Rain, rain, go away.
Jun. 12th, 2013 08:21 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lighterthanairIt's not unusual for this time of year in this part of the world, but it seems like this month has been about 1/2 rain, 1/3 cloudy, and the rest of the time there's actually been sunshine. Which normally wouldn't bother me, since I'm typically a fan of rainy days because it's so much fun to sit by the window and read while there's rain coming down outside, but since the surgery every rainy day, extra-cloudy day, foggy day, and humid day hurts like a bugger, so I'm considerably less happy about it than normal.
Like today, when it's not only raining, but the ceiling in the dining room is leaking again. The landlord has had roofers out here at least twice since I moved in, but she doesn't like to spend money and so always hires discount workers, so the problem never actually gets fixed. And because she likes to spend money so little, I'm half afraid to tell her that the ceiling still leaks. Hell, when the heating stopped working this winter, she insisted that the problem was because I had furniture blocking some of the heaters (as though heat was a solid thing that can't move past, over, or around physical objects), and so any lack of heat I had was my own fault. Ignoring sections of the heater that had nothing in front of them and didn't work, of course. But I fear that if I tell her this, she'll find some reason to blame the problem on the tenants rather than the fact that she owns an older building that she doesn't pay for good repairs on.
So instead I just keep a supply of buckets on hand and hope that the leaks stop soon.
I'm really considering moving out of here when I can. I like this apartment. It's in a very convenient location, the view from the back deck is beautiful (especially at sunset), but between this winter's heating problems, the leaks, and the fact that the only time I can consistantly draw hot water for a bath or shower is when the heat is off in the rest of the apartment (ie, summertime), I really think it's time to start looking for a new place. It can't be soon, because I'm still in lousy health, and by the time I get healthy enough to pack and carry and move stuff, my roommate will be back at school and that will be a big inconvenience, and besides, we're low enough on money as it is... But maybe next summer. If we can survive another winter of lukewarm showers and inconsistent heat, we can save up enough to get out of here in about a year, and move to a place that might not leak so damn much and might keep us warm when we need it to.
In less annoying news, I've gotten back to reviewing with a review of Rachel Hartman's Seraphina. The contest to win a signed copy of M L Brennan's Generation V is open until Thursday night, if you want to enter. And I wrote a couple of posts that seem to be getting some attention: on audiobooks and auditory processing disorders, and how an over-reliance on tropes can lead to the illusion of character development. More writing than I've done in a while, and it felt good to get back into the swing of things. I'll probably write up another review tomorrow, too.
And since today is a rainy day, I expect to curl up in bed with a book, to keep the pain away and to keep myself happily entertained. I have a steady supply of these, and some apple green tea to drink, and comfy blankets to crawl under. I expect to finish Rick Yancey's The 5th Wave today, and then I should really get back to E J Swift's Osiris, even though there are now about 5 other books that I want to read instead. But I started Osiris and I really ought to finish it. It will make going to a different book that I'm more keen on reading even better, when I get to it!
Then again, maybe I should just move to another anyway, because if I look at Osiris that way, reading it might seem like more of a chore than an enjoyment, no matter how good the book is, and I'll resent reading it and ruin the experience. Eh, I guess I'll see when I finish The 5th Wave, anyway.
Like today, when it's not only raining, but the ceiling in the dining room is leaking again. The landlord has had roofers out here at least twice since I moved in, but she doesn't like to spend money and so always hires discount workers, so the problem never actually gets fixed. And because she likes to spend money so little, I'm half afraid to tell her that the ceiling still leaks. Hell, when the heating stopped working this winter, she insisted that the problem was because I had furniture blocking some of the heaters (as though heat was a solid thing that can't move past, over, or around physical objects), and so any lack of heat I had was my own fault. Ignoring sections of the heater that had nothing in front of them and didn't work, of course. But I fear that if I tell her this, she'll find some reason to blame the problem on the tenants rather than the fact that she owns an older building that she doesn't pay for good repairs on.
So instead I just keep a supply of buckets on hand and hope that the leaks stop soon.
I'm really considering moving out of here when I can. I like this apartment. It's in a very convenient location, the view from the back deck is beautiful (especially at sunset), but between this winter's heating problems, the leaks, and the fact that the only time I can consistantly draw hot water for a bath or shower is when the heat is off in the rest of the apartment (ie, summertime), I really think it's time to start looking for a new place. It can't be soon, because I'm still in lousy health, and by the time I get healthy enough to pack and carry and move stuff, my roommate will be back at school and that will be a big inconvenience, and besides, we're low enough on money as it is... But maybe next summer. If we can survive another winter of lukewarm showers and inconsistent heat, we can save up enough to get out of here in about a year, and move to a place that might not leak so damn much and might keep us warm when we need it to.
In less annoying news, I've gotten back to reviewing with a review of Rachel Hartman's Seraphina. The contest to win a signed copy of M L Brennan's Generation V is open until Thursday night, if you want to enter. And I wrote a couple of posts that seem to be getting some attention: on audiobooks and auditory processing disorders, and how an over-reliance on tropes can lead to the illusion of character development. More writing than I've done in a while, and it felt good to get back into the swing of things. I'll probably write up another review tomorrow, too.
And since today is a rainy day, I expect to curl up in bed with a book, to keep the pain away and to keep myself happily entertained. I have a steady supply of these, and some apple green tea to drink, and comfy blankets to crawl under. I expect to finish Rick Yancey's The 5th Wave today, and then I should really get back to E J Swift's Osiris, even though there are now about 5 other books that I want to read instead. But I started Osiris and I really ought to finish it. It will make going to a different book that I'm more keen on reading even better, when I get to it!
Then again, maybe I should just move to another anyway, because if I look at Osiris that way, reading it might seem like more of a chore than an enjoyment, no matter how good the book is, and I'll resent reading it and ruin the experience. Eh, I guess I'll see when I finish The 5th Wave, anyway.
