WWYouD?

Almost everyone in my house (six different apartments) is moving out this summer, so my slumlord has been hanging out showing the apartments to potential tenants. Whenever I see a new line-up of people, I’m faced with the dilemma of “do I tell them”. Do I tell them about the mice? Do I tell them that we are pretty sure we saw roaches in our kitchen last week? Do I tell them that the landlord is a total sleazeball-asshole? Do I tell the basement people about the huge pipe that burst and spread mould throughout their place?

On the one hand, it seems like a dick thing to do. As much as I dislike my landlord, I shouldn’t be trying to screw things up for him. That’s bad karma and shit. WWTDLD*? And hey, maybe the people that are moving in have a cat who will keep the mice away, or really like signing ridiculously sketchy leases in my landlords’ hip bachelor-pad (maybe he’ll even invite them for karaoke like he did me). Maybe it won’t even be an issue to them. I should just leave it alone. The apartments ARE really nice when you don’t think about what’s happening behind the dishwashers.

But…

But then I see a young couple with a baby. A tiny baby that could potentially be living in a mouse-infested, maybe cockroachy place. And THAT’S when I start feeling like I should say something. I should warn them that we’ve had problems like this in the past (in the present!) and maybe they want to keep that in mind. And if I tell the young couple with the baby, I should tell everyone else. Right?

But…

But I don’t want them going in to see the place and telling the landlord that “the girl next door said there were mice…” I’m pretty sure the landlord already hates me since I ask him to fix things when they’re broken, and I don’t want to add “mouse snitcher” to the list.

(side note: mouse snitcher sounds really dirty. I’m going to leave it in.)

So then I think that I should, instead, post an anonymous thing on Craigslist telling people that there are mice and that the landlord is craycray.

But…

But then I go back to the whole “don’t be a dick” thing and I don’t end up saying or doing anything.

What would you do if you were in my situation?


*TDL refers to The Dalai Lama

Spring Cleaning

Spring cleaning is going to be different this year.

Every spring I do a big wardrobe switch (put my winter clothes in storage and take my summer clothes out), and I inevitably end up filling an entire garbage bag full of clothes to give away to Goodwill. It seems that even though I’m constantly getting rid of things, I always have too much stuff. This spring, though, I’m determined to get rid of a ton of crap. Not only has my style changed, but I’ve lost weight too. There’s no use holding on to something if it’s going to look baggy on me.

It’s hard, though, because I constantly second-guess throwing things away “just in case” I put weight on again. As a fat girl, you get used to having fat clothes; clothes that fit you when you’re at your heaviest, clothes you wear when you’re feeling fat…not to mention the fact that most days you’ll go through a tiny freak-out where NOTHING looks good, so it’s necessary to have a lot of clothes so you can at least kind’ve feel okay about going out in public. You need to have these things lying around, because you can’t keep buying new clothes whenever your weight feels like yo-yoing.

This spring I’m going to get rid of all my old, fat clothes. Even my PJ pants that I love more than anything else in my wardrobe! I’m going to donate all my old tank tops, throw out that pair of shorts I’ve never worn, and get rid of old necklaces I haven’t worn since 2002. Everything! Gone!

While I’m at it, I’m going to throw out all sorts of old junk I have lying around too! I’m going to purge some of my books, get rid of random computer cables that are stored in boxes, throw out all those tiny baskets I’ve accumulated that just keep getting stored one in the other.

…God, I sound like an episode of Hoarders or something…

I always try to purge and get rid of stuff, but I always end up with junk stored in boxes and drawers. It’s frustrating and I’m not quite sure why I do it. Maybe I’m just a clutter-y person when it comes to my night stand?

I got a promotion and can not only afford new storage units, but I can afford to buy a few new items of clothing. I’m going to need to get this into my brain: I am an adult now with a real, adult job. I don’t have to live like a student/poor person. I can make a space my own.

I used to think that when one becomes an adult they become clean; clean lines in the house, not much clutter, everything has a space, nice art on the walls. I guess I thought it just kind’ve magically happened when someone reached their mid-20s. In seeing many houses with many adults, though, I guess that’s not really the case, and I don’t think that will be the case for me. I like things to be clean, yes, but I also like colour and having lots of art on the walls. I like a house to feel cozy and lived-in. I like blankets and pillows on the couch, interesting books on the shelves and frying pans hanging on the wall. I need to purge and get rid of crap, but I’m sure I’ll always have at least one box of junk in storage.

But you won’t see any more fat clothes hiding in closets. THIS I’m committing to. Hopefully.

For Rent

For rent: A gorgeous three bedroom apartment just five minutes away from Christie station and the College Car. 

Located in the heart of the city, this hidden gem comes with all sorts of perks and is on the leading edge of the eco-friendly movement!  Kitchen is fully equipped with a dishwasher and washer/dryer included and bathroom comes with a tub (small).  Huge balcony in the summer provides lots of space to grow plants and suntan in the summer.  Gas range.  

Eco friendly features include the following:

-  The heater is set at the absolute minimal setting and only heats the most important parts of the apartment like the bathroom.

-  In an attempt to save water, we have ingeniously rigged up the shower so that it only works ¾ of the time – think of all the water you’re saving!  In the same vein, the shower is more often cold than hot, saving loads of energy to give back to the planet.

-  All three apartments in the building (seven people in total) share one medium-sized garbage can (holds around 1 ½ full-sized garbage bags) which is picked up every two weeks.  This small size means more opportunities for recycling and composting! 

-  The apartment also comes equipped with low-maintenance, independent pets; practice your best nature-watching skills right from the comfort of your kitchen table!

-   NEW ADDITION: get back to nature with the sound of running water, RIGHT IN YOUR BEDROOM!  Carefully placed holes in the ceiling let water flow freely into containers placed below…sounds just like a waterfall or a running stream! (Buckets free with one-year lease!)

Utilities included.

Parking available.