Daily affirmations of a word mercenary
I’m moved into the Chateau de Fetzllings, although I still don’t have internet access. I’ve been keeping the moblog updated with lots of photos of both Halloween and the new apartment. I have dozens of photos from the fashion show Friday night, but I won’t be able to post them until my computer is able to talk with the world again.
I took work off on Friday to deal with moving preparations and other logistica…it was a much needed day to myself. One day off for all of this transitional rigamarole? Not bad.
As for Halloween and the fashion show: it was very preparation intensive. I was clothed at 4:30, make-up applied at 5:30, hair at 7:30, waited around until 11:00 to go to the space, waited at the space until midnight, and then participated in the perhaps 20-minute long show. By the time I actually had my moment on stage (avec hoop, natch), I admit to being so tired and cranky that my sashay was probably a little heavy.
My outfit was fun, although not what I was expecting. While the vast majority of models were in corsets, long fuzzy hair extensions, and skanty half skirts, I got a “DORK” crop-top, a bi-hawk (picture two mohawks), and a skirt that went down to my ankles. Ooh, but the best part was this jingle butt cape I had on. That was fantastic. It was sort of a light chain mail, and it made tons of noise. Many of the eight hours that I wore the buttcape were spent absent mindedly shaking my butt to make it jingle. I’d be standing amidst the glamour, spaced out and staring a the wall, and I’d realize that my knees were buckling in quick succession at just the right rate to get that butt-jelly ass jiggle and the accompanying jinglejinglejingle. The jingle butt cape was held together with safety pins and it fell off once, but that noise! I loved that noise.
The rest of the weekend was spent carrying big orange plastic bins from Owen’s house in Wallingford to the new apartment on Capitol Hill. I think as universal punishment for the fact that Andreas is doing a big chunk of moving without me in LA, I had to do all the hauling by myself this weekend.
The new apartment is great, although the move-in process was a little peevesome. When I showed up at 9:30am on Saturday to get my keys, the woman who’d been living there was still moving out. The landlord gave me the keys, and then made it clear that I should, well, leave while they finished moving the former tenant out. But wait: isn’t this my aparmtent now?
I returned at 5:00 on Saturday to find the apartment empty but, well, not totally clean. Those who’ve had the pleasure of living with me know that I’m far from a neat freak, but even I can tell when hardwood floors haven’t been swept or mopped, and it’s even a non-neat freak notices someone else’s toothpaste smatterings on the bathroom wall. Especially when that non-neat freak has paid a $100 non-refundable cleaning deposit, and has to spend $25 and 4 hours on cleaning the apartment herself. I’m trying to figure out how to have “words” with my landlord about that.
Also this weekend: Ariel’s First Trip To Ikea. I found it daunting, but I did get a chance to test out the red couch I want, and it passed. I will go back to fetch it when Andreas arrives. We made I deal: I buy it, he builds it. Works for me!
Hey there. I'm Ariel Meadow Stallings, a native Seattleite who's written my way up and down the Left Coast. Electrolicious is where I post daily randomata, but I also write for a living. My first book, Offbeat Bride, was published last year.
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rebecca
November 3rd, 2003 at 10:55 am
I had the same problem with moving into a dirty apartment. Other peoples dirt is gross.
Jay
November 3rd, 2003 at 12:29 pm
you look deliciously evil!
and about the cleaning/cash situation. it depends on whether the cleaning deposit is for when you move in or move out. should say in the lease. either way, if the landlord is charging a cleaning deposit, then it should be clean. tell your landlord to either give you the money back or you’ll just take it out of your rent. lots of pics, and a whole lot of bitching with liberal use of the “f” word help.
esther
November 3rd, 2003 at 1:38 pm
our landlord tried to shaft us for $500 deposit when we moved out of our last house, citing an unclean house (well we had left it cleaner than we found it). did you take any pictures of the state it was in when you came in? that helps a lot. it’s all about documenting stuff and then following the law to the letter; documenting letters/photos you sent, dates, and also being as polite as possible to the landlord. here is some info on seattle renters rights.
in our case, citing the oregon revised statutes pertaining to the matter, and pointing out that unless he could provide adequate documentation of damage we did past normal-wear-and-tear, was enough to make him give the majority of the $ back (ok, we *had* left a small hole in the wall).
esther
November 3rd, 2003 at 1:42 pm
er that paragraph meant to read, “unless he did . . . THEN we had good cause to seek further arbitration/litigation, etc.” of course you probably want to start off on a good foot with a new landlord, so the rent deduction and maybe a letter enclosed with rent politely saying why you’re deducting it and to contact if they have any further questions about it to contact you?
Kim
November 3rd, 2003 at 2:48 pm
Hoy, yes, the dirt of others is much grosser than your own dirt. I love our current apartment, and our landlord is very mellow & easy-going, but as a result, the apartment has some layers of old grime that I’m still working on. A couple of weeks ago I discovered that our kitchen floor is actually lighter than I thought– the layer of grey is only now starting to come up, after nearly 2 years of weekly moppings! Uck!
You should definitely deduct the cost of supplies & something for your time from your rent– be nice, but don’t let the landlord think you’ll just take that lying down.