he said he would. Apparently, my doorbell isn't working (or maybe I just didn't hear it because of the ringing phone). Sorry, Fearless Leader, for implying that you are flakey!
PEOPLE HAVE TO STOP CALLING ME. IT'S DRIVING ME NUTS. IT HURTS MY EARS AND MAKES MY HEADACHES WORSE AND MAKES ME STRESSED. AND I AM TRYING TO POST, DAMMIT.
Yeah, so I'm glad that's dealt with.
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the problem with fighting eviction notices is that the people who can afford to move just move & don't stay & fight, which makes it just that much harder on the ones who can't afford to leave the apartment they're being evicted from. not like i'm saying you should stay & fight because of other people as your landlord sounds like a real jackass.
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If I fought it, I'd be tied up for months. I can't afford to take that time off work or put that kind of strain on my mental health.
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but that sucks about everyone backing out on you like that. e. told me that the FMTA once organised this building about something [i can't remember what] & won, so i'm sure that it could be done again if necessary. that's probably why our landlord isn't very uptight about rents being late & doesn't increase the rent. then again, the repairs are a little on the lax side, but they do get done eventually.
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just kidding. I'm so funny.
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I'm going to stop giving my number out to people. I gave it to Alexis today (she being the only caller of the bunch that I was genuinely happy to hear from) but there's gotta be a cap on it.
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Total lie of course, but she caved like a deprived spelunker.
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The roof leaks and there is serious water damage to the ceiling in the stairway. The corner of the kitchen ceiling, conveniently over the sink, drips if it rains hard. There are carpenter ants living in these locations. I see them rarely, but I know they're there. (Carpenter ants use wood instead of soil to build colonies in. As far as they're concerned the building is just another dead, rotting tree.)
The front door to the building can be locked, but when I got in the habit of locking it one of my neighbors told me they refused to allow her to lock the door when she tried last summer. Something about making it easier for the fire department to enter the building in case of a fire.
We're supposed to ask permission before installing air conditioners. If we get caught with them installed we have to pay $50 each month until they're uninstalled. But that bastard is going to have to drive from White Plains and catch us with them. So myself and half the people in the building just went ahead and installed them.
We deal with a management company, they're the ones that lease the apartment to us. Since they don't own the building they are unable to do anything to the building if it isn't considered an emergency. (and actually in emergencies they are very good) For all we know they hate the landlord even more than we do. So are they going to lift a finger to report us using air conditioners? No.
Likewise, I really wonder how much the landlord will have to fork out for the heating bill. The heat is too much for my apartment. I have to close one of the two vents, and circulate air in from outside to keep it reasonable. The thermostat on my window fan is really coming in handy. But I'll take this over having *just* enough heat, which is what many landlords do. The door to the fire escape is warped and lets in a lot of air from outside. There are open windows in the stairwell which look like they haven't been touched in, well probably 15 years. (broken screens and stuff)
So it's amusing, and hey somehow I got lucky and none of my 5 neighbors smoke. It's bearable but if they don't keep the price low I'll be out of here.
Lost?
And I have been refraining from calling :p
Re: Lost?
I'm usually at least able to handle phone calls. But I've been having raging headaches, which just compound my ability to cope.