Making ties: home front

Here's what's happening on the homefront:

No heat today. Thermometer reads 65 degrees Fahrenheit, 43 humidity. (Legal standards are 70F and 40 humidity.)

Had far colder days (eg, 60F last week, and as low as 45F / 7C in past winters - or whatever temperature one can blow steam at), but the point here is:

1) I've had NO daytime heating, Monday to Friday, sometimes weekends and several nights, since October 26 - six weeks. They say it's due to 'maintenance.'

2) I now seem to be the only tenant thus affected (unlike two Christmases ago, when someone posted a note on the front door: 'TURN ON THE HEAT!!').

3) My alternate sources of heat - oven and an area heater - both developed sudden problems. (details below)

4) Be interesting to see how my electricity usage rises - though nothing can compare to last winter.

5) Landlord hasn't tried to resolve my heating problems. They say the 'boiler's working beautifully.'

6) After several attempts to clarify this matter, I said a letter might be best, and would send a copy to the City, though I don't expect much support from them. My landlord suppressed a laugh and smiled. Conveniently, there's only one building inspector for the area.


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Heating and Other Problems


Here's one convoluted example of how things seem to connect...

I had no heat most of last week. Then, the day after I'm suddenly encouraged to leave an anger therapy program, the fuse in my apartment blows. (My therapist's reason: lack of progress. Yet I'm far more congenial and less reactive than before, and I've made strides. See this list - #9 definitely applies to my case.)

So I'm sitting in my apartment with no heat, and only one working outlet (the stove).

I put in two new fuses, but they immediately blow again. I try calling the property managers several times. Finally, one answers: nothing can be done till tomorrow.

8:00pm - I leave for a few hours and come back later that night. Temperature has dropped to 60 degrees Fahrenheit, 46 humidity. I, then, notice the oven's heat isn't as strong as before.

So no heat, no working outlets (except stove), and my one alternative heat source is conking out.

Landlord comes the next day.[1] He seems baffled about what to do, and makes three visits that day. Second time, he comes back with a 'certified electrician' (he mentions this several times) and also hands me a mail package. It's the Zippy Recorder I'd just ordered to help document my problems. (Bought in Canada, and I suspect the government's been in touch with the seller.[2])

I won't even begin to tell you how unlikely (impossible?) it is for my landlord to have received mail on my behalf.[3]

In the span of 24 hours, both landlords (property managers) are suddenly stressing their lack of electrical expertise. Over the phone, one says, 'I'm afraid if it's electrical, I can't be of much help.' When the other one comes to my place, he stares at the fusebox from a distance for several minutes, and asks questions, like he doesn't know how to fix it. Then, he brings in a certified electrician to deal with a blown fuse. Yet, under previous management, both these guys had been doing most of the maintenance work.

(See November 15 post, 'More anomalies for mother.')

Landlord says I've overloaded the outlets (not). Then, both he and the electrician suggest I plug my appliances into the stove-top outlet. He stresses that it's a 'more powerful' electrical source. How so? And, funny, I just discovered the night before the oven's bottom heating element is no longer working; it's less powerful, now.

I suspect the new Zippy Recorder handed to me by my landlord won't work properly. I'm correct: sound is seriously distorted. I have to return it.

Household adventures to be continued...

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Footnotes:

[1] If you're thinking my landlord is responsive, this was my fourth complete day and night without heat.

[2] Am having real difficulties getting the Zippy Recorder replaced...

[3] Here's why my landlord couldn't have received my mail:

a) I was home all day, both today and yesterday (ordered item November 24, it arrived November 26).

b) Canada Post should leave a notice, if I was unreachable.

c) Time of day my landlord gave me the package doesn't coincide with mail delivery times, yet he acted like the postman just handed it to him.

4) My landlord doesn't live in the building; he's never received mail on my or anyone else's behalf.


[Edit: Fuse blows again on December 14, so I have a return visit by the landlords (oops, I mean property managers). They're still claiming I've overloaded the outlets. Yet nothing was on, except...my computer. Hmm, weird. Can fuses blow three times in two weeks? This suggests wiring problems, but something like this doesn't just suddenly pop up.]