Packing Day.

Today is the big day to just buckle down and pack everything once and for all. Armed with boxes from E's move, I'm hoping to get everything in boxes and all the furniture broken down and in the back room between 4:00 and 8:00. Probably a bit too much? I don't disagree, I think I might be short on time.

The good news is I did find a U-Haul for Saturday's big move day at 2:30. I'll have until 7:00. I'm hoping with the 4 guys I have helping that it will be plenty of time, but who the heck knows these days.

I am SO looking forward to being out of there, and more looking forward to the walk-thru at the end where I make the piece o shit people sign a nice piece of paper saying that my security deposit will be returned in full.

I'm still trying to get the Consumer Advocacy people to call back and give me the damn amount of money that they owe me - I really just don't think that it's right to pay $575 for a place you can't live .... and a place that still isn't liveable, because it still has no ceiling!

The fun of moving ...

It's so much fun to move when you're apartment still isn't fixed and your landlord keeps telling you it will be on certain days. It's a nice b*tch to get a note saying "We're hopefully fixing it today (Sunday) or tomorrow (Monday) so if you could please refrain from being here since the whole ceiling is coming down, I'd appreciate it." Then you aren't there Sunday or Monday (your packing days) and come to find out Tuesday morning that there's still a giant whole in your kitchen... (it's been 36 days - but I'm not counting!).

I'm really hoping they don't pull the card this weekend, since it's the big move days because I will tell them no and stick to my guns about it. I've got about 6 boxes packed and a long way to go.

Now that I have a moment.

You almost need a vacation from a vacation to Vegas. Whew!

THE APARTMENT AKA CRAP HOLE W/O a CEILING
Turns out I had to pay $575.00 to live in the shit hole. I got too tired of fighting. My favorite part is the note that said they'd have it done Monday before I left. Then on Thursday I got one that said it would be done Monday while I was gone, then on Monday I got a call from my male landlord saying Thursday, so I shouldn't come home and make other arrangements. On Thursday night it said Saturday. They even told the building inspector Saturday. On Sunday afternoon she wrote a note saying it would be done on Sunday or Monday (today). So I'm wasting sometime with the puppy I'm sitting so that it's 6:30 when I get there to pack up a couple things, shower (use their damn water!) and get some clothes ready for tomorrow. Then it's off to the boyfriend's.

THE BOYFRIEND
For all those waiting on the Match update. He never responded to Nikki's wink or email - so that's a good sign. And it says he's been inactive for over 3 weeks. I never adressed it, because I lack a spine. While I was on vaca, I got those wonderful text messages saying he missed me - and I really did miss him too. On Thursday night was a big awards banquet for Advertising so I went there planning on leaving at 7:00 to see him since he'd have his son till about 4:00. At 7:30 I texted him that I was leaving, he informed me his ex-wife needed him to take his son until around 8:30. I relecutantly stayed longer, exhausted from the lack of sleep in Vegas and home from Vegas. By 8:30 I hadn't heard from him, so I left on my own. 1/2 way home to the 'View, he called and asked what I was doing, "Driving home." And then he asked me to come over, so I did. It was so great to see him, we made out like the first night we met. I didn't even care that he tasted like onions. Of course NG was around, so we scampered away for a little loving and when we were done we chatted a bit before being told to go to the bar. I got my tired ass up and joined them for a little while, before passing out in his arms at 2am.

Friday was almost the same routine, I needed to get ready for my mom's surprise birthday party and that included going to the restaurant to pick out the menu. It was packed, so we dined at the Irish Pub by work and then tipped back a couple cocktails. I was still exhausted, so when we got back he stayed up and drank as I slept soundly for the first time in a week.

Then Saturday rolled around. No one showed to the party and then I was informed that my sister wasn't coming -she was throwing her own afterwards. That meant my brother wasn't coming either. So much for 33 people - it was more like 15 and most of them family. I was almost in tears, I begged the BF on his VM to get over there at 4:30. He showed up at 7 - I wasn't happy and I had consumed a bit too much alcohol to fulfill my bill. We tried another bar and he was stand offish, so I left.

On Sunday we went to a bar to see the game. I still wasn't in a mood to deal with anything. I had slept like crap at my apartment in the 'View, no longer adjusted to the noises that went on. Then it was off to Franklin to dog sit, then back to the 'View for the game. When he finally arrived about 12:00, he informed me that he'd have to go get his son after the game - so much for that day I thought we could just hang out - and I informed him I wouldn't be bowling. I invited him to a cook out at the house, but he declined. After he left I almost cried.

Relaxing with Rach, G, NG and his girl while cooking steaks and watching the Bears vs teh Cowboys, he finally called at 9:00. He was headed out to Franklin. I just wanted him to come to me for once - and he was. Except for some minor freak outs by a party that was way too intoxicated, it was nice. After everyone left we just sat there in eachother's arms and he asked if I was going to watch Heroes, I said of course. Then he gave up Monday night football officially, just this one night, so we could see it together.

Ugh. I'm falling in love.

Kinds of friends.

I've recently decided that my friends can be divided into certain catagories ...

"I'll be there when ever you need me - as long as I don't have plans, my boyfriend doesn't have plans, something doesn't come up, etc"
They have the best intentions, but alas, not so good with the follow through.

"I'll be there because, you know, you pick up the tab."
Lately these kinds of friends are pissing me off. Case in point, they were invited to my mom's birthday party - a $250 tab. They came late, still drank on it. In case did shots on it. We go to the next bar, I buy the first round because I can't stand that the BF is whining about the waitress, put the drinks down, NG asks "who's paying for dinner?" BF replies, "MG has an open tab." I looked at him, "I paid cash." I left shortly after. Pissed.

"I'll be there."
People like Biz, R & #1. It doesn't matter what is going on, they'll cancel if they have too. I mean, can't argue with kids like that.

Luck.

You're either lucky or you're not right?

I was pretty lucky in Vegas over the weekend, until that dipsh*t landlord ruined my vacation by calling on Monday to inform me I owed him $375 more for rent and that my ceiling wouldn't be repaired until Thursday. Then I withheld funds for good times, but it was still a great time.

We saw Thunder from Down Under, what a riot. It was extremely entertaining and way worth the over $100 for a corny male strip show. NOTE TO MEN: Why do you think grabbing your crotch is entertaining? It's not that cute looking and really, women are just as turned on in your boxer briefs than butt naked shaking your half limp cock in their face. But I digress.

The best part of the show was when my friend's grandma got called on stage for the lap dance and proceeded to grab his butt - to which he responded by shoving her hand down his pants ... we thought she might have a heart attack but she took it in good measure.

So while I didn't leave Vegas with any money, it was a great time with the mom.

LUCKY IN LOVE
I'm riding the edge now, afraid any second I might slip and say to him that I love him, because I do. I haven't felt this happy in years. To have someone call and say they miss you while you're on vacation is amazing. Then to see them again afterwards and feel like a school girl who's crush just pecked her on the cheek is even better.

Seriously people, this is good stuff. It's hard adjusting to a guy with a kid, there's a lot of times you can't say or do things like you could with a guy with out one, but his son is good stuff too.

He does something that no one else can, he makes me feel wonderful.

And it's been 4 months and he's still the best kisser around.


NOT SO LUCKY WITH MY LANDLORDS
I believe in karma, I do and all I can say is that it's about to bite them in the ass hard core. I've paid $575 for rent in an apartment I can't live in only to continue to have my privacy invaded. AND I STILL HAVE NO ROOF.

They'll get theirs and if they don't according to karma-tic standards, my lawyer will take them out in court.

LUCKY IN GENERAL
I have a good job, I make decent money (although there's never enough), and at 6:00AM on Tuesday (so that's 8:00 Milwaukee time), I got a phone call saying I got my loft. So now I'm feeling pretty darn lucky that I have a place to live in two weeks without having to move home.

Luck is a funny thing.

OH! And even more lucky? Wearing the Pants is back!!

A Plea to Wearing the Pants

I want to be invited, you can't take my blog away!

What friends DON'T say.

Last night was a big client party and in tow were several baseball and football players. The BF is a huge sports fan so I called and left a voicemail rubbing it in his face, "Hey babe, just wanted you to know that these guys are super nice and they send their love." I proceed to also have them autograph the night's giveaway because I think it'll be a nice gift.

Now, it's pretty much the last night I can go out and I'm pretty in the bag, so I start calling people to see what they are up to and tell them about who I met. No one picks up. NG calls back, I tell him jokingly that I'll have to break up with the BF because I'm in love with Chris Capuano. "What does that have to do with me?" he says.

For a guy that sure enjoys that I pay for everything when we go out and feels free to put shit on my tab with out asking, you'd think he could give me a little "awesome" or something.

I told him that I just wanted to tell someone.

Jerk.

Thank god for Vegas!

Mathematics.

This was fun, here's my calculations for rent payment in September, remember there's an additional $158 some dollars for the groceries that got ruined ...

Being that both you and the roofer that came to inspect the premises after the ceiling fell said that there are raccoons in the attic and mold on the boards, and that the damage is still visible with the tarp in the ceiling, that leaves only two out of the five rooms habitable because they have doors (although, doors don’t keep mold spores out only raccoons).

My total rent is currently $650.00, that means each room is worth $130.00 (this is actually not accurate since the 2 rooms with doors are much smaller areas). Since two rooms are habitable due to doors, that brings the rent owed for September to $260.00.

Since the ceiling fell in August and I had already paid my rent, I can abate the prepaid rent for the week of August 25-August 31. If rent is $650.00, that breaks down to $162.50 per week. This means that each room is worth $32.50 a week. Since I prepaid for five rooms and only two are habitable, the rent I am owed from August is $97.50.

After subtracting these items, my total owed to you is $3.57.


Very. Nice.

Now that I have a bit of time ...

9:00am - Cop arrives at office.

We chat about what has happened. So here it is. This past weekend, she enters my apartment without consent, cleans the fridge and throws out everything. Then, according to her letter, went through my closets, my bedroom, my bathroom & my backroom. She details in the letter how she believes I need to clean & organize better, that she took the time to put some items in order and that she noticed the cat had peed on a blanket in back (which was in a CLOSED plastic container so I could take it to the dry cleaners). Fearing that he had done it to everything, she removes 5 blankets, 4 pillows and puts them outside on her patio. SIDE NOTE: I had one pile of towels on the livingroom floor and a laundry basket full of clothes. All rooms w/doors were shut.

Sunday comes along and I get the letter. I inform her in a note myself that she needs to give me 12 hours notice and that she has completely violated my privacy. I WILL be out October 1st.

I call her and her husband to inform them that I'm done, I'm sick of my rights being violated and perhaps they need to look into tenant law. I've turned in my notice.

Monday I stop home because it's raining. Sure enough, my kitchen is flooded. I take video of everything, including me locking doors, turning off fans and lights. I pack two boxes and head to Franklin. I say hi to the Bumpkin, proceed for football at the BF's house and then hightail it to the dog I'm sitting.

Tuesday I come back, video camera in hand. I notice the top lock is not locked. I take video as documented proof that she has AGAIN, gone through things. I pack more. It's 2am, no call from the BF. Might as well sleep in the shit hole.

It's 7am, I'm in the shower. I hear pounding. Shampoo is in my hair. I answer the door in a bathrobe, it's my landlord. "Listen, I've informed you that you owe me 12 hours notice by law."

"No I don't. I own the property, I can enter when I want." Puts down the tenant law papers with a section highlighted. People enter my apartment. I proceed to the bathroom, put on my pajamas and head to work. I'm done.

I call my dad who has a property landlord. She informs me that my rights have been violated, so I need to (a) Call Neighboorhood services - already done, (b) file a complaint and call health department - already done, (c) file a police report for breaking and entry and theft of belongings.

So I did. The officer comes and I review everything that happens. He informs me that it's a grey area because I haven't paid rent and I haven't been living there. I inform him, I'm not going to get sick or potentially bitten by a racoon by living there. There's a HOLE IN MY CEILING. He says that he'll file the report, but doesn't know the end results due to the situation. He leaves. It's 10:30am.

By 12:30 I ask a co-worker to go with me to see the building inspector. It's 12:53 when I'm just up the road. The inspector calls me, he's there and ready to go. We head up to the apartment, his mouth drops. "This is NOT good."

He informs me that really, the hole is the least of his concerns. There's insulation, there's mold. There's a tarp for godsake that she mis-installed next to wiring. The place could go up in smoke. And please do not turn on any lights for that reason. He also records that I have no windows in my kitchen, that my smoke alarms don't work, that the lock on the back is installed incorrectly and serves no purpose. Then he informs me that while he was waiting he noticed several violations outside the house as well. This has become a head priority case. He'll get back to me in a bit.

Finally, I'm validated. Thank God. I'm not crazy. NS calls back to inform me the place is untentable and as long as she'll let me out of the lease, I can move out under no penalty. Which she agrees too. They also inform me that she's been given a 5-day working order to fix everything or she'll be fined.

Good thing I leave for Vegas soon. Bad thing? I still need to find a place by October 1st.

So now it's a hell of a lot of packing before Vegas and trying to procure the right people to help me move items out of the apartment. I will leave a few items in there since I feel no need to move things to Franklin and back to Bay View in two weeks. It's just not going to happen.

I have to help Biz move tonight at 6:30, then I'm taking a friend with me to pack more. I'm hoping to clear up a lot of boxes that I can use Erica's truck to remove on Friday.

So much for seeing my boyfriend before I leave.

I'm exhausted just thinking about it.

Let's start here.

Friday, go home. Call landlord, fridge is broken.

Saturday, stop home, grab mail.

Sunday, go home to put Packers clothes on before heading to BFs. Find: 9 page letter.

9 page letter details my landlord going through my rooms & things and removing property. Me? Irate. Leave note saying that I will be moving out by October 1st.

Monday, take video of illegal entry by landlord. Clean up after rain.

Tuesday, go home to pack and potentially get laid (BF lives down the road). BF doesn't call, it's 2am. I go to bed at the apartment.

Wednesday, 7am in shower. Landlord pounds on door. Insurance adjusters are here to look at ceiling. I inform her that she needs to give me 12 hours notice, she informs me she can enter at will and gives me the tenant law.

7:25am. I'm crying from being stressed out. Call my dad, get lawyer.

8:00am. Talk to lawyer, I have been violated. Call Neighboorhood services, call health department, call cops for illegal removal of materials.

8:25am. Call police department.

9:00am. Cop arrives at office.

Updates.

Dunt, Dunt, Duh! At this time next week I'll be in the wonderful, warm town of Las Vegas at a roulette table, putting all the money on 8 and 15 sipping a Captain & Diet.

Update on items...

My leg is healing well from the mishap on home plate - my ego is doing much better as well.

Dogsitting is fabulous, but I still miss being in one bed and would die for a good night's sleep. I think the poor boy has an ear infection, but we cleaned them up pretty well last night so I'm hoping it helps.

The whole sister fiasco is still a fiasco, I should have an answer tomorrow. The truth is, now I don't care, I figure I should save money anyhow since I'm looking to move.

Which brings me to the apartment. I still have no ceiling and the landlords aren't pleased that I haven't paid rent. On the phone, one actually told me that she couldn't afford to have it done correctly, so a guy is going to do it on the side. If the fridge fiasco didn't end my want to stay there, that sure did.

I'm still looking for a place and having difficulties really falling in love with anywhere. The loft would be really nice, but I'm a tad-bit wish washy on that too. I'm not IN LOVE with it, plus it would be a bitch to move my sh*t up 3 levels. Then again, we had to lift everything up two levels to get where I'm at now, so it might not be as bad as I think. I just want a home for me and the bumpkin.

Healing time.

That's my update on my leg. Ouch is all I have to say.

In other news ...

On the Match front, Nik actually contacted the BF with a "wink" and an email on her own. She hasn't heard back. When relating the story to my dad, he mentioned to not jump off the deep end - yet. He said the emails that get sent activate you and then promptly brought me to his computer where his profile had been active within 3 days - and he's in love with his girlfriend, "I'm just too lazy to remove it." So I deleted him and decided that the best way to go about this was to see if he responded to Nik.

On the family front - my sister is a bitch. Turns out my mom found out about her surprise party. I talked with her and we decided to still have the party - except that lovely work of art contacted everyone on my party list and switched it to her house! Wait - you get all the credit for my idea? I don't think so ... though, on the bright side, it does mean I won't have to shell out the $700 ...

Championship Game.

We did it. We beat the 10 year champions and advanced to the playoffs. It was amazing. And then we went to the championship game.

The score is 2-2 in the top of the 5th when the changing of the guard happens, I replace E as catcher. In the 6th, I'm finally up to bat. I concentrate hard, "roll your wrists."

First swing. I miss. Shit. Second swing, crack.

I think to myself, What the hell just happened? I just slammed the ball. Run!

And I trip. In the batters box. By the time I get up, the ball is at first and I'm out.

My favorite part.

My moving out letter includes this little paragraph, my favorite part ...

After consulting with my renters insurance I have found out that according to Wisconsin Landlord/Tenant Law 704.07 in section 4, the apartment currently fits under “untentability,” therefore, if the tenant justifiably moves out under this subsection, the tenant is not liable for rent after the premises is deemed untentable and the landlord must repay any rent paid in advance apportioned to the period after the premise became untentable. I am doing my best to try to facilitate moving out by October 1st since the repairs should be done by September 20 according to our earlier conversation. This way the remaining rent for September that I would owe after the premise becomes tentable would be awash with the rent owed from August.

Let's hope I get that loft!

That's it!

Okay, so I go back to my place this morning to take a shower and great ready for work. There's this funky smell, I just figure it's the ceiling which has still yet to be touched.

I go about my business and realize I'm broker than broke, so I figure I'll grab a frozen dinner and be on my merry way for lunch. Except when I open the freezer there's a warm blast. And as I look closer I realize that all the food in is ruined, because the fridge doesn't work.

Son of a bitch.

So that's it. I'm done. I'm out. I talked with my dad about helping me buy a place since I don't have the savings I should, he agreed under way too many pretenses so it's back to the apartment hunt.

I've found crap. If heats included I can go to $750, if it's not, $650. You'd think that could get you something nice in the 'View - maybe with air conditioning. But to no luck. So funny, because I could get that and more at American Colony when I lived there.

But I don't want to move that far away.

Not the added stress I need right now.

Wearing it on your face.

I couldn't play poker, I'd be horrible. Every emotion is always worn completely on my face - like last night when I was out with TW and NG. I drove home thinking that I'd get the balls up to say something, but I didn't. Not that they all couldn't tell that something was up. Which made him a little extra kissy but I just couldn't do it. At 3:00 in the morning I left, $120 in the hole (reminder - don't open a tab and leave it anymore) and this morning I'm awake with a bit of a hang over still wondering what to do.

Online - Oh no.

So my friend Nikki tells me to get online - NOW. She's recently joined Match and was searching for single guys active within 24 hours ... hmmm. There's my boyfriend. Yup, right there, active with in 24. Nothing like that to ruin your day.

To make matters worse, his criteria - not me. What the f*ck?!

Now I get to the point where I decide what the hell to do. Nikki offers to hit on him (they've never met), I turned her down. That would be a total show of not trusting, and I don't want to know his answer to her questions. The second option is to bring it up - something I can't really see myself doing. I could ignore it, but then I'll just sit here wondering.

Son of a bitch.