Uh Oh...

I was scared, and then I saw excerpts from Sarah Palin's interview with Katie Couric.

It went something like this:

Couric: How can it be argued that giving 700 billion to bail out the financial sector is a more reasonable idea than using that same money to directly help middle class Americans who would then put the money back into the economy, while also receiving much needed help with things such as health care and mortgages?

Palin: Well Katie, I think it is important to remember that creating jobs must really be the focus, and that trade is not a scary thing, and that time that Chernobyl nearly blew up was actually a scary thing by almost all standards. Jaws was scary too, but by regulating the nuclear industry and providing clean energy at minimal risk, you can bring the troops home in a safe and sane way, not just yanking them out willy nilly and refusing to use those newer cleaner lightbulbs, which, by the way, are also more attractive and pleasing to the eye with their coil design. Just because Europe wants to jump off a bridge, does that mean that every major industrial nation is supposed to jump too? I mean, this is no Jif commercial. Gays are everywhere. These are serious issues. Do you think I take the deforestation in the rainy regions of the world lightly? There is more to airspace than flying jets in it, and a simple spade will no longer work. We need a shovel."

I feel MUCH better now.

Visitorness....

Little C was here for August. My friend from Washington just visited. Coley's best friend is coming next weekend, having been here once before already. The following weekend after that, my best friend from high school's daughter is coming for a week. Sometime in November a friend from Alaska may come down....

Pretty cool...I've been to the beach a lot...I've named all of the seagulls at the state park...

And yes, the visit with the legal advisor did have a marvelous impact on our property manager. Our sliding bathroom door, garbage disposal, thermostats, running toilet, stove burners and venetian blinds are all repaired! Now I won't roast any more guests, or make them shower with no bathroom door...and we can start heating our food again...apartmental luxeries...

When animals react....

When faced with this severe "economic downturn", animals are quick to respond, in many of the same ways people do...

Ignore the problem, prepare for the worst, blame someone else, turn to God, throw themselves into diversional activities, or surrender to alternative realities....

Charlie has been having episodes of stress-induced eating. I am missing sunglasses, an ipod, a silver necklace and a whole package of "jungle pals" bandaids.

Problem Solving

I think we should let the cat fix the economy....

kungfuninjakaratekittyness

So, I was looking for one of my pictures in my "My Documents" file. The file was called, "Kung Fu Kitty."

I could not find it.

I asked Nicole in a somewhat accusatory voice about my file. She immediately stated, somewhat indignantly...

"I did NOT touch your Kung Fu Kitty."

Which caused us both to take pause...

OK then, as long as she didn't touch it.

Anyway, I did a search to try to replace my file. I found lots of kitties in martial arts action..just really had to share...

Little C Edumacatshun

I wonder how Little C is doing on her first days of school.

I miss her.

Squirrelsabers

Yes, I know.

I have too much time on my hands.

Flasher Squirrel Two

I think I found his nuts, in case he was looking for them...

It's so Charlie....

Charlie ate several pieces of hefty bag that he happened to find on the floor.

He does that. Anything on the floor. Lint. Spiders. Linty spiders. He doesn't care.

If you decide to give him one of those pounce kitty treats, it is important to keep your fingers away from his mouth...

What?

Huh?

A Little Documentation

When we moved into this apartment in late May, we discovered a few problems here and there. The carpet is very old and needs stretched in a big way. The slider door in the master bathroom does not even have a track attached to it. The closet clothing bars are attached to the wall very flimsily, and like to fall down a lot. The toilet gets stuck in the main bathroom, and you have to jiggle the handle. The thermostats in the livingroom and the office room do not work at all....

With the exception of the potential problem in winter, the things are not huge, and we have adapted to them. We wrote our property manager in late June to let her know about the problems, and to request repairs-especially the thermostat and the bathroom door. We heard nothing back from her. We were then told by our neighbors (and the rest of this small town-she has a reputation) that this woman does not respond to requests for attention to the property she manages. She will apparently wait until things are drastic, and respond only to emergencies-then find ways to charge the tenants for the repairs-blaming them for the malfunction...

Now our garbage disposal has stopped. Not plugged, mind you. Just stopped in mid cycle. We did not drop anything down there out of the ordinary. In fact, it doesn't even sound like it is getting any power at all. Just stopped...so now we can't run our dishwasher because the sink is sort of clogged with the disposal not working. Can't find a reset switch on the disposal. I faxed our property manager to explain the situation (as well as to request attention to the thermostats). Again, no response.

So, I have an appointment with a legal advisor on Tuesday. We both really like this apartment and this location, and are a bit concerned that our property manager appears to be like bigfoot...only reports of sightings around town. We are worried that if we pursue our tenant rights, she will start a campaign to get us out of here, or refuse to re-lease to us in a year. I would just get it repaired and deduct it from the rent, but then she will probably charge us the $50.00 late rent fee, and take the repair costs from the deposit anyway at the end of our stay.

So, this blog is another way of documenting our unfolding drama-given that it is date and time stamped and all.

Wish us luck...