We don't need clothes and we don't need money
Warning: many exclamation points to follow!
"Maybe it's the hum of changing opinion." (Why not a Paul Simon/Philip Glass song reference while we're at it?)
I got a knock on the door tonight just after I returned from hanging with Kurt in West Philly (and just after peeing, thank goodness, but anyway). This means either that young lush of a woman who lives on the 2nd floor is making arrangements to have me let her in through the back at 3am so she can enter the courtyard and climb up the fire escape because she left her keys (more about that later (not much to the story)), OR it means that the landlady/landlord is here (I have yet to give anyone else, like parents, my new front door key). It was in fact, the latter, the new landlady, mother of Jimmy (see this post a little while ago). She and her fix-it-type friend (or relative or something) and translator checked out my place.
A bit before the 1st of November, Jimmy gave and I signed the new lease. It was longer, but didn't look unreasonable. It maintained the terms and cost of rent of my old lease (that is, until July). I heard from the other 2 people, Tim and Dave, that the lease looked fine and that the rent increase for Tim (his was due for a new term) was fortunately very small, and he had even managed to talk down the increase. I gave Jimmy my rent check (on time, yay!) and a detailed tour of the state of my place. I ran the heater and showed him my vents were blocked in the front room (by debris) and living room. I showed him the leaky gasket on the fridge that's been in my living room and how I'd like to get a new one that fits the space provided in the kitchen or at least to fix the gasket. I showed him the basement ceiling and how it sagged from the toilet leak (clean water, phew!) that Ping had fixed competently (for once). I told him I would either like a screen door or get permission to install one. I told him it sure would be nice to replace the carpet in the living room and steps. (The one thing I forgot to request yet is new nonleaking sink fixtures (I tried fixing one with a new o-ring) for kitchen & bathroom, but that's lower on the list).) So Jimmy wrote all this down and said he'd tell his mom.
Anyway, I hadn't heard back from them in a little while and considered writing them a pleasant note simply detailing all this and asking what she (Jimmy's mom) was willing to pay for and what she was willing to let me do without breaking any lease terms. I still have a couple questions I may ask later. So anyway, the mom, friend and I were surprised upon seeing me reach in and take a big flat piece of wood from the vent hole (I kid you not! Horrendous!) So what did she do? She got on her hands and knees while I showed her friend around the place, and she started scooping debris out of my heating vent! What a landlady! We return to the front room and she has already filled a plastic bag (think a bit smaller than a typical plastic grocery bag) with stuff from the hole! I am not sure what was more surprising, her doing this or the sheer volume of what was in there (shudder). But... but... the BIG news! Here it is, I have news, it's big. One of you's heard it. I think this news is big and I'll tell you about it.
The mom and friend had a look at the gasket and the state of the big brown fridge in the corner of my living room. She then said she'd try and get a new fridge delivered here... today (Saturday)! A new fridge! That will fit! In the kitchen! No longer in the corner of the living room! Hey-yay oh-yay (to resurrect an odd saying of mine)!
Karin got her bed back out of storage Friday and is no longer on a futon, so in the celebratory spirit:
I hereby proclaim November 12 Bed-Fridge Day. Let the festivities commence!
"Maybe it's the hum of changing opinion." (Why not a Paul Simon/Philip Glass song reference while we're at it?)
I got a knock on the door tonight just after I returned from hanging with Kurt in West Philly (and just after peeing, thank goodness, but anyway). This means either that young lush of a woman who lives on the 2nd floor is making arrangements to have me let her in through the back at 3am so she can enter the courtyard and climb up the fire escape because she left her keys (more about that later (not much to the story)), OR it means that the landlady/landlord is here (I have yet to give anyone else, like parents, my new front door key). It was in fact, the latter, the new landlady, mother of Jimmy (see this post a little while ago). She and her fix-it-type friend (or relative or something) and translator checked out my place.
A bit before the 1st of November, Jimmy gave and I signed the new lease. It was longer, but didn't look unreasonable. It maintained the terms and cost of rent of my old lease (that is, until July). I heard from the other 2 people, Tim and Dave, that the lease looked fine and that the rent increase for Tim (his was due for a new term) was fortunately very small, and he had even managed to talk down the increase. I gave Jimmy my rent check (on time, yay!) and a detailed tour of the state of my place. I ran the heater and showed him my vents were blocked in the front room (by debris) and living room. I showed him the leaky gasket on the fridge that's been in my living room and how I'd like to get a new one that fits the space provided in the kitchen or at least to fix the gasket. I showed him the basement ceiling and how it sagged from the toilet leak (clean water, phew!) that Ping had fixed competently (for once). I told him I would either like a screen door or get permission to install one. I told him it sure would be nice to replace the carpet in the living room and steps. (The one thing I forgot to request yet is new nonleaking sink fixtures (I tried fixing one with a new o-ring) for kitchen & bathroom, but that's lower on the list).) So Jimmy wrote all this down and said he'd tell his mom.
Anyway, I hadn't heard back from them in a little while and considered writing them a pleasant note simply detailing all this and asking what she (Jimmy's mom) was willing to pay for and what she was willing to let me do without breaking any lease terms. I still have a couple questions I may ask later. So anyway, the mom, friend and I were surprised upon seeing me reach in and take a big flat piece of wood from the vent hole (I kid you not! Horrendous!) So what did she do? She got on her hands and knees while I showed her friend around the place, and she started scooping debris out of my heating vent! What a landlady! We return to the front room and she has already filled a plastic bag (think a bit smaller than a typical plastic grocery bag) with stuff from the hole! I am not sure what was more surprising, her doing this or the sheer volume of what was in there (shudder). But... but... the BIG news! Here it is, I have news, it's big. One of you's heard it. I think this news is big and I'll tell you about it.
The mom and friend had a look at the gasket and the state of the big brown fridge in the corner of my living room. She then said she'd try and get a new fridge delivered here... today (Saturday)! A new fridge! That will fit! In the kitchen! No longer in the corner of the living room! Hey-yay oh-yay (to resurrect an odd saying of mine)!
Karin got her bed back out of storage Friday and is no longer on a futon, so in the celebratory spirit:
I hereby proclaim November 12 Bed-Fridge Day. Let the festivities commence!