Apartment life
I live in a lovely apartment building that consists of a big house and an adjoining 1920s building that used to be a dormitory for nursing students. It is generally very quiet, and the residents are very helpful with things like opening doors and offering to give your car a push if you're stuck in your parking spot because of the snow. My only real complaint would be the occasional loud sex from the girl upstairs. If I had a sturdy broom, I could be one of those grumpy downstairs apartment types. But I don't (mine's plastic), so I have to listen to loud moaning that makes Meg Ryan's famous outburst in the movie When Harry Met Sally sound like soft whispering. Fortunately, she doesn't have sex often. Unfortunately, when she does, it is always the night before one of my big exams, and always around 2 am. My apologies to my parents and other adults who may be reading this. I hope it just reminds you how much it stinks to have other people living around you.
Anyhow, someone propped open one of the hallway doors with an MCAT study-guide book. It was there for several weeks. Last week, a note appeared on the hallway door asking whoever took the MCAT book to please return it to the apartment upstairs. A few days passed, and now the note has the addition "Who the hell would steal an MCAT book?! Please return it. You don't have to show yourself."
I really want to write: "Who the hell would prop open a door with a necessary study guide when there is a stack of phonebooks in the foyer?" It seems cruel, though, and I worry that I would be blamed as the thief. At any rate, I am almost certain that one of the apartment maintenance people just threw it away. You aren't supposed to prop open doors in my building.
Meanwhile, there's been a TV sitting out in the hall of one apartment for well over three weeks now. I think the person moved out, didn't have space for it, and figured someone would pick it up. This TV is significantly bigger than my own. I keep planning to call the office and ask them about it, and then forgetting during the day. Maybe I'll do that tomorrow. To be honest, I'm not really worried it will walk away at some point.
So that's what my little apartment complex in Ithaca is like. Now I'm going to try to get some sleep.
Anyhow, someone propped open one of the hallway doors with an MCAT study-guide book. It was there for several weeks. Last week, a note appeared on the hallway door asking whoever took the MCAT book to please return it to the apartment upstairs. A few days passed, and now the note has the addition "Who the hell would steal an MCAT book?! Please return it. You don't have to show yourself."
I really want to write: "Who the hell would prop open a door with a necessary study guide when there is a stack of phonebooks in the foyer?" It seems cruel, though, and I worry that I would be blamed as the thief. At any rate, I am almost certain that one of the apartment maintenance people just threw it away. You aren't supposed to prop open doors in my building.
Meanwhile, there's been a TV sitting out in the hall of one apartment for well over three weeks now. I think the person moved out, didn't have space for it, and figured someone would pick it up. This TV is significantly bigger than my own. I keep planning to call the office and ask them about it, and then forgetting during the day. Maybe I'll do that tomorrow. To be honest, I'm not really worried it will walk away at some point.
So that's what my little apartment complex in Ithaca is like. Now I'm going to try to get some sleep.
posted by megan at
12:10 AM
2 Comments:
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RebeccaP, at 1:02 AM
People are stupid. Such is the downside of apartment life.
I think you should take the TV; items left after a move-out are fair game. That's how we acquired a futon. :)
I understand your temptation to reply to Mr. MCAT; I'd want to write the exact same thing. I also applaud your restraint, because in a slightly (if you're willing to stretch) similar situation, I lost my cool. The provocation was of significantly longer duration, however.
Our apartment complex has so much parking, it's ridiculous. It's not even restricted by permit. I have yet to ever see this parking lot completely full. Yet all year, we have come home to squeeze our way through cars parked in the fire lane only to have our choice of parking spaces within steps of our stairway. It's not a lack of parking that causes these people to park in the fire lane; it's just laziness or something equally annoying.
I finally lost it the other night. Some guy was parked right on the apex of a curve in the fire lane, and I could count at least five spaces immediately avaiable. Granted, perhaps those five spaces were occupied at the moment he arrived, but I'm hard pressed to believe that the ENTIRE PARKING LOT was full and he had no choice but to park where he did. So I ripped up the No Parking sign that was right beside his car - literally, if there had been a passenger in the car, they would have hit the signpost with the door as they opened it - and leaned it up against the driver's door.
I felt a little bad, but I recognized the car from other occasion when it had been parked there, so it wasn't like he was a one-time offender. And I certainly haven't seen it parked there since.
By
RebeccaP, at 1:05 AM
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