Time to take half an hour and write for my poor neglected journal. Heh.

I jut finished up some morning chores including laundry. I finally washed the blankets and sheets that have been hanging out in an army mesh laundry bag for the past several months. I think that will allow me to cross another December chore off the list. Coming up from the laundry room I passed Trashy's apartment. (Formerly called White Trash until I really thought about the implications in needing to qualify "Trash" with White. Not cool.)

Trashy was evicted in November, I think. Since she moved out there's been the smell of paint in the building and various things thrown out -- including interior doors with several holes through them. I guess their yelling and screaming fights included breaking things. Nice. Gossip says she was evicted for non-payment of rent. I'm not surprised.

Background: I've had a hate on for this woman ever since she moved in. She would scream at her "husband" and her children using the nastiest curses. It was a rare day to not walk past her door and hear some fight going on. Once she threw a fit at me in the laundry room because she had to do laundry RIGHT THEN and I was in her way. I let her and then when I walked past her apartment on the way back up to mine I could hear her screaming about "That bitch!" -- I'm assuming me. There's more but you get the idea.

Anyway, when I walked past her former apartment I started to think about our landlady and how she treats her tenants. Currently Mike and I are putting pressure on to get a leak in the kitchen sink pipes fixed. I've used duct tape and sealed it as best I can, but I'm unwilling to put any real work into it. The leaking water destroyed the cupboard floor under it, and I'm assuming travelled into the apartment below us as well. Now we have a basin there to catch most of it. It's nothing major, but obviously something she should want fixed.

Not a chance in hell. I first mentioned the leak to her maintenance guy, Fritz about 10 months ago. I think Mike phoned about it shortly after, but I can't swear to it. I know every time I've seen her, Fritz or her son I've mentioned it. I didn't make a big deal about it because I know she doesn't do shit for maintenance here. Until the notice for the yearly inspection came.

See, once a year they come into my home and make notes and comments about the maintenance. Last year her son pointed out the mold growing around the porch doors and told us to clean it up and gave us a date he would come to re-inspect it to ensure we had cleaned it. Fucking rich coming from the assholes that take our money each month and do nothing for it. I cleaned it because it was a problem and it needed to be done no matter who pointed it out. Done. Fine.

Then comes this year's inspection, after a year of them ignoring my requests for a repair that they are legally required to do and not paying the interest owing on our last month's rent. They came and then they left with a letter detailing three items we expected completed ASAP -- A set of keys for Miss Sara, the money they owed us overdue by 5 months and the sink repaired.

Two letters later we have deduced the money they owed us from a rent cheque, we have keys and we have a leaking sink. Our last letter said "We would prefer not to involve outside authority in this matter but we shall if the repair isn't completed by December 26, 2003." and we haven't heard boo from them at all. Once we get back from Nova Scotia in January, I'm calling the maintenance division of the city and starting to play hardball.

I'm wondering why on earth this is required. Why do I have to threaten someone who gets almost ten thousand dollars from us a year to do a simple repair? Why is this needed? We're good tenants. We pay our rent in full and on time. We are exceedingly quiet. We stay out of their hair unless it's something they have to do for us, like the keys or the repair. Our apartment is in great condition. So why are we treated on the same level as Trashy?

You'd think after experiencing even once the mess a Trashy can leave behind them, a landlord would do everything in their abilities to keep the good tenants content and in their building. The only reason we haven't moved elsewhere yet is because I just don't want to and will therefore put up with a load of shit from the landlord. But that shouldn't be needed, damnit.

And with that, I'm at 30 minutes.