The Ugly...

Oh yes... it gets worse! 

My apartment had gotten down below 30 degrees while the movers were here and doors had to be left open. My bed was frozen as was every thing else that came off the truck. That night, I  used blankets and slept with all my clothes on, including coat, boots and hat, on the couch, which mind you, was also frozen having been on the truck. Lily slept on top of me; everything else was too cold for her, too...I think it took me several days to warm up afterward.

The very next day, the moving company called me, demanding payment. I told the guy I would be happy to forward the email I'd sent in NOVEMBER with billing instructions. I also said that I would consider paying my share when perhaps more of my goods actually got here and/or their insurance person contacted me.


The weather continued to be cold, colder, coldest. And then....we had an ice storm. Not a little one, but circa 1996 in Spokane. 

It had been a typical snowy day and I decided that since I was off early, I would run to Portsmouth, NH for some errands. I headed to Hampton as what I needed was there. Mid-way out, all the snow turned into freezing rain. I inched my way to a Subaru dealer and had my wiper blades changed over to heavy winter version, which is a solid rubber here so ice will not dam up in them. With my defroster on high and temp set at 85, I could at least keep the window clear. Going back across that bridge was dicey -- cars off the road everywhere! What normally would have been a 30 minute drive became an hour and a half, but at least I got home. All of the highways were sheets of glass, at least 2" thick.

No sooner was I home than bam! A flash of green light and all the power was out! No power here equals no water and more importantly, no heat. Someone must have hit a transformer on the highway. Luckily, I'd found blankets by then and Lily and I snuggled in for the night. I told her we were camping..good thing I always keep a flashlight in my purse....Another night sleeping (or trying to) in clothes and full body wear --

Later the next day, the power came back on, but my heat did not. I came home from work to find my apartment at about 45 degrees. The heat had quit. I checked the propane tank and it indicated I had plenty left. My landlord came and commented that he noticed it had been making funny noises when the movers were here, so he'd gone in and changed the filters. Apparently, there was an issue with dust on the igniter and the pilot wasn't firing up. He wanted to wait and see if it resolved itself as he was able to at least get it back on.


Over the course of a few days, the heat kept going off and on. The night I came back from Bangor, it was off and the apartment was excrutiatingly cold. Now it seems to be mostly on and the consensus is that because the filters had been so dirty, dust had clogged the line. But let me tell you, no heat here mid winter can be serious business for so many reasons.


I hooked up my TV only to find the cable wasn't working. I called and got a recording saying outages in the area. I called my landlord who did have cable working. I called Time Warner back and was told outages relate to dates of install, not general areas where things are at. Ok..... I wait three more days and still no service and it's only happening with the main TV. They send a repairman out and lo and behold, they find the first tech had disconnected the line after he'd verified it. I will not be charged for all those days without service. 


The moving company continues to call me about payment. I tell them I will have to make installments, but not until my missing goods are replaced or found and I hear from the insurance lady. I remind them hospitals have approval committees and that if they'd done as requested in November, they'd have had an advance payment for that part.


Five days later, I get a call from the truck driver. He is in Long Island, NY now and they've found more of my things, behind the other person's shipment. He is on his way back. Two days later, they show up -- another snowy and bitter cold day. He tells me all about their adventures in New York with that big truck. Rather than rent a shuttle truck, they again park up on the highway and we use my car to shuttle items. Miraculously, my little tv has shown up, although I haven't tested it yet. Other things also come back damaged. Other things are STILL MISSING. 

The driver tells me he cannot give me the goods until I give him payment, per his boss at the moving company. I tell him no payments will be exchanged until 1) ALL goods are given to me and 2) they pay for what is damaged! I tell him he either off loads the goods or I will be happy to call the local police to the scene. I send an e-mail to the moving company promising the same thing. After thinking long and hard about this (aka more delays), they give me what they've found, mind you things are still missing. I tell the driver I am not so much angry at him as the way this whole thing was handled, broken promises, time frames and damaged articles. I tell him I will take further legal action as necessary until things are rectified. And I may have to do just that.


I spent about six hours unpacking last night. So many things are mislabeled.  So much paper. So little time. It is ridiculous! 


I went to Home Depot last week to get a piece of finished carpet to put in front of the washer as the floor is just too cold on the concrete. I buy carpet pad. The kid looks at what I am buying and cuts the pad. I get things home and wrangle the carpet to the basement. I unroll it fresh out of the package. It has a bald spot on it. The pad is cut two feet too short. What is this black cloud following me, for goodness sakes??!!


I call the store and they should make an adjustment for me without having to take everything back.


I have developed a leak in my "dry" basement. Water is running in rivulets down one wall. The landlord can't tell if it is from condensation on a pipe from the furnace or if there is a crack in the concrete, or caulking is missing or....it will be spring before we can tell. The basement slopes pretty seriously down to one corner, so I am putting things I don't care about on that side. 


The basement stairs are open style. That is, they are just stairs without backing on each step and there is only one wall to the left, no railing. The entire right side is open, so if one were to slip, you'd fall about 5-8 feet onto the concrete or go through the stair step. Lily has been terrified about these stairs. She would peer down at the top when I went to do laundry or work down there. One day, she ventured down a couple of steps and stopped, whimpering as she must have felt she was suspended in space. I had to sit and pat each step for her to come down. Of course, once she did, she regaled in smelling smells from home and yard and was quite happy. Reluctantly, she went back up when we had lunch. 


Next time was a little easier, and then she found it to be a sport as the stairs will wobble when you go on them. Up and down she would go with ease. Unfortunately, she has now decided she likes them so much that she wants to dash down before I've turned on the light! I am so afraid she will just dive off the edge -- I have to hold her collar so she waits for the light to come on. She likes the carpet piece and lays on it while I am working.


All of the venting falls off from my dryer...another call to the landlord as he'd put it on.


Today, I have chosen to be lazy. Still in PJs at 10:30 am. Ate left over Chinese for breakfast. There is a little sunshine out but more snow is forecast. I'll shower soon and run some errands and then back to more unpacking. I really need to catch up on class material, but the professor has been great understanding the delays. 


I am sure I will feel much better after more things are put away.