phyncke

I get an email note from my landlord that he is going to sell our house - it is five apartments and the house is in lousy shape so good luck with that. I am sure he will have a hard time selling this place but still, that puts me in a state of insecurity. Augh! Just what I need right now. People coming through my apartment and looking at the place. Not what I need. Unbelievable. Not what I need. I am not happy about this. Ack.

In other news - I am still feeling fine so that is good. No ill effects from the Pfizer vaccine really so that was ok. Happy about that. That is all ok.

I just came on to rant about this note from my landlord. It could mean nothing. This house is a behemoth with lots of problems. I think it is a tough sell. I cannot imagine anyone buying this money pit.

More on this, I am sure.

So a few days ago, my neighbor emails me with the subject line, one word "Weird" and details about how she met some guy who is living in our garage and parking his van in our driveway. An older man. He has the garage set up to live in with couch and clothes etc. A few of us email back and forth in WTF fashion and this is yet another example of our greedy landlord trying to get more money out of the house by adding "an apartment" as the garage. I tried to catch a glimpse of the person myself but did not see him all weekend. 

I get a text as I am leaving work "He is sitting in the driveway, chainsmoking cigarettes". So I knew, on my way home that I could take the back street and walk right by that drive way and "run into him". My plan was to snoop, introduce myself and get a look into that garage and see what the heck is going on there. If in fact it is set up as a living space or just storage and figure out the deal. 

I near the place, my home, and end my cell phone convo and saunter into the driveway. The conversation starts in edgy manner. I was a little too aggressive but I suddenly realize the guy will tell me nothing if I don't get him to relax. I get more casual and friendly. Try and lull him to make more conversation. I physically move the conversation into the doorway of the garage so I can clearly see the place. He has a couch (fold out) in there, clothes, a fridge, a computer set up on a table, a rug on the floor. He had just done a load of laundry in our machines and his socks were all over the couch. 

He denied living there and said that he has a place in SF (impossible to verify). But as we conversed, he almost admitted it was a live work space. My question is - there is no running water in there. Where is he going to the bathroom? No bathroom in there! I am afraid of the answers to my questions! 

Earlier in the day, I spent a solid hour, once I got info from the rental board, researching all the contacts for the Code Enforcement Office at the City of Berkeley. Clearly this is an attempt by our landlord to create a habitable dwelling where there really is none. I am going to nail him for this...to the wall. He has no idea. I made friendly with the person. But honestly - Mr. Chainsmoking Weirdo Dude is gonna be gone. 

Long gone. I will keep you all posted on here. For sure. 

So I woke up on Sunday morning to the sound of a chainsaw in my yard and in that disoriented way I have...it seemed a faint sound outside or I thought a neighbor working in their yard. It did not click that I had gotten an email earlier that week from my landlord about yard work being done and I did not realize that it was to be a major excavation of our premises. Yardwork does not really cover it.

Then I hear a rapping on my chamber door down my stairway, none too gently either. It is B***. In tears.

"They killed the palm tree!"

*sobbing*

Holy mother.

The majestic royal palm in the driveway. I look out the window and the top has been sawed off and it is in pieces in the driveway.

One thing about we Berkeley people, we love our trees. We have people sitting in trees to protect them from being cut down and this one was a 100 year old landmark.

I get dressed and hurry out there with a sinking heart. It is too late to save that palm but I check to see what they are going to do to the other trees in the yard...the fig trees, the pine and the other ones I don't know the name of. They had major plans to cut them back and ruin them. I got those plans revised as they are our shade and privacy shields from the street and park areas. I am friends with the work chief on the crew so he held off until I could talk to the landlord.

So now, my window has an unobstructed view of R***** Street where I used to see a 100 year old palm swaying in the breeze. I am so upset and we plan a ceremony for that tree in our yard. It was a friend to us...

Here is what the palms look like...

( A web sample of the royal palm trees... )

Much sadness for the loss. When I looked at the tree logs, there was no rot in the wood of that tree which was the reason the landlord cited for cutting it down. It was a hazard. Uhhh no. Don't think so.

Pave paradise put up a fucking driveway...

A treat of unknown origin today but no less lovely. A fine sample of the male form...

*Not work safe*

( Unknown photographer... )

Comments are welcome.

In other news...

I got a phone call/voice mail from my landlord who expressed surprise at the "serious tone" of my letter back to him. He says he intends on making capital improvements but did not (again) detail what those might be. I do not think he knows what he is doing. His latest annoyance is to take one of the tenant parking spaces for "workmen" to use. He is going to put up a No Parking or You Will Be Towed sign and take the spot. He better not park there. Or his a** is mine. He is saying that spot is for contractors not for his own personal use. He goes to school right down the street and I have a feeling he wants the spot for himself. Now, if he wanted the spot for himself, he just had to say that. It is his property. I think I am going to call the rent board and see what they say about this. I am so in the mood to nail this guy for every little thing that he does> I just got an email that he is outside doing yard work and making noise here. I find that REALLY annoying.

I went to the movies yesterday and saw Dan, Real Life or whatever the title was. It was ok. I found only one scene to be really memorable. I do like Juliete Binoche. Today, I am going out to the park and then to do food shopping. Going to get some things done.

The other thing I did this week was get a flat tire and I used the FIX-A-FLAT thing on it. You fill the tire with this foam stuff and it fixes the tire. Surprisingly enough it seems to have fixed it and the tire inflated and I am able to drive on it. I am still going to get the tire checked out next week. But the leak seems to be plugged and it is holding. Well, we will see when I go look at it in a little while. Who knows. It could be flat again.

Hope you all are well. Halloween is coming up and I have no idea what to wear for a costume. We are having a pizza party at work that I am in charge of and I am supposed to go in costume. Uhhh...

That is about it here.


by nienna_weeper