Drama update: one month later

Good news: no more leaks! We've had several rather massive thunderstorms and my bedroom remained dry! w00t!

Bad news: Remember that patch of carpet in front of my bedroom door that was removed? Yeah. It's still missing. They haven't replaced it yet, so the subfloor (plywood) is still exposed. Nor have they replaced the lock on my bedroom window from the break in. Nor have they started to deal with the fact that the gas company removed the gas meters from the property back in JULY so they heat won't work (gas powered furnace). Needless to say, I'm seriously considering typing up everything that hasn't been done and mailing it with my next rent check. If they cash the check, then I'll know they have the list.

In other news, the previous tenant in my apartment took my landlords to court. Why? From what I understand (hearing from both the previous tenant and my landlord), it's because they withheld a large amount of his security deposit related to replacing/repairing/patching the upstairs carpet. Well, that was never done. It wasn't even cleaned before I moved in (trust me...it was NOT cleaned). So the previous tenant sued them to get his money back and won. Now there's some legal arrangement whereby my rent is garnished by the courts to repay him. An officer of the court has been trying to deliver the paperwork to me since early August. Apparently he was told by my neighbors (my landlord's family!) that I had moved. This was about the same time that the flooding incident happened in early August. Yeah. I don't know the details of any of this, just what the previous tenant and my landlords told me, but I'll find out on Friday when I meet the officer to get the paperwork that tells me what to do with my rent (I had to call him to make arrangements).

OMG the drama just doesn't end. And this is in addition to an ongoing battle I have with them about them entering my apartment and NOT TELLING ME.

Last week (Wed., Sept. 9) I came home to find that someone had been in my apartment. How did I know? The lights were on AND my bedroom door was closed. What's worse they had trapped the cat in the bedroom when they shut the door. I called my contact and basically let her have it via voice mail. This was at about 4:30pm. I had heard nothing from anyone about WHY or WHEN they had entered my apartment. And then I waited. And waited.

Finally, at about 8:20pm, four hours after I called, my contact returns my call. Apparently, in preparation for the annual fire inspection, they were working on the fire alarms in the rest of the building and set off the alarm, which meant they had to enter my property to turn it off (the panel for the alarm is connected to the electrical panels, and access is via my bedroom). Great. That still doesn't explain why no one notified me promptly that they accessed my property (emergency - so no reasonable notification prior to entry). They're in violation of their own lease. I even read the relevant parts to her on the phone. This is the third time this has happened. I explained to her that it was UNACCEPTABLE and that I'm tired of having this conversation. I was told last time that it would never happen again and yet here we are, having the same conversation less than 2 months later (previous incident was around July 16th). She said she was unavailable so that's why no one called...I told her that was bullshit, it doesn't matter: four hours is NOT "prompt notification" by any definition and clearly they need to fix their communication issues because it's unacceptable. Someone has to contact me. If she's not available, there should be a backup plan. I should NOT be calling them to find out what's going on and WHY they've been in my apartment. There are no excuses for this. I repeated that they're violating their own lease, making it null and void (also per the terms of their own lease; violation = nullification). She acquiesced, and said they're meeting about it. I have yet to hear the report of said meeting, one week later. I'm not holding my breath.

But I have no doubt that when the rent garnishing begins that I'll receive a prompt phone call about it. Gotta love the drama. It's to the point now that it's ridiculous, like a bad sitcom. I'm just trying to weather the storm (so to speak) and not let it get to me too much. Some days I'm better at it than others.

Low-Car Diet Challenge surprises

I've been doing the ZipCar Low-Car Diet Challenge for a month now (we're coming to the end!), and I've had a few surprises.

1. I really had no *need* for my car the entire month. In fact, I was trying to come up with reasons to even use a ZipCar. I was able to get everything I needed either by foot, bike, or public transit. Yes, things took longer, but it was actually more enjoyable to not be stressed out driving in the city. I could relax. I was able to see more of the city that way, too, observe my surroundings and see things I may not have noticed before. Yes, being stuck on the bus that's the proverbial "slow boat to China" on a Friday afternoon was less than ideal, but I just put on my iPod, relaxed, looked out the window, and made mental notes about things I saw that I may want to go back and visit at a later date.

2. It's forced me to be more relaxed about things. This actually is the opposite of what I expected. I expected to have to plan more strictly. What I found is that while I have to plan ahead, I also have to be more relaxed about the outcome of those plans. Adhering to a strict schedule wasn't realistic. So it forced me to relax and just be. To just sit and be in the moment while riding the bus/trolley. This is a good thing for me, really.

3. Pooling resources and running errands with friends is much more enjoyable than doing it alone. Getting a few friends together when I actually needed the car was both more economical (theoretically we would have split the cost if it wasn't for the generous ZipCar credits!) and fun. Made the errands less onerous and gave us an excuse to hang out for awhile. I liked running my errands that way.

4. The concerns I had at the beginning never really became reality. I never "missed" the convenience of using my own car. I never felt restricted or worried that I couldn't access a vehicle (there were so many available!). Nor did I really miss my personal vehicle. That has really surprised me. For all the time I've spent in my reliable Subaru (multiple cross country trips, etc.), I didn't miss it, or miss driving it, or miss even being in it. I didn't miss being in a car at all, in fact. I didn't feel that I had lost that sense of freedom I've always associated with a vehicle. If anything, I ended up feeling more free because I didn't have to worry about all the stuff that comes with just owning a vehicle. And that was the biggest surprise of all.

So now I'm faced with the decision of whether or not to sell my car. And contrary to what I thought at the beginning, I really can let it go and become officially a car-free individual. I don't feel the attachment to or need for my own personal vehicle anymore. It's time to move on in life without a car. Of course, whether or not I'm actually successful in selling my car remains to be seen, but that's another post for a later date.