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Living in Borrowed Space The building I live in has been threatening renovations since the beginning of May. When I returned home from tour, I discovered that my door had been left unlocked for days and someone had taken my stove and replaced it with a new one (this is not the M.O. of your typical thief). I checked my mail and discovered a notice stating that they were planning to completely renovate our kitchens and bathrooms as well as replacing baseboards and light fixtures throughout the apartment. Since these plans included painting and tiling, I knew I would have to move out while they did the work, since I am so sensitive to fumes of any kind. The notice said that they were planning to do the renovations from June to July so I made arrangements to live in Africa's room while she was away for the summer. August rolled around and they finally began the renovations in the first set of units. They worked for 2 weeks and then disappeared. Still no notice as to what was going on. They reappeared in mid-September and started again on the same units. Sept 23 and 24 my apartment was filled with fumes from the work in the apartment beside mine and I was forced to move in with Bear and Africa, crowding their apartment. Finally the building manager told me that they were going to start work at my place on the 6th. I made arrangements to move out for those 2 weeks, but when the notice came it seems the plan had changed. Now they were planning to paint all of the remaining units before beginning on the renovations. Ok, that means I have to move out twice. I can handle this. They started the suites upstairs in my section on the 6th and started mine on the 8th. This meant that I had to be moved out by Tuesday morning since that was the first day they were painting. I lived with Bear and Africa on Monday and Tuesday night then moved to my friend Smacked's place. Smacked lives with her parents and all three of them conveniently work on campus, so I was able to get a ride 3 out of 4 trips to and from work. It also meant that I got to hang out with Smacked, which is nice because she's a really fun person, full of new thoughts and passions. Then back I went to Bear and Africa's place for the Thanksgiving long weekend. This week I will probably be living with Chnaners and taking the LRT to and from work everyday. I'm trying to move around a lot so as not to overstay my welcome in any one place, although Africa wants me to move in permanently. I phoned both my building manager and the renovation company, trying to find out when they would be painting in the section next to mine. A call back was promised and never came. I called them again. Again a call back was promised and never came. I think that there's a reason their phone number ends in 666: they are the devil's renovators! It's been a huge pain not being able to live in any one place. I'm constantly running between my car and my apartment and my "current residence" trying to gather whatever I need for what I'm doing. I keep running out of food or clothes or shampoo, a hundred little things. I haven't been able to start on Bear's anniversary present and that day is looming nearer and nearer. Every time I visit my apartment I get increasingly sad and upset. The kitchen is a mess, with paint in patches on the walls, counter and light switch. The stove, fridge and counter-tops are smeared with grease. In the bathroom, the mirror and light fixtures are dusted with paint. The bathtub is crusted with plaster, and the hallway is littered with paint chips. Despite my phone calls the renovators have persisted in leaving my ground floor patio door wide open every day (thank god no one has broken in), and have bent the screen and frame so that one of the doors doesn't close. I know that I'm going to have to move out again when they do the second half of the renovations. I know that I'm going to have to be a nomad while it's snowing out. I've also guessed that as soon as the renovations are done my rent is going to go up and I'm going to have to move out. I curse the owner of the building, may he rot in hell (or at least live someplace where they renovate forever). I just want to go home and live in the apartment that I'm paying so much for. I want to put my cupboards back in order and clean up the debris left by the invasion. I want my paint to all be the same color, the water from my taps to be clean, and I want the extra boxes to vanish from my living room. I want my life back. I'm tired of being a homeless nomad apologizing for my in-the-way existence. I need to stop living in borrowed space.
2003-10-14 || 3:41 p.m. |
