Friday the 13th

I didn’t realize today was Friday the 13th until I checked my calendar, to make certain I’d not had a senior moment and planned for the Community Meeting on the wrong day.

Nope. I got it right, 11:oo today.

The meeting was a snoozefest.

No one brought up Bill. The closest we got may have been when manager said, "It’s getting pretty bad on some things", that people are telling her things but don’t want to name names, don't want to say who.

Like I said, namby pamby.

Most of the meeting was manager complaining about being yelled at and harassed. That "I’m an employee getting blamed for things that are beyond my control" and "That’s not okay".

She used that phrase a lot as she went through her list of grievances — "It's not okay" to take furniture out of the dumpster. It's in the dumpster for a reason and could bring critters into units. "It's not okay" to get friendly with and feed the homeless passing by, it's definitely "not okay" to let them into the complex.

"If you let them in, they will come back".

She said one resident was caught opening the pool for a homeless individual.

She said she’s been nice (that’s not what I’ve heard), but is going to start cracking down on lease violators (it’s about damn time).

Some residents complained about maintenance work orders not being handled expeditiously.

Management’s excuse being overworked due to so many residents moving in and out. That they can’t keep up because "We have twice as many apartments moving out than moving in".

Management might want to think about why the turnover rate is so high, do something about it, give residents a reason to stay.

If management wants to keep this locking the refrigerator, taking out the coffee machine, no-frills living and residents continue to move out as quickly as others move in, the workload would be an easy fix by not burdening the maintenance guys with cleaning duties. Hire an apartment cleaning service.

The meeting wasn’t a complete waste of my time, as I learned something I never knew …… this is a pet free complex. That what dogs there are on the premises are authorized by a Companion Animal Agreement. "It’s not okay" to have pets without prior authorization, "it’s not okay" to have pets off leash, and "it’s not okay" to not scoop your poop.

I’m pretty sure TinTin did not get prior approval for the dogs brought in by her unauthorized roommates.

I also learned there have been several garage fires, due to residents storing flammables — the garages are for cars, "it’s not okay" to use the garages for storage.

All in all, my time would have been better served skipping the meeting, keeping my workout schedule. Except, the meeting allowed me to get up close and personal with the famous Hubba Hubba Awooga Silver Fox.

Readers might remember him as the resident — moved in August of last year, that the women were all gaga about. Described as mixed with First Nation Indian Blood and some other blood type, wore a ponytail, which blood mixture and ponytail made him "too handsome for words" but "He’s antisocial — doesn’t like people knocking on his door, and he’s really mean".

"Antisocial and mean", I later learned was because thirsty women around here were bothering him, and he’d expressed that he’s "sick and tired of women always chasing" him.

I myself have seen the Silver Fox around a few times, waved as I always do with residents, actually once walked close enough by him to assess for myself if he was all Hubba Hubba Awooga and thought him nice enough looking, but not all that special.

I did not see First Nation at all. Instead, I saw Louisiana Geechee, Creole, light skinned Black, but he does have lovely silver hair.

At any rate, I was seated away from the cluster of residents — for viral safety reasons, at the back of the room. Silver Fox sat right next to me, away from the cluster for a different reason that later became clear.

He leaned over, asked how Community Meetings work.

I said we’d not had one since 2020, and it’s usually a gripe fest.

He said he was wondering, as he’d not lived here very long, and had been "bum rushed" when he first moved in.

I played dumb — like I didn’t know how he was received and his response to how he was received, asked what he meant by being "bum rushed".

"Women showing up at my door with cakes, cookies, meals, asking questions about where I’m from, what I do" whereby he "Ruffled a few feathers, most of them are in here right now".

His reason for sitting far far away from the cluster.

He went on to share the women might not have been all that eager to get involved with him if they knew he’d been married three times.

"Yes" said I. "That’s not a good resume".

After a good laugh, he introduced himself, we shook hands, did the nice to meet you thing.

As the meeting droned on and on, began to go beyond the allotted hour, I got sleepy and bored, leaned over, told Silver Fox, "I’ve had enough of this. I’m leaving".

"Me too" said he.

On the way back to my unit, I stopped by the mail room.

He came in shortly after to pick up his mail, then began walking with me as we headed for our units, him saying that was his first and last Community Meeting, "It was nice to meet you Shirley. I hope to see you again".

This is probably the last time I’ll attend another boring Community Meeting — rearrange my schedule. As for hoping to see me again, not my type.