Last week the bathroom of apt 47 saw some action. Things have been grouted and patched. For reasons unknown the perfectly good toilet was repaced with a less good toilet. This one is new, but much lower and lacks a seat.

For a few days we had to pour water from the tub to make it flush but now there is a tank that flushes (usually).

Also the floor in the kitchen was worked on. For some reason it was left overnight with a smelly, sticky goo that Erin (new roommate) stepped in as if she were a mouse and the floor a glue trap. Call me paranoid, but I can't help thinking that things like the glue trap floor and missing toilet seat are more subtle (or not so subtle) form of messing with us (aka harassment).

I have to admit that it is nice not to have the gross gaping hole dropping (rat?) bones and (sewage?)liquid on us as we shower. Does this mean that everything will be up to code soon? That would be good.

Here (above) are a couple of pictures I took around the building this spring. The horrible mess is at the top of the stairs. The cuties in the other picture are My neighbors Nancy and Gustavo.

Apt 47 has been experiencing ongoing problems with our bathroom ceiling. The leaky ceiling is the main reason we stopped paying rent. For the past few months the leak has been stinkier (sp?) than usual. Often, it smells so bad that the hallway out side the bathroom smells like sewage. the smell hits one upon entering the apartment.

This week I will hand deliver a letter to Jose Gonzoles since calls to the super and long island office don't seem to do anything.

There has been an on going fiasco with the mail service.

Many months ago, Bernardo changed the lock on the mail box
and refused to give me a key. I went to the post office and they were not able to help although they did give me the number for the postal inspector. I guess I never called thinking that I had no way to prove he was not giving me my mail.

I just hoped that Bernardo would do the right thing and give me my mail. When I would ask him for a key, he would get belligerent. The last time I asked to make a copy of his key he said that he would think about it. That was over four months ago.

Now it is 2008 and Bernardo has been out of town for about a month.

I thought his friend Kate, who has coming to feed the cat, was getting the mail.

When I asked her about it she said, "No." She had no idea about the mail. She would ask Bernardo the next time she talked to him.

So...last Wednesday, I spent the better part of the day trying to sort the problem out with the post office. The first person gave me the line that there was nothing they could do. It was between me and the landlord. After protesting in the politest way possible, she sent me to another window where I received the same response. I really had to argue my case, saying that the LL also had no key and I needed the letter carrier to open the box so I could get my mail and change the lock. She checked to see that the mail wasn't being held and said I could talk to the letter carrier.

Someone gave me a number to call to find out when the letter carrier would be there. I called and they said he would be at the post office between 3:00 and 3:30...at 2:45 I was at the post office waiting, and waiting and waiting. At 3:35 I got in line and explained again the situation. again getting an unhelpful response.

At some point I called 311 and asked to speak to the postal inspector. They transferred me to the postal inspector's office (I think) where, after explaining the situation I was told to move. I explained that I did not feel I should have to move to another apartment in order to receive mail and was transfered to another person who WAS very helpful and took a report.

The next day I called the number again and arranged to meet the mailman at 11:00. While I was waiting I spoke to to E. Ponce, the super. I said I was having trouble getting mail. He knew. He confirmed what he had told me before, that he did not have a key. He said, "Bernardo changed the lock right?" He explained that it would be easy to change the lock when the mailman arrived we could remove the lock that was there. finally met up with the letter carrier at the boxes in the lobby of 545. He gave me the piles and piles of mail. He was helpful and understanding. We called E. Ponce, the super.

Then for some reason E. Ponce did not want to change the lock. He said he did not want Bernardo to get mad. I don't know why it was fine fifteen minutes before and now he was worried. I explained that he was obligated by law to provide me access to my mail. The mailman seemed to agree. I said that Bernardo has not been around for weeks. I pointed to the month's worth of mail piled up. He called Bernardo and got no answer. Finally he agreed to change the lock.

I got the lock from the local hardware store and gave it to him. He said he would change it and give me the key when he finished. I was happy...I finally got my bank card. I would be able to get my driver's license. I thought the problem was (finally) resolved. What a relief.

Since then I have not seen the super. I have called and called with not response.

Hopefully, he will get back to me with the key soon.