And after several bouts, we have discovered Sentry ‘calming collars,’ which offer some promise. They are loaded with Feliway-stuff. At least Tanner is less hysterical about his basement steps howl-a-thon, and the other two seem to be quieter in disposition. Unfortunately, not so playful in the evening, but we figure the collars are good for 30 days, and if we can use that low-level energy to get the 3 to meet without killing each other, we can let the collars wear down.
Also our friend Scott is going to be taking on the basement re-finishing, floor, ceiling, and a couple of closets, and that means he’s going to be going to and fro up those stairs, and Tanner is bound to get loose if we don’t confine him in the library, which is too small for his tastes.
So we will see.
I think the key thing with kitty encounters is that none of the encounterees feel trapped. If all parties feel they have an avenue of retreat handy, I think things will be less intense. Good luck.
Whenever I got a new kitten, I put the newbie in this ferret cage on wheels I had bought for the purpose, and wheeled it with me from room to room as I went through my daily routine. (This was back when I worked from home). The adults got the idea that because the kitten went with, it was part of the gang. I would shut the others out periodically and play with the kitten, so the adults smelled it on me, and it smelled the adults on me. Everybody could get familiar with everybody but the cage kept anybody from getting hurt. By the time the kitten was big enough I could let it out, everybody knew everybody and they’d all hissed and made up.
You’re keeping Scott busy and out of trouble I see. We will be expecting pictures . . .
Aw, Tanner. — I guess I’ve been very lucky in any kitty introductions, though the current two both had the unfortunate and lasting notion that I am exclusively each one’s human, and neither much wanted to _share_ the human…though they will cooperate to tag-team the human. 😉 Cats are practically-minded. Smokey has weathered his recent indiscretions which got the better of my temper, and so we are OK, and Goober remains his mild self.
I hope Tanner and Sei and Shu do fine. I have nearly always introduced cats/kittens quickly, supervised always, but without serious incident. I’m glad I haven’t had problems. (But my two did stay separated from my grandmother’s cats, neither of whom wanted anything to do with my two, which dismayed Goober, who had no idea why a cat wouldn’t want to be his friend. That’s him.)
— iTunes has somehow decided that only two of Leslie Fish’s albums still belong in its music library. I think I’d bought what I had from her via Amazon, so I will see what’s there and find out how to reimport it. (In particular, there is her song, “Banned From Argo,” and several songs related to CJ’s Alliance-Union or other story-universes. I want those back in my library. I had since found other music of hers and laughed my butt off, very fun stuff.)
And when I looked just now, I discovered I had not read the “Sword of Knowledge” trilogy before, unless I’ve forgotten somehow. A search on Leslie Fish’s name turned up the first book, then the other two, and then the trilogy omnibus edition. So I’ve bought a used copy of the omnibus, which should arrive soon. Yay, to the authors, Nancy Asire, Leslie Fish, Mercedes Lackey, and C.J. Cherryh, listed. I don’t think I’ve read something by Nancy Asire or Leslie Fish before, but I know CJ’s and Ms. Lackey’s books, and I’m overdue for something good to read, fantasy or otherwise.
If there’s an ebook edition, I would like it. I should check Closed-Circle.net; none was listed via Amazon for the trilogy or the individual volumes, which are backlist from the 90’s and earlier. Publishers, I guess are still catching up to the backlist and the idea that both publishers and authors can make money perpetually, thanks to ebooks being available as long as there’s a format and a reader app and device.
If there are spare fans, one might store them in the basement?
Wouldn’t a fan club be better? — Fan Club: Funny thing, it’s as if someone couldn’t decide whether to fan the fans and give ’em a cool breeze, or knock ’em out. Most fans, I’d vote for the cool breeze; the hitting seems extreme. Although I could see how it could be tempting at times. 😀
Or is that where Uhura’s fan dancing comes into play? Uhura and Nichelle Nichols have still got it, and it ain’t just the feathers. Heheh.
:: laughs :: Could not resist the puns.
I have read the Sword of Knowledge trilogy and enjoyed it. (Good, but CJ is better)
Ah, the howl-a-thon. One hopes Tanner will realize he is in a friendly place and doesn’t need to announce his despair so enthusiastically. Junior has taken to coming into the computer room when I’m typing away and complaining bitterly about anything and everything: insufficient water in his dish, that mean ol’ Zorro eated his food again (after he walked away from it), you must pet me NOW, and It’s time for the Poetry Corner reading again!
Off-Topic; some folks may wish to skip; personal update:
I’m having a very weird week already. I got blindsided by a misunderstanding on Friday, and I may or may not have missed a phone message, I don’t know. Anyway, I’m hoping things will get resolved, and it’s in progress. But this means things are up in the air for me at the moment, I’m working on it and friends are supposed to be working on it, and I hope to get the trouble / misunderstanding cleared up, or at least back on an even keel to give it enough time to work out in my favor. Toward that, I invited those friends to come over at the end of the week and check to see progress and tell me if I’ve missed things, and then so we can go forward from there, to avoid further problems. I’m dismayed and irritated but understand too, and feel the situation’s resolvable, and that there’s been an exaggeration involved, overreaction, along with misunderstanding my side. So….up in the air here, but working on it, and hoping it’ll get resolved.
So for now, I’m not going to think it’s headed towards worse, and once I can sit down and talk with people, I’m hoping that’ll clear things up, or at least give me more time to get things resolved from my side, so their side can work out, heh, toward what I need to happen. Still surprised, really.
Today, I got about a third of what I’d planned to do, done. But, a little progress, though, so I’m saying for now, it’s good enough.
Had a talk with one friend, to let him know my side of things better, and to say, hey, let’s work on it and you check on me to make sure it’s going how it should, and see if I’m missing something, and then get further ahead.
Sigh. Just irritating. I need more progress, not more steps backward.
Hoping that talking with the folks will create a mutual understanding, or at least time to work on it, and then get it resolved on both sides, positively. But…geez, people, let me know instead of finding out through someone else.
But — a little cleanup; groceries due to be delivered after noon tomorrow (yay), a new office chair and floor lamp assembled, a barstool half assembled, another floor lamp also assembled. One awaits light bulbs, which never arrived. The other: Just because it’s a fancy new LED light, and just because they say it’s very bright and a reading lamp, does not mean it’s so. I put an old 60-watt table lamp beside it, which is dimmer than I want/need to read by, or to light sufficiently the living room. The old 60-watt incandescent lamp provides noticeably more light. So the floor lamp, since it was ordered and sat while other things happened — Will likely be given to friends to give to some tenant or kid who needs a little help. — The other floor lamp is a usual three-light tier floor lamp, and should be just what I’d wanted for there, near enough.
Two bits of good news: One, I discussed options with friends. If things don’t get resolved, then I might end up moving, but I’d rather not at present. I still like it here, and think things can be resolved, as long as others are willing to work with me. So, but among options, I discussed with friends, the possibility of someone helping out periodically with errands or chores. Errands, that’s needed sometimes. Various chores, maybe occasionally. I can take care of most things if I can stay on top of it. But a few things, yeah, I need help at times and would appreciate it. That may be a teen the friend has working for them for various odd jobs / gopher work, etc. Or it could be someone else. And we talked about maybe a roommate, and that I haven’t had a roommate or looked for one, since college, and am therefore nervous, due to how sideways-and-upside-down my life has been for the past few years. (I’m not sure anymore if I can get a good read on someone soon enough, for one.)
And that brought up the need for the second thing: I came out to that friend, and had been delaying and hadn’t found the right time. But if they might help me get a roommate, or someone who’d help periodically, well, then they need to know anyway, and they’re good enough friends, it was past time to tell them. — Went well, they’re fine with me. Which is a big relief. I still can get nervous about that, because, well, it is still not the most popular and well accepted thing around here (or elsewhere in the country) and I grew up with so much negative on it, that it still is a concern for me. — So I was glad that it went well and I still have those friends. — And therefore, that factor can be seen to without any bad surprises for anyone. (I would not want anyone to feel ambushed about that, as if they’d suddenly found out, or as if they felt I was hiding it. Er apparently, it’s not exactly something people couldn’t guess about me after knowing me a while? Heh, I don’t know if they’d guessed. I may get curious and ask later.)
So…overall, going OK, a surprise out of left field, maybe, but other things, progress, so maybe it’ll ll shake loose all right and I’ll end up a little better off, finally. Hope so. Fingers and toes crossed.
And…geez, people can get so off-kilter so fast. Hoping a sit-down talk will clear things up; couldn’t get ahold of people today to suggest it; hoping so tomorrow.
Listeners may want to check out the Lingthusiasm.com podcast episode 22: “This, That, and The Other Thing,” about determiners, by Dr. Gretchen McCullock and Dr. Lauren Goin.(I think I have the spellings right.) The episode has great stuff about a special class of words, and they have a few science-fiction-y-ish references thrown in: space babies speaking English and Russian; Jabberwocky and some memes (such as lolcats and sneck) and — a mention of a short story, “And Then There Were n – 1,” by Sarah Pinsker. (I think I have that spelling right too, but maybe not.) In the short story, the author appears as herself, and is invited to a convention with all the other Sarah Pinskers from all the other parallel universes of the multiverse, so there are innumerable Sarah Pinskers (et al.) attending, and perhaps other “et alia” as well. The two hosts talk about different sorts of determiners and how they are used with and derive from (or produce) other words. We even get a vote for “yon and yonder.” Very fun, language-geeky episode.
(Groceries arrived today. I’m still getting used to ordering for delivery, so I don’t yet have it quite down pat. But hurray, I am mostly well stocked up for a month, give or take, only lacking in a few items for the next list, or overstocked now in some item which will still be used quickly.)
Homemade enchiladas may happen, once I locate a recipe. — There are also spam and pineapple because I’d wanted some, and Eggo waffles, because Stranger Things gave me a stranger craving for them, and a pumpkin pie because it’s well into the season and I feel overdue for pumpkin and spice.
(I think I will do something other than turkey for Thanksgiving, but I might change my mind before it’s time to order next month. If I do get turkey, it will likely not be a whole turkey, as my freezer and fridge space are limited, and it’s just me. — I missed out on making wassail last year, despite efforts, so this year, I will make sure to make it, from a recipe that’s now nearly 75 years old or more.)
Correction on spellings: Dr. Gretchen McCulloch and Dr. Lauren Gawne.
Addendum: I just listened to ep. 24 also, with an interview with Dr.(?) Hilaria Cruz from the U. of Kentucky, on an indigenous language of Mexico, called Chatino. The interview goes into Ms./Dr. Cruz’ background as an indigenous speaker of a minority language, and how she got into linguistics, and then goes into a wealth of interesting details on how she and others are working toward automatic speech recognition and transcription for indigenous/minority/at-risk languages, including book and ebooks, and the need for reading and writing in the languages, and even the difficulties of needing to develop an alphabet or writing system for a language which hasn’t had one, or which has had various competing attempts, but no real consensus, and too few people who use it as native speakers, because their language isn’t taught when they are in school, they are educated in the majority language of their country. (English, Spanish, French, etc.)
I am looking for Dr. Cruz’ contact info or the Lingthusiasm hosts. I have no idea if they have any good resources for open source fonts, for instance, or the development of new fonts. — I don’t know enough about how to do that myself, but I am going to research this. — I’m still new to designing fonts, but with my interest in languages, hey, maybe I could help in some way, or at least point them toward people who can. There are, for instance, at least two Latin American font design studios and another I think in Spain / Catalunya. — And, well, I’m very curious.
They got into the great need for speakers of indigenous Native American languages to have books, ebooks, audio, video, learning materials; and well, all of those need fonts that can handle the various writing systems. — I am not sure what I might be getting into, but at least I can say something, and say I was excited to hear about this, and would like to help in some way, if possible.
Things like text-to-speech, speech recognition, and fonts are important also in the vision-impaired and hearing-impaired communities, and good resources of all kinds are invaluable and scarce, for teaching students and for academic studies, and just for having media records of these languages. So, maybe there’s a way to contribute.
(For anyone interested, I was thinking of Sudtipos and Latinotype, at least. Michael Everson of Evertype is active with the Gaelic / Irish / Scots language community and in font development, language preservation and spread, and Unicode standards.)
Try getting just a turkey breast – it will still be more than enough, but not so much as a whole bird, and if it’s boneless, it’s easy to slice and freeze the leftovers.
I’ll try that, thanks, PJ!
A friend asked what wassail recipe I use, so here’s the link. It’s the “Bank’s Wassail Revisited,” and I prefer the 1/2 cup of sugar, rather than the 1 whole cup. — I’d be interested in other wassail recipes.
I emailed Dr. Hilaria Cruz (see above) but it has only been a day and I have not heard back from her yet. It would be nice if I get a reply. But time being what it is, and filters, who knows?
Cleanup and organization are ongoing. Hopefully, all will be fine. Dadgum dryer ventilation duct still not done, awaiting a waiver to be signed by me. Staff forgot me today and will get a reminder tomorrow, hey, please get me, we’ll cross the highway (no stop light there) and talk and get it signed, and hopefully resolve any misunderstanding or whatever is going on, misapprehension and exaggeration of things.
I like my friends here, but dang it, they don’t always get me. They just aren’t seeing my side of things, and I wish they could understand, really think about it and get it, what it’s like to be in my shoes and live how I do, and why I do certain things this way, and what it’s like living with my particular needs — and abilities and talents and wants. I know it may seem unusual to them, but I also feel if they had to adjust to living the way I do, that they’d have a different perspective and do some things differently to compensate. And…yes, I am downsizing from when I had a house, to an apartment, and there might, maybe, be a roommate at some point, which means further downsizing on my part. But dang it, that does NOT mean that I should give up everything, such as my reference books or cherished fiction, etc. beyond a point _I_ get to decide. Nor does it mean I should give up supplies needed for job skills or hobbies I love, or get criticized for keeping food on hand for a month or two, when over and over, friends are well-meaning, good-intentioned, but get “busy” and “forget” appointments which can mean I don’t get to do things locally, and therefore either do without or rely on, yes, boxes being delivered and actually arriving at my door. (End rant.) — There’s a misunderstanding going on with the apt. complex new managers, and although friends are helping and listening to me, they are also not really getting what I’m saying. And…dang. — I get that I’m still adjusting, I’m not used to this. I still have to downsize, and I still have too much in storage to go through. But given how it was packed up, I don’t know what’s where, to know the items I still must keep and do want, versus what I want to sell or give away or trash. — And what might appear to be just random papers or junk to others, might be saved drawings or calligraphy or font ideas, science fiction stuff I wanted to scan in and keep, and so on. Or records that have to be gone through still, or family stuff I’d want to look at to decide what to do — and not just an estate sale or someone deciding for me, without my supervision. (I know a friend and a family member threw out some family genealogy records compiled meticulously over decades by an aunt on my maternal grandfather’s side. They thought, oh, those were just papers, he doesn’t need to keep those, and tossed them out. Not realizing those were that very family member’s genealogy they just threw away without asking me.) So I don’t want a repeat.
I just wish current (new) friends would _listen_ when I say my reasons, and stop long enough to _think_ about what it’s like to live the way I do, instead of to think they know better how I should live my life. Aarrgh. — And I hope things work out on all sides. (And yes, I have to change some. I know that. But on _my_ terms, terms I can live with and still be happy, without discarding important parts of enjoying and living my life to the full. I’m handicapped, not dead, dang it, and I should have another 13 to 50 years, depending on how my luck holds out. (No matter what might happen to my eyesight, good or bad, in the time.) I still have the right to enjoy life, to try to have a career and hobbies, to live in a way that I can manage to live as best I can and as happily as I can, considering. — And sure, if I get to have a good roommate, that’d be fantastic. If I ever have a special someone, significant other, oh, I’d love that, but it hasn’t happened yet.)
So…I’m very frustrated with friends, even though they have good intentions, and hoping that a misunderstanding with the current, newer management at the apt. offices, will be worked out well for me and for them, without it getting further out of proportion or further into “you don’t get it” and “your side is contributing to the problem without your acknowledging it, so you misunderstand me, and I’m working on things, so let’s all please not escalate. I prefer to be civil, sensible, and courteous, and hope we can work this out, instead of miscommunication and escalating, making the problem worse thereby.”
Nuts. Got blindsided by things last Friday, and so far, I’m making progress, but still not much progress toward reaching an understanding on their end, so things improve and get done, and so they don’t get more unhappy, and can be satisfied with me again.
It at least got my friends to pay attention a little more, but still not seeing quite my side, or how they are contributing to the issue causing nonsense for me.
(End rant for real, this time. Man, I wish I had more local friends I could vent to, and more outlets online. I miss some of the communities no longer active or in existence online, where I used to be able to hang out and just share forum topic conversations or how things were going for me. Social media has become so one-sided, instead of all sides getting to contribute. I miss it.)
If you are in Houston, I am about six hours away. I might come out one Friday night and leave Monday morning, so that I could be back in time for work on Tuesday, 4AM. I know that two work days is not much, but….
Tommie, chére amie, I like you too much to ask you to do that, with the apt. in this shape. Heck, I don’t want to be here right now, and wouldn’t want a friend, local or long-distance to have to put up with that. Er, but I will keep that in mind, with thanks, and with…omigosh, I can’t believe you’d offer. — It’s truly unlivable right now. — You would, however, always be welcome, especially when it’s fit for human beings again. :-/ You have always struck me as a super lady and a good, friendly person at that. (Those local friends would, sensibly maybe, rather have someone come in to clean it up. Probably better.)
The ladies didn’t come by Saturday to look at the place and give me a quote on how much they’d charge, but it’s likely more than a full day for two, I would think. I want it clean, so I’ll pay. (And, hmm, gotta withdraw from savings so I don’t mess myself up next month. Bad timing. I’d overspent on supplies that were sent back and not refunded. So…aarrgh.) And if you think I sound stressed out in text, whoa, mama, do I sound, look, feel stressed in person. I’m hoping to see the ladies this week, Mon. or Tue., to know something and begin.
The cats are freaked out by all the weird goings-on from me. They like that it’s looking vaguely better, but they don’t know where a safe place to sit/sleep/observe is, or why the human’s gone crazy with everything, haha. Tonight, Mr. Assertive, never met a food bowl he didn’t like, got skittish about the kitchen (dryer maybe?) and ran off. Dunno why. Hoping he’ll settle down. Mr. Non-Assertive has some brave bones somewhere deep in there, and, dryer? why should that bother little ol’ me? It’s suppertime, and the grabby, nosy other guy isn’t stealing my food bowl, so hey, it’s all good! Complete role reversal.
I got a look at the floor I’d swept and mopped two days ago, and…ugh. I knew it would need at least a second pass, but you couldn’t tell I did anything to it, honestly. Other things are showing slight progress, but not much. — Almost the entire contents of the kitchen is in boxes in the living room, instead of in the cabinets where they were. This is per the pest control guy’s instructions, and counter to the mgmt’s. “no boxes” verdict. (And how else am I supposed to organize anything, with practically no furniture except my bedroom suit, a couple of chairs, a used couch I want to get rid of, and a metal folding conf. table? Meh. And every time I cook, I need to delve into the boxes for something. :-/ — So the living room is full, and only a small number of things on the side were there, still to process, a box of books to keep or donate, for instance. In the spare room, there’s (still) stuff from the last trip to storage, to go through. I think I know what some is, but not sure of others. Then there are moving supplies, such as baggies to put things in. So it’s too full, I agree. No organization for what’s in the closets, and too many clothes for one guy, yet… I still have a backlog from when the power was out, laundry, and if I can get that friend to walk with me to find the laundry room here, and get change, I will solve it that way in the meantime. But (1) I’ve got too many clothes, and a weakness for that (and books and such) and (2) Until my washer and dryer are both working without problems and everything else is going right, I’m not likely to let go of much there. And that and office stuff, not a lot of that, account for most of what’s here, and fill the space more than I want.
I’ve got a desk and a bookcase awaiting being put together, and need help for that; too heavy and too unwieldy by myself. — A small bookcase / shelf unit, sitting waiting like the others, arrived with no instructions, and maybe a piece missing. I lost my patience puzzling out what fits where, and will ask for help on it, or else tell friends, please solve this or donate it or toss it.
The pest control guy, who works for the apartments and likely has other contracts, and the apt. mgmt., will not come in and fumigate, etc., until the place is clean and ship-shape again. Never mind that the bugs and the power outage, leak, and dryer vent are much of the reason why it’s in this shape, and why it’s getting worse, because the bugs are getting worse. (Horrible, honestly.) — My viewpoint: Yeah, I get it that the place needs to be clean and tidy. I sure do. But I called in for pest control, hadn’t seen anyone from pest control since I’d moved in, and honestly, expected to see someone and get it resolved, not have them refuse until it suits them. To me, I’d say, common sense says, at least knock out the problem now, then come back and do it again once the place is cleaned up, but not spraying / fumigating only lets it get way, way worse, and in the meantime since then, oh, it went from, “Uh-oh, I’ve got bugs, better call pest control or can I use foggers?” (and apparently, it was already bad before I knew it was bad) to, “Wow, this is freaky bad, I hope I’m OK staying here.” — And after the power was repaired, frantic catching up from where I’d left off, and still lots to do. — So having someone (two or more) come in to clean it, top to bottom, walls even, is a necessity. — I’ve told my friends that even if it means moving most things back into storage and me staying in a motel for a few days, fine, to solve it. Problem is, by lease terms, I can’t be off-premises or any appearance of having “moved out,” or I’d be declared in default. And I have 8 or so months to go on the current lease. — I’d be fine with moving into another apt. while this one’s cleaned. — But oh, it’s treated as all my fault for having too much stuff and having pets and letting it get that way to begin with. Er, it’s Houston, insects are a real problem for everyone in this climate? Sigh. I agree, I’ve got more stuff than I want to in here. But I also can’t camp out in the storage space to sort through there, and everything was boxed up and piled into storage willy-nilly, stacked, a giant 3D jigsaw puzzle, no clue what’s important and I want to keep, and what should never have been moved to begin with. — I had a wild idea, what if I could put it somewhere and sort through it there, so as not to bother the apt. mgmt., who do have a point. Also because I don’t want to reintroduce anything that may be there from storage. (They’re supposed to handle pest control there. I’d guess that’s a low priority, y’know.) — And I’m not thrilled with the apartment management’s stance, even though I do understand it; because to me, fumigating now, then again later, is the common-sense thing to do, regardless of the mess. That, and hey, I’m working on it, but don’t assume that because I can’t see (legally blind) that I can’t take care of myself or that I’m lazy and a slob. (Oh, I can get discouraged / depressed about various ppl not helping when they said they would, though.) So sure, I’m partly responsible. But why not fumigate rather than blame me or threaten me? Work with me. At least talk with me. 🙁
So… about to start another week with this ongoing. I’m way tired and stressed and fed up about the whole thing. It is NOT solely my fault or my responsibility to fix it. I’m working on it. — And so, I’m just beside myself about it.
I’ll need to be here to supervise cleanup, so things don’t get tossed without my say-so. I would think they’d say, if it’s in a box, just move aside the boxes or put those in storage, and clean, and then have me deal with that later, as my problem.
I don’t want the cats to have to put up with this, but so far, no chance to board them at a new vet, but that would be better during cleanup. Oh, I’d much rather have my things out, have myself and the cats out, and let a team clean everything, faster and no hindrances. Why that couldn’t be fine with everyone, I don’t know, but no talking with anyone since the news Friday before last that they were thinking of taking action, without having notified me. (I think, from their side, they are “avoiding me” in order to give me time to cleanup, so they don’t foul up their side of the lease and I don’t run afoul on my side of it. But that’s not how it feels, either.)
So…and yes, I’m venting here and taking up too much space.
I realized I still hadn’t changed my state ID (driver’s license, but I can’t drive) to my new address, and need to get that updated. I also have to find if my voting / polling location has changed due to the move. Possibly not, and possibly not a problem about my ID, but it needs to get done. But — taking care of things here, plus lack of surety of a cab getting to my door means I may be out of luck for a chance to vote anyway. I’ve got to get the apt. situation resolved. — Er, ahem, I voted for another candidate and not the incumbent. Was rather (quite) shocked he won. And local and state races and federal, are crucial this midterm election. So I hope I’ll have my chance to go vote on the day. Asked friends and will ask again, but their track record lately is full of, “we were busy, we forgot,” despite appointments, and them not owning up to it, in denial. So… who knows. I’m hoping enough people will vote that it will be taken care of anyway.
I will be so glad when this is solved, and oh, I am going to treat myself somehow. — Watching a video wasn’t working the other night. Maybe reading will help. Basic problem is, I am so put out with it all, that I can’t relax enough, but I need to. I did catch a little sleep this morning, slept in, but not enough.
I hope to have better news and not to crowd up things here. Maybe things will clear up this week. Sure need to.
BCS, any chance you could petition the management to let you move to another unit in better shape, for as long as it takes them to fix all the problems with this one? The sticking points seem to be that living in this one is incompatible with getting the bugs evicted, the plumbing fixed, the outlets all working, etc. etc.
That’s a lovely offer, Tommie! Thanks from someone who’s too far away to do anything useful! I could send you some money for a hotel room and gas, if that’s welcome? BCS has my email address.
BCS, if Tommie is willing to come and help you, but your appartment is too much of a mess for a guest to stay in, you could put her up in a nearby hotel for the two nights. It costs money, but if you can get two solid days of help with sorting your appartment it would be worth it, and I get the impression Tommie is a reliable person who knows how to get things done, and is not afraid of doing them.
You clearly need help sorting this situation out, so don’t be too stubborn to accept it when someone offers.
This is what I see as the necessary steps to do, from what you’ve told us here.
1) Get at least 4 cans of bugspray capable of affecting cockroaches and silverfish. Tommie could bring those.
2) Spray those still-to-be sorted boxes in the spare room (as well as any other stuff that you want out of the way of the fumigators, that you can do without), so as not to take the bug problem to the storage space. Then move those presently non-essential boxes back there. Tommie could help with that, if she’s driven her car down to Houston.
3) After emptying the spare room of storage-to-be-sorted, loading up all the boxes in the car, clean the spare room and bugspray it. Shut the cats out of there and let the bugspray do its work while you go off to the storage space.
4) In the storage space, leave any and all boxes of paper or books there for now. Just try to find any furniture you need to be able to sort your stuff on and into. A dining table, two chairs, a clothes wardrobe if you haven’t got that set up yet, a chest of drawers, a bookcase – anything like that.
This may involve shifting lots of boxes aside, but don’t bother checking what’s in them: as long as you do not have a clean appartment with empty storage space to put the stuff in, you do not want to bring more boxes home.
If your Houston friends could come and help with all the carrying, that would be good.
5) Bugspray the furniture you bring home. Set up some cupboards in the spare room, and start sorting (boxed) stuff into there – bugspray the boxes if you’re putting cardboard boxes in there.
Put all your kitchen boxes in a cupboard in the spare room, and mark them so you can find them, and they’re off the floor in the living room.
6) Now you’ve got some room in the living room, set up the furniture there. Maybe make another trip to your storage space to get the dining table and 2 chairs. Set up the desk and the bookcase, and spray them (and the walls behind them) preventatively.
7) I’d guess that it will be two days of hard work for two or more people to get this far. Maybe before she goes home, Tommie can find out where the appartment laundromat is (or ask your neighbor lady) and show you.
8) From here you will be able to get the rest done by yourself: get any and all boxes sprayed (keep the cats in your bedroom when you’re spraying in the living room, and vice versa) and sorted into cupboards or bookcases, get everything except the furniture off the floor so it can be cleaned.
Leave unpacking and sorting for after fumigation.
Wow – it sounds like Hanneke has made an excellent plan of attack. If Tommie is willing, take the help and see about getting rid of the six-legged tenants. From there, the landlord will have no excuse for not tackling the rest of it. If you have problems with getting the landlord to act on things, check into landlord-tenant law in your jurisdiction. There are some issues that will let you set up an escrow account for rent until the problem(s) are resolved with electricity, plumbing, bugs, etc. Basically anything not under your control the landlord should take care of that affects your ‘quiet use and enjoyment’ of your apartment can be cause for withholding rent until it’s addressed.
Hey, everyone! You know, if I could reach out and hug y’all, I sure would. (Hmm, three places with lots of water nearby, and very friendly people. Coincidence? 😉 )
Whew. Tommie, don’t feel like you need to hop in the car and get here just yet, but I’m keeping you in mind for the future. An update:
One reference from the friends for a cleaning service fell through. The ladies didn’t show up for a quote and my friend didn’t reach them when he tried either. — But he had another reference through a cleaning service, and so a lady is supposed to come by tomorrow afternoon to give me a quote, and if accepted, she’ll start Wednesday. (LOL, Halloween, Día de los Muertos, and the day I got my senior cat. Maybe appropriate for deep cleaning. In a darkly humorous Addams Family sense.) If so, then by the end of the week, things should be far better here; clean again.
Got a little financial stuff underway for living expenses (etc.) for a while. — And discovered why the previous officer had been replaced: he’d passed away unexpectedly. I’d met him several times, a capable, personable guy, who was taking care of his dad, who was in declining health. I was very sorry to hear about this. Heck, I would’ve liked to have stayed friends if he’d moved on. But the new officer and his assistant are very nice, and one is moving back in town from beyond commuting distance. So, good news out of bad news, and I’m OK for a while longer, still working on things.
Today, I got all but the cabinet over the fridge done in the kitchen, for a first go-round. I felt like I’d won a major battle. That is, I think, the worst of it. The other, I think, should manageable, so the deep cleaning should go better, I hope, but will still be involved. — I therefore napped after everything was done, and I feel much better, less claws-in-the-ceiling stressed out.
Hanneke’s plan is a good one, and something modified from that should happen. My friends don’t expect to be able to get to me and to the storage space before the deep cleaning, though, so that solution, moving things back in, which I had thought was a good idea, is not going to happen. So we’ll work around it, moving things from one spot to another. (Which is silly. It would be much simpler as Hanneke said to move things back into storage so the lady/ladies can clean and be done with it.)
The dining table, chairs, and china cabinet I have were my parents’, and I would’ve liked to keep the dining room suit, but they won’t fit in my apartment. They’d fill the living room space. There’s only room for a small table for 2 to 4 and a couple of chairs in the breakfast/dining nook. Buying new or used is on the eventual list, along with a living room suit, as my previous was damaged. Heh, I would need cabinets / bookcases. Each of the two bedrooms has a closet, and that’s all. (The British English “cupboard” for a closet such as the cupboard under the stairs, in which young Harry Potter grew up, heh, American English calls that a closet and the cabinets in the kitchen are called cabinets. For AmericanEnglish, a “cupboard” is more like, hmm, built-in kitchen cabinets or a dining hutch for keeping cups, dishes, and so on. Ah, and very minor: In American English, apartment has one P. 🙂 ) But I know what you meant, of course, Hanneke, and thank you for taking the time to think of a good plan.
I would like to take foggers over to the storage space and set those off to eradicate whatever bugs may be there. Spraying when bringing in any new stuff is, yes, a good, sensible idea. — I’ve wondered if having some staging area, not at my apartment, would be the best solution; say a small shed on a property, since friends are into renovating and flipping homes like my former home. I’m going to wait to spring that crazy idea on my friends in person, so I can see the looks on their faces. I bet they haven’t thought of that one. 😀 But if they’d go for it, it would mean a way to solve things without getting any clutter in the apartment that would not be kept, which is the thing concerning the apt. mgmt. besides the cleaning and bug situation.
I’m still trying to come up with solutions to find something friends will go for.
Currently, incommunicado from the office’s side. I hope to get to sit down with the office mgrs. and talk, so we have communication and not miscommunication or misapprehension of things. (If they’re avoiding talking to me to avoid having to take action, that’s not really a good answer, as not communicating from their side is no better than the lack of communication they claim happened sometime on my side. Er, hey, I’m here, I get voice messages if people will leave them (please do), and if I somehow don’t hear the door, well, hey, you’re the management, please try again. You’ll get me. An honest mistake or an honest miss does not mean refusal to talk or see someone, and does not mean someone is incapacitated or unfit to care for themselves. (I missed one knock in the past two weeks, may have missed one call without knowing it, and that’s it. And I still contend that if I ask friends repeatedly to pick up something and they do not and the management office sends it back, as is their right under the contract, then, well, I talked to the office, and my friends are the ones who didn’t do what they said they would. So that does not mean lack of communication, even if I missed a call or a knock once or twice. That’s not a refusal or any problem, only an honest miss. Er, and they have the right to knock, to announce themselves, and to enter the premises, as agents for the landlord. Duh. A maintenance worker did surprise me once as I was headed to the door to answer. He apologized and I said it was fine, since I was glad to get the item fixed.)
The leak is leaking again, the A/C unit above the bathroom has an access panel / door in the ceiling, right where one stands at the sink. So one is leaked upon while getting ready morning and night, and a bucket is currently there to see how much is leaking this time. The repriman did solve it mid-month, but it has recurred. He said it’s a drain line that is clogging up, and said if it happened again, to call and he’d fix it again. It seems way too soon for that, so I wonder why the thing is clogging so fast. So, it’s now to do again.
He did solve the electricity issue, which is why I was able to get online again and post. So far, no new problems there, so I think that’s really solved.
The ventilation duct for the dryer remains to be done, and needs a waiver signed by me. I think the office has forgotten why I even called to ask for them to walk me over to sign a waiver. So they may think it’s some other thing and are therefore confused / worried, and not talking. (When the new asst. mgr. didn’t come by, I called again the next day and left a message and never heard back.)
My understanding is that once the apartment has been deep cleaned, so that they see it is clean and will be maintained, then they will fumigate. They issued a “no boxes! whatsoever!” claim, delivered through my friend, not in writing or verbal from them, along with a worry whether they might need to call social services / adult protective services. — Aw, c’mon, talk to me before getting that up in the air. If you don’t reach me, try again. But also, those should have been communicated both verbally and in writing, or else no judge or attorney for either side would believe it. (Or my side, either, of course.)
But — Once it’s cleaned and tidy, neat, everything in order, no boxes, then they have said they’d fumigate. (1) I want to sit down and remind them, hey, as someone legally blind, I don’t get out as often as regular people, so yes, I have some things delivered monthly or periodically, and it means there may be a small surplus, because of this. But that is not unusual, and I’d bet with roommates or families, it’s not odd at all. (2) But yes, I want it resolved and organized again, and not cluttered. And I’m danged tired of boxes too, thanks. But when friends don’t pick up supplies ordered toward that purpose, so that the office sends them back? Not helping anyone; and I didn’t get a refund.
So — But once it’s cleaned and organized, they should fumigate. And that leak and the duct need to be fixed. (I don’t think the ceiling will cave in where the leak is, but don’t think my wild imaginings haven’t thought of that a couple of times, dark humor or dread.)
I _think_ I’m now well on the way towards resolving things. I feel like I’ve gotten one major battle solved, and just have the others to get through.
Note: I found my new voting location. I still have to update my address on my driver’s license, as I keep forgetting or putting it off. But I’m still in the city, just a different zip code. I don’t _think_ this will cause problems. I’ve been resistered to vote since I was 18. So there should be no problem there, I think, except perhaps as to voting district. — I hope that with the cleaning going on and so on, that I can get to vote, as this matters to me a lot for this election. One congressional seat in particular is up for a change or more of the same, depending on who gets elected. Other candidates and items need voters to turn out and vote. — If I don’t get to, then I’ll have to rely on other people’s good sense, which seems lacking lately in too many people. :-/ I will look tomorrow morning about this, get my ID address changed so the new card will be on its way, with my old card and a temporary ID on hand, and likely a current bill to prove residence at the new address besides.
I’m about to eat supper and relax for the rest of the evening, and start in on it again tomorrow. — Uh, I really had no intention of writing an entire chapter or a novella, in this reply or the others in this thread. I’m sorry, folks. — But I feel like at least I’m keeping my side of the bargain, working hard to catch up and get things decent again. I want it bug-free. — Oh, there are times when being able to suit up and then vent the compartment to space would be so, so handy! Too bad I can’t do that. Instant pest control solution! Oh well, that’s living planetoid for ya. 😀
If I ever get to see any of you in person, I will so hug you. (CJ and Jane, you two too, if you wouldn’t mind.) Or hey, I can keep a polite distance too. 🙂 — Personal Note: I can’t read name tags without getting into personal space, so I generally ask, and I don’t always remember store clerks’ names, even if I’ve asked a couple of times. So be advised, LOL, I don’t typically get into someone’s personal space. Church was the one exception where this was expected and allowed. I try to have good manners. 😀 Also Note: Except in friendly situations, yeah, I’d be just as surprised as anyone else by a hug.
Gotta cook tomorrow too. — Y’all have a very good evening / morning, and I’ll check in tomorrow with a (shorter?) progress report. Yeah, I heard you laugh there. 😉
In my bedroom I have a china cabinet being used as a bookcase.
We’ve had an unseasonably warm and sunny early autumn, so people could enjoy the fall colours without jackets (see this nice BicycleDutch video), but fall is finally starting to cool down and give us some rain and gray cloudy weather.
Tonight I lit the woodstove for the second time this autumn, and my cat suddenly remembered that her favorite place last winter was right in front of the stove, on her own cushioned footstool beside my lazy chair.
She’s ignored that spot for most of the year, meowing for me to come sit upstairs in the workroom with her, where she has her own heated pad on the desk beside the computer, whenever I sat in my comfy chair downstairs.
Even in the heat of summer, when she ignored the heating pad, and downstairs was cooler, she stuck to napping upstairs. I’m glad the fire convinced her to join me downstairs again!
My week’s been bad. I can’t seem to get friends to understand that I do have a difference between what to keep and what to get rid of, and that because there are papers (drawings, records, genealogy) that I want to decide what to get rid of, not let someone else toss things out. — Or that, hey, if I had (desk and bookcases put together) or maybe (gasp) a dining room suit and living room suit, things would be up and organized. (My dresser is acting as desk and office supply storage, plus plastic carts and boxes, ugh.)
My friend did come over, and says that despite my cleanup efforts, still ongoing, it’s worse than I can see, and so he’s going to get someone to do a deep cleaning (even walls). OK, good. I’m all for that, but scared of the cost. But good, let’s do that and get it clean again. — The apt. mgmt. and the pest control guy won’t come in and fumigate unto it’s all clean. Never mind that having it so badly bug-infested is _creating_ a large part of the problem. — My friend had seen it when it was clean, but didn’t want to acknowledge that the bugs are causing a problem and it’s not somehow me and my two cats. Uh, hey, my cats do shed, they do have hairballs, I get that. But this is, I think, primarily from bugs introduced, either from ongoing leaks (one fixed back in January with a new ceiling, one that had been ongoing slowly since I’ve been in the apt. (1-1/2 years) and was fixed. (Correction: It may not be as fixed as the main. guy and I thought he’d fixed it.)
And…I’m so discouraged, I would be happy to move somewhere else, temporarily or permanently, while things get cleaned up. — And no, I do not think it’s entirely my fault. Did I slack off and need to do better? Sure, yes. But the pest problem is not my fault. If they were in items in storage brought in, then that is indirectly my fault. But if they came in with the used couch or the used washer and dryer, or when the ceiling fell in and had to be replaced, or with the bathroom / air conditioner leak, then hey, not my fault, guys.
But fine, whatever, I want it cleaned up so it’s livable and I’m happy and the apt. mgmt. can be happy and satisfied it’s taken care of. I want the (horribly out of control by now) pest problem absolutely taken care of. I want the bookcases and desk put together, and I’m pretty sure I need help to do that. I want furniture. I want to live like a normal, civilized human being again, with my kitchen supplies actually back in the kitchen cabinets — where I had them until the pest control guy said they had to be boxed up or no-go.
And yeah, I want my stuff sorted through and reduced down to what I want to keep. But I’d dare anybody to move from a 4 bedroom house, with things left from my parents added in boxes into the mix, unknown, unlabeled, at random, and not have too much stuff, and need to go through it. — And I’d further say, I’d bet absolutely anyone has more than they realize, and trying to fit it down, sort through things — and restart your life and any professional career, just … aargh. ( Head explodes. )
And it sounds like that leak may be back, just not leaking into the bathroom yet. So it may be the very slow and intermittent leak it was when I moved in. So it may be back. — Ugh.
I have something like 9 months left on the current lease. If I really had my druthers, I’d say, fine, let’s move me somewhere else. If I could afford it and have money to live on, I’d want to buy a town home or other small place.
I have been fighting with this for months now. That one leak, since I moved in. The pest problem, I first noticed as starting and bad, only likely after it had been ongoing a while, but I reported that over two months ago now. With the partial power outage and the leak getting really bad meanwhile. (Not counting the leak from pipes between floors that had caved in the kitchen ceiling in between Christmas and New Year’s.) — I’m so tired of this. I am tired of living with boxes and “stuff” around, because I don’t have furniture, and have only rare trips to my storage space.
And oh, do I wish that my new friends could stop and hear and see themselves long enough to realize _they_ are in denial about missing appointments several times (I’ve lost count) or that, hey, if they were in my shoes, how they’d feel, and why they’d want to know it was done the way they want, also. And to stop bugging me about too much stuff, when yeah, there sure is, because I still have to go through things, both what I brought here from the last trip, and what’s in storage still. And I need what I want to keep out of there and the rest sold or given away or trashed. But dang it, don’t hound me as if I have no brain, no responsibility, or as if I’m not doing anything to help myself. Frell.
I wish I had friends who got me, understood me, grokked me. I am so tired of people not understanding what my life is like.
Ping me for having food? Well, hey, you try not getting to hop in a car (or cab) at will to buy groceries or other needed supplies. You try calling friends, who are so “busy” and “forgot” that they totally space and don’t show, despite assurances and your reminders. Isn’t it just possible that you’d find some way to get things delivered, in (freezing) boxes? And that you’d therefore have such things on hand from month to month? Yeah, you bet you would.
So… nuts, I want this solved. And I want those friends to quit hassling me, and I want them to see they’re part of the problem. And oh, I wish I had friends who got me and who were reliable. I am so, so aggravated and discouraged. I am sick of this nonsense. I want it solved so I can live again like normal people and the way I want, and without someone being hypocritical or not seeing my side of things. Yeah, I’m sputtering, apoplectic. I want this to be better.
The thing is, I had things neat and clean and tidy for months and months, and was proud of my place here. Sure, it needed furniture, which would make it further neat and organized and livable. But hey, it was a start. I want it back to that. — And blast it, I want some understanding and friends who are on my side, advocates, not acting half-friendly on one side, and nagging, unreliable on the other side. I wish they understood this about themselves.
And yeah, I am not perfect, I’d slacked off and contributed to the problem. However, don’t pin it solely on me. It was not my plan to have an infestation of bugs start up, for instance. So, just…nuts. — And oh, someone got the bright idea of mentioning to the friends that they might call in Social Services / Adult Protective Services. This did, however, maybe galvanize the friends into seeing they might need to help me instead of saying they’d help me and then not showing up for appointments, without calling me to say why they didn’t show. So… Phooey. I’ve had it for tonight. I am going to watch a movie or read or do something that has no relation to housecleaning. Because I’ve been doing that all week, and tackled the next-to-last kitchen cabinet this afternoon. Washed everything. Absolutely horrific. (I threw away the rolling pin. No way would I want that near food again, even if I’d soaked it in bleach for days.)
As I said in a post above, I’m handicapped, not dead. I still have skills and ambitions and want a normal life, just like anyone. How is it that these new friends cannot really see my side of things for what it is, and can’t understand why I’d need and want what I do? — I also wonder if my friend’s mother and mother-in-law and wife and sister / sister-in-law would have a different viewpoint on what’s needed for a kitchen. I feel sure at least the sister / -in-law would understand about books, as she’s a teacher. Reference books and fiction are good things, dang it. And no, I can’t keep more than a couple of bookcases. But I absolutely can’t see getting rid of a core set, unless I go blind entirely.
So… Not the best week ever. I need a new life. And new friends. Who are actually friends. (They are trying to help, they just don’t seem to get it.)
BCS: https://www.votetexas.gov/register-to-vote/
My take is it’s too late to register, but you can see if you’re already registered.
I should still be registered to vote. I resistered to vote when I was 18. If I’ve been removed since the last major election, I’d be surprised.
I’m awaiting inkjet cartridges so I can officially change my driver’s license address. You have to have a printout for the official temporary ID, of course, and retain your existing ID. — But since I’ve been moving everything around, the ink cartridges are who knows where. Not in the drawer, and the box beside the printer and others are moved, so…I ordered ink cartridges, and was again surprised at the cost. Didn’t find the cheaper remanufactured ones until after. But they should arrive Friday, so I should be able to update my ID then. I also have a current bill to show proof of residence, so I expect to be fine.
I had a stomach/intestinal overreaction yesterday to a TV dinner that was too spicy, from the previous night. That, and stress and general fatigue wiped me out all day yesterday, back and forth to the bathroom several times. So I did a little, but basically not much.
Felt mostly better by supper last night. This morning has been odd, nearly everything has gone slightly off. Nothing major, just enough to delay and aggravate, such as the inkjet cartridges. I took a pan of chicken with sauce out of the oven, set it on the stovetop to cool and put up, and promptly tilted the pan just enough to spill sauce all over the stovetop I’d just cleaned spotless two days ago. So I spent time wiping that up and hope I did not miss anything. But, it’s silly. Little nonsense like that.
Because I was too under the weather, I postponed the appt. for the quote to tomorrow. If accepted, she can stat Friday, or else it’ll be next week.
It looks like I’ll be voting on Tuesday instead of early voting, if I get the ride scheduled and they follow through. Yet another item, this time official and important, but not time-crucial, arrived at the office instead of my apartment, so a friend is supposed to pick it up for me today.
So — the office is still incommunicado, but otherwise, things are going mostly on schedule, and there is progress in small steps.
I feel better about things and more rested. I also realized I was getting myself aggravated at those friends for reasons, yeah, I should be aggravated at them, and yet I’m also still relying on their help, due to not enough local friends, and I still do consider them friends. I would just ask other people for help on transportation and pickup of items. And the junior kitty I lost my temper with a few weeks ago now, is still very needy and clingy, wanting reassurance. He’s never known another friendly human, and he was so young when I got him, I’m “daddy” in a way, his person. And he has been letting me know how much he loves me since our disagreement. I feel humbled about that and not happy with myself. I was considering giving him away for a few hours that night. I have never returned a cat (or dog) or given one away for any reason, unless there were kittens to give away. And I accepted this little guy as a street rescue when he had norther choice. If I’d given him away, I would’ve crossed a personal line, my principles, something I would’ve considered a personal loss of integrity or emotional rightness. He and I are fine, but o, is he clingy. Both cats are upset by all the commotion of cleaning, moving things around, etc. And abut my local friends, I’ve decided, well, OK, so I’m not too happy with them for some good reasons, yet I’m still relying on them and still consider them friends. (And yet, very aggravated and have been let down several times.)
Well, so, I think I needed the crisis and busy-ness to come to a head so I could reassess. So things are not so dire, and I have been all worked up, a giant blob of stress and unhappiness, for weeks or months. I think I’ve got it out of my system some, and that’s good.
Things are rocking along OK, so far as I know. I am hoping that after this week or next, things will be in much better shape and I can relax a little and see real accomplishment and progress. And then the fumigation, oh I hope.
Now raining semi-heavily, so trick-or-treaters may not be out tonight much. — I didn’t try to pick up candy to give out. Too much going on, or I would’ve gotten some just in case. I still don’t really know my neighbors, but from what I’ve seen and heard, I still think they (and the neighbor kids) are good. If I’m still here next year and not in a new place, then maybe I’ll participate for Halloween. Last year, my first here, I think there was a centralized thing a couple of days before, and not much activity that night.So — doing better, not so frantic, tired and recovering, but OK. Hoping the rest goes fine. Progress is happening.
I hope everyone’s OK out there. Our world gets so out of whack so fast
Belatedly, Happy Halloween, everyone! We are going out to dinner with friends tonight, so any trick-or-treaters should come by early, or we’ll eat all the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups ourselves, heh-heh.
Late to the comments, but if you’re still having an issue, Royal Canin Calm has been very helpful for me with my kitties who need a little extra help now and again along with the Feliway. In the US you have to get it by prescription from your Veterinarian, but that’s easy enough. I prefer to feed grain free on the regular, but Royal Canin does good research and stress has negative effects on animals just like it does on people so I keep Calm on hand for use as needed. A little bit of pet-friendly Bach Rescue Remedy on a bit of freeze dried chicken is also helpful and kitties think it’s a great treat!