A day in the life of an Ohioan turned New Yorker
The last two days have been rather...well...um...special.

Due to monsoon season out here in NY, our apartment has really been suffering. First of all, let me preface the whole story with Hardin is out on the road. For the past 10 days, it has done nothing but rained. I'm not talking about little inchworm rain, I am talking heaping, honking rain. Friday morning, I awoke at 6:30 to find myself swimming in lake Alison off of the port side of my bed. I had to assimulate some sort of contraption to seep up the water, as I rushed to get ready for work.

Just wait...it gets better!

Friday when I came home, it appeared as if the towels and blankets I put down just didnt' help. Water started gusing in. Needless to say, I called my landlord. Before he got there, the toilet stopped working. The landlord advised me to turn off the water and wait an hour or so to let some of the water back out of our cesspool. In the meantime, he began to seep up the water from the leak.

He came to the conclusion that the problem was coming from the outside and there was no way he could work on it, unless it stopped raining. He left me with a wet and dry vac to sop up the water that periodically started to fill the room.

I began to curse up a storm at life because I was supposed to wake up early and take my certification test all day on saturday.

I then went to try and see if the toilet was working.....

No dice, and unfortunatley, I really had to go! I came to the conclusion that temporarily my apartment was an unfit living situation. Since I needed a good night's rest for the test, I decided to pack a bag and sleep in a hotel.

6 hours and $162 later I had to wake up at 5:30 to go and take my certification test. I had to be there at 7:45, and it was about 30 minutes away, so I gave myself about an hour and 15 minutes. This WOULD have been plenty of time, but considering that every way I had attempted to go the roads were flooded!! Needless to say, I did get there, and luckily they started the test late.

I think the first test went well. I was pretty happy with it. The second test was so-so. I honestly don't think I passed. I studied, but it seemed like the questions were worded differently than in the practice book. Oh well, I 'll see when it comes.

So after taking tests from 8:30-5:30, I wanted to get home to my water logged apartment and eat. I hadn't really had much all day and boy was I starving! Well, even though the rain stopped, the roads were still flooded. It took me close to two hours to get home.

After I ate and thought rationally, I decided to call my landlord and tell him about my uncomfortable situation from last night. Instead of offering to pay the bill since he's the landlord and since I signed my sould over it's his duty to make me comfortable, he said that I needed to contact him to let him know how I felt in my living environment and he could not pay for the bill. He also arranged for the cesspool man to come and pump the water out. But, we and the people who live on the other side of the house (we live in an apartment off the side of a house) will have to pay for it. WTF?!?! It is not our fault that his building is not working!! AHHHHH!!!!!!

I then called Hardin in hysterics bitching about how he left me here with this crappy disfunctional joke of an apartment on a day when I really needed minimum stress from outside influences. I bitched how I wated to move. I bitched how I hated NY. I bitched how I wanted to go home to Ohio, the land of working toilets.

I have been crying in hysterics now for two days. I want to curl up into a ball and find a happy place!!

Comments
on Oct 15, 2005
Oh, Alison.....come to Illinois for a vacation. It's not raining here.

Seriously, know that whatever can go wrong, will go wrong when they're away. It's like murphy's law. You just kind of deal with it and press on. Hardin should get used to listening to the bitching.....

As for your landlord....are you responsible for repairs on your place? Look at your contract to see if you are. If you're not....then he needs to 'fess up the dough. Tell him he has a legal obligation to pay for it, and see what he says about it.
on Oct 15, 2005
Dharma:
I totally should! I need a break!! If only I didn't have to go to school on monday! As for Hardin pissing me off with not understanding, I would break plates, but that would just add to the mess.

Hardin said he's going to look into the lease when he gets home tomorrow.

Are you home? I really should give you a call!
on Oct 15, 2005
It's like murphy's law. You just kind of deal with it and press on.


A hard thing to do but it's the truth. Hang in there girl!
on Oct 15, 2005
shovelheat:
I'm trying to find the silver lining in the soppy wet raincloud!
on Oct 16, 2005
I dont know about NY, but in Va, there is a tenant Landlord Act that basically says you dont have to pay because they have not lived up to their end of the contract.  Document everything and check with the laws.  I gigged a Landlord early in my life (I was 22) based on the fact that I knew the law, and they hated me for it.  But they did what I demanded too.
on Oct 16, 2005
Dr. Guy:
very good point.... I'm e mailing myself everything so I don't forget a detail. Hardin is going to look into the lease tonight. Thanks for the suggestion!

To all:
Now that I've had a good night's sleep, I feel ten times better!!
on Oct 16, 2005

Now that I've had a good night's sleep, I feel ten times better!!

YEAAAAA!!!!! (ROARING CHEERING)  Now into the battle and vanquish that clown!

on Oct 16, 2005
Dr. Guy:
Hehe...It's time to go kick some ass!
on Oct 16, 2005
Link

I don't know the intricacies of your living situation, but that link covers the laws in your state regarding tenant/landlord law.
Like I said, if he doesn't want to play nicely, you can tell him you're going to file a complaint with your housing authority. NY state takes 'slumlord' allegations pretty seriously....
on Oct 16, 2005

NY state takes 'slumlord' allegations pretty seriously....

I dont know, but I would suspect that the laws in NY are a lot tougher than in Va.  Just a hunch.

on Oct 16, 2005
dharma:
I had a talk with him today and he seems to be cooperating now. I am still going to have Hardin look at the lease and direct him to the link you posted.

Thank you for all of your help...hope the party is fun!

Dr. Guy:
Naw, in NY they probably cost 4782319 times more
on Oct 16, 2005

Naw, in NY they probably cost 4782319 times more

Damn!  Live and learn!  I hope they at least are as effective.

on Oct 16, 2005
Wow, and I thought a whole day of rain here was too much...sorry to hear about the problems you are having. ) Here's hoping that rain lets up soon!