Slum Lord

I did not have a good Thanksgiving break. Nothing big, just the usual friends and family annoyances and arguments, but I really wanted a stress-free week. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. In fact, the time I spent at work and thoughts of coming back up to school were the best parts of the entire break.


Actually, I should clarify. I was looking forward to coming back up to school. That was until I got a call from Silva last night. He had come back a day early to work, and when he arrived in the apartment, he found that we had no heat. None. Somehow, our, to quote our landlord, "brand new" boiler broke and left the apartment ice cold. And considering it snowed a few inches since we left and we have experienced below normal temperatures the last few week, the place has been in a prolonged deep freeze. Silva ended up sleeping fully clothed in the fetal position with a number of blankets on him and a space heater blasting on his face.

You would think restoring a tenant's heat and hot water in late November would be a priority, but not for our landlord. When I got back in Oneonta, it was about 3pm, and unfortunately our heat was still broken. When I called the guy up, he said to me, "Yeah, I know, it's freezing there. I called my guy to come fix it, but he's not picking up his phone. I'll try to get him tomorrow. Later!"

I think this is honestly bordering on unlawful. If you can't get "your guy" to come fix our fucking heat for us in the winter in upstate New York, then get a new guy. Saying that it's the holiday weekend and he might just not want to do it is bullshit. I can guarantee that if it was the LANDLORD'S heat, it would be fixed immediately. Not only can't we really sleep here, but we can't bathe or cook, since we have no hot water to clean the dishes. It's an awful situation. Luckily, we got two space heaters for our rooms, and they're making it slightly more bearable, but it's still freezing in the hallway and living room, I'm guessing mid-30s.

So with a break that added extra stress, living in a meat locker, a paper due Thursday, and finals right around the corner, I am not looking forward to the next few weeks. I'm waking up extra early to run out to the coffee house down the street to warm up and get some work done in a peaceful, quiet atmosphere with an interior above freezing.