I recall someone making a comment that they believed I could be a lively debater in areas of my own knowledge. What better topic than my own life?
There are days that I believe that I could have written Murphy's Law. You know the one that says, "Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong."
Here's just a few of those life situations when I just have to say..boy, did it go wrong....
I have leased an apartment in my current complex for 8 years. The property was sold in 2004 and things seemed to go badly after that.
Some of you know my experience with bad neighbors and their 2:00 AM runs to Burger King and how they hollered their orders from the apartment above mine to the runner outside my bedroom window and and and and and
I complained and finally moved to another apartment towards the front of the complex. If I only knew then what I now know; I should have run far, far away.
(It's amazing what you can find on the net when you have had enough-property codes, tenants rights)

Back in July, the complex was without water. I called the office to see what was going on and was told that yes, there was a problem and that it would be fixed shortly. (It was summer, I had no pressing engagements and that answered worked fine for me.)
At 5:00 PM, when we were still without water, I called again. This time I was told that there was a broken water main and they were working on getting it fixed. It seemed logical to me, as they were tearing up the major road outside the complex. I made a call to a neighboring complex around 8:30 as something just didn’t add up. The answering service shared that there were no complaints as to the water being turned off. I decided to venture out to see what was going on in the neighborhood. I happened across some fellow tenants and they repeated what I had already heard, so I decided to head out and buy several gallons of water. Guess what I discovered as I left the complex? There wasn’t a work crew working on the road. I have been around long enough to know that if the city messed up something like that, they’d work till it was fixed.
Are things starting to add up?
The folks in the leasing office are fabricating some stories. Which in turn, leads me to start wondering what has happened to the money I pay them every month for the water bill?
Nothing I can do at this time of night, so I haul the water upstairs and proceed to vent to a dear friend.
I make a call the next morning and the story is the same, but they have added a twist, which for a few hours I believe. When the water was still not on by midmorning, I called the water department to enquire about the fact that we had no water. Guess who really hadn’t paid the bill to the whopping sum of $17,000? The property owners...Almost 48 hours without water while they run around trying to locate the owner and get funds wired to Houston.
I should have vacated the premises then-but “No”; there was too much going on. I had a wedding to attend in Chicago and plans with my niece during those last two weeks of July. School was starting when I got back from the wedding, and I knew I didn’t need to add anymore stress to my life. (The school building where I work was under construction all summer long and it was reported that we would be delayed in getting in to the building.) I figured I’d send a letter to the leasing office and the owner which would start a paper trail.
I thought that being in arrears to the tune of $17,000.00 couldn’t happen again, but part of me was beginning to doubt.
Anybody smell something rotten? One Monday afternoon, about a month and a half later a note on the door states that the water will be off from 8 - 6 for repairs. I decided to call and verify that, and was happy to hear that the water department was in fact doing some repair work.
I’m seeing a little sun and decide things are going to be ok here and I can ride out my lease. (January, 2008)
That is until late Tuesday evening when I went to rinse the hair color from my head that was needed to cover some gray hairs that have surfaced.
Do you have a visual? Are you thinking the worst? No water? What did she do?
I had water, but not a drop of HOT water. Brrrrr….it was a bit chilly rinsing out that color.
I called and lefta message on the leasing office answering machine requesting they call me back at their earliest convenience. I think I’d still be waiting on a return call.
Guess who didn’t pay the gas bill? You guessed right, the property owner. I’m seething by this time, so I make a phone call and track down the information. This time they are in arrears to the tune of almost $25,000.
I took the rest of the day off to come home and try to figure what to do first. After talking to an attorney who advised me to move out that night, I decide I better start looking for a place to live and start packing my belongings. (Be out tonight? Not a chance!)
I composed a letter to send to the leasing office and the property owner advising them of my intent to vacate in 30 days. Signed, sealed and delivered.
I made a box run and headed home to start the packing.
It took almost 5 days for the bill to be settled and the gas restored.
To make a long story short, I have found a place to rent (a cute little house with a white picket fence) and am currently surrounded by boxes, packed and unpacked.
I came home tonight and decided I’d pick up the package that was delivered to the leasing office when I wasn’t home. I arrived a little after 5:00 pm to discover that the office had closed early.
I didn’t think a thing about this as it had been raining heavily most of the day and the roads were starting to flood.
I did a few things around the apartment and decided to heat up some leftovers for dinner. When I went to wash up, I discovered NO HOT WATER.
I only have 11 more days here, but if those 11 days are without hot water…..
hmmm..."I am woman, hear me roar?"

Wow! I don't know what to say other than I am so, so sorry that you are having trouble like this. You have, or rather had, a lovely apartment and I know you had horrendous problems before you moved into it. Now you have to move again through no fault of your own.

I do hope that things go well in the move and you have better luck with your next landlord.

I know it's not easy but try and keep smiling.

Regards
Alan

If anything, this entire experience has gotten me to stop and think about a lot of things. I am guilty of getting so caught up in life, that I take many things for granted.
I have stopped quite a few times, and reminded myself that I have a wonderful life but am currently dealing with some gray clouds. In reality, I don't have a worry or concern in the world. ( all I have to do is turn on the news to see what atrocities are going on in the world and what people are facing)

I am looking forward to the move and getting settled into my little house.

Thank you for your kind words Alan!
I'm off to pack some more boxes.

This is grave concern, how do you maintain cleanliness, personal hygiene, it is insufficient. I wash in Kaltwasser if this is happening to me, It is incompatible to my life and culture to be unclean. I have no requirement for hair color. It was a little confusing to read you're post.

You will call this owner und make this owner comply with commands to ensure clean living environment. You live in a hot climate. It is good to read you have neu home with a white fence, why is white fence of such social importance to Amerikanerinnen I do not know or understand, I have heard of this white picket fence before.
I have seen in movies also.

So ist das Leben ..ja?

Herr Alan, you are not frequently posting as you used to? Herr Horizon is telling me you have friend girl Freundin ja, lol perhaps you will now learn to follow orders lol
which will you revue now?

Frau Lulu,
I made numerous attempts to contact the property owner. The certified letters that I sent have gone unanswered. The phone call I made to his office did not result in a return phone call. When the utilities were turned off the 2nd time, I knew that I could no longer reside in this complex. I spoke with an attorney and while he offered advice, it didn’t seem to be something he wanted to deal with at the time. So, I am making my way using the resources at hand. I have spent a good number of hours searching the net for property codes and tenants rights. My intent is to look at small claims court to recover some of the expenses I have incurred due to the landlord breaking the lease when he did not pay the utilities. Time will tell.

The white picket fence has some historical reference. White picket fences were used to mark one's property. Some city codes demanded that residents erect white picket fences around their property.

When I was growing up, every little girl dreamed of owning a house with a white picket fence. People today look at a house with a white picket fence as accomplishing one's dream of home ownership. The white picket fence has become an icon of American Culture.

Yes, that is life. If things always went according to plan, I don’t know how I’d manage.