Bloom Where Planted

This morning was my scheduled visit to the locktician (braid stylist). She recently moved the location of her shop to an area where there must be a lot of old folks because, after getting off the freeway, I passed six senior complexes.

It’s a good area, big shopping center nearby, restaurants, shops, two walking trails.

In spite of the lack of activities and poor management, I like where I’m living. My unit is in a good location on the property, I feel safe and everything I need is nearby or a short drive. However, it pays to be aware so, on the drive back, I made note of the names of the complexes, so I could research them … just in case.

Two turned out to be Assisted Living.

The other four were Active Living and looked to be places I might consider in future if need be … that is, until I read the reviews.

Complex No. 1: “Thus far there have been 4 onsite managers and 2 mgmt companies and no consistency between any of them. Each complex is individually owned and under an association, but not all owners care about the upkeep of their properties the same way. Some just collect the rent and make no effort. All in all I'm happy with my apartment, but feel improvements should be made to ensure consistency and upkeep here.”

Sounds similar to my situation here, where I’m happy with my apartment but management is blah.

Complex No. 2: “I wouldn't live here for the amount of money they're charging. Whomever I spoke to about the property was very rude, and the establishment seemed very unprofessional. They tried to tell me they are the cheapest apartments in the area. That's because they don't have in home laundry and they have to have a sign on their pool that says to make sure you don't have diarrhea. No thanks.”

Complex No. 3: “You get what you pay for here. It may be cheaper than other places and if you move in you’ll see why. I’ve yet to hear a single resident say how great it is to live here. Staff is indifferent, maintenance is very slow at fixing things, and the atmosphere is very depressing. Much more I could say but I think you get the idea.”

Complex No. 4: “Place was horrible, staff didn’t care about anything but money. The residents were grouchy as hell. A black man threatened to kill my grandfather because the parking was compact and he claimed he parked too close. Lastly the staff called my grandparents’ Doctors trying to have their healthcare revoked cause they moved from there crappy shoe box apartments! Pathetic.”

It appears the various management companies are operating under the same playbook insofar as how seniors and senior complexes are to be handled … treat them like children, take away their toys, take their money, ignore their requests.

I even researched the senior complex I had to leave because a relative needed me to relocate to Long Beach. I was happy with neighbors at that complex, had a good relationship with management, and lived there seven years until I foolishly put the welfare of a relative before my own and relocated to Long Beach to provide a place for that relative to live so as to keep her from a shelter or the streets.

"No good deed goes unpunished", so that episode in life turned into a horrible nightmare … for me, which led me back to the Inland Empire area and this particular complex, which was like Paradise under property management in charge at the time.

At any rate, like I said, I researched the senior complex where I use to live and found a review indicating it too has turned to the dark side.

“Absolutely terrible place. My Mom used to live here, management has changed, and for the worse. They had a little sitting area where they would sit, they took it away. Some of the old folks would smoke, yes it's bad for you, but they are outside, and my goodness it was a social thing, and then they told all these little old people you can't even smoke outside anywhere, and you now have to go through the locked gate. The area isn't safe, and not to mention that you have young people housing in with the old folks who are not supposed to be there, being really rude to other tenants. They even took away their coffee and doughnut time. Not like these folks have a lot to look forward too. Sad, sad place.”

Looks like things could be worse, so I’m good where I am and will continue to bloom, stand in the light, despite the darkness around me.

Also on the way back, I stopped at Sprouts for supplies and saw something interesting.

Striped Bell Peppers

Could this be the result of genetic engineering … like what they’re doing with animals?

I can’t tell you how the striped bell peppers taste because, when I went to pick one out for purchase, they all felt soft. I like my peppers firm.

Arts and Crafts

Today started off with my pulling myself together first thing, so I could make the new Activity Director’s first session with us -- a 9:00 a.m. Arts and Crafts: Personalized Mug.

Though I’m generally up early – anywhere between 3:30 and 6:00, I actually don’t seize the day and get going until 10:00 or 11:00. So for me, 9:00 is rather early for anything other than a special occasion … like a 5K.

However, this is the first time Arts and Crafts has been made available to us since this management group took over in 2013, and since I’m a crafty person, I focused on getting my act together in time for the 9:00 class.

I didn’t expect many residents to attend because 1) not showing up for the few activities we do have is how residents protest against Nurse Ratched and 2) the monthly calendar listed the event as happening on Friday, April 29^th.

Today is Friday, April 22^nd.

Fortunately, the new Activity Director saw the calendar, observed the “typo”, made a run through the Community Room a few days ago, telling those present the 29^th was not the date she’d turned into the office for inclusion in the monthly calendar and gave those persons flyers with the correct date. The Seer was one of those present. She knew I’d signed up for the class on the 29^th and passed word down to me.

If you’ve been a reader of this blog for a while, you’ll know the history of how it is we can’t keep an Activity Director, because Nurse Ratched sabotages their events with locked doors, calendar distributed after-the-fact, dictating what the Activity Director can and cannot do. So this wrong date will come as no surprise to you. It’s what us residents call Nurse Ratched giving the Activity Director “the business”. Showing her from the start who’s boss, in order to demonstrate her butt must be kissed and make them pliable to being dominated and controlled.

The various Activity Directors we’ve had coming through the complex generally do try to do their job, while pleasing Nurse Ratched at the same time, but eventually get discouraged, mentally exhausted and leave.

And so it was, I headed down to the Community Room at 8:55 only to find the office building locked up tight as a drum, with a note on the door that the office is closed all day today. Thinking they’d at least leave the back door to the Community Room open for our class, I walked around to that side where, again, I saw a note of office closure posted; plus an additional note that arts and crafts would be rescheduled.

I’m done! And I’m pretty sure the new Activity Director will be done before she even gets off the ground.

False Alarm

What looked like a nail, sending me 20 miles to the tire place, turned out to be a rock; which, by the time I got to the tire place, had dislodged itself. Of course, it took an hour and a half out of my life before the technicians got to my car, jacked it, removed the tire, looked and found nothing.

“Did you try to pull it out?” they asked?

“I gave it a fingernail test and, when it didn’t fall off, I assumed it was a nail.”

Oh, well, it was a good day for a drive. Plus, they washed my windows and spruced up all the tires to make them look all shinny and new.

Waking up this morning, determined to get back into a walking routine, I made it as far as the Community Room. Topic of conversation, of course was, as always, Nurse Ratched … the out and out lies she told in Tuesday’s meeting, the double talk, talking in circles, misinformation.

My issue is somewhat resolved as the termite specialist is supposedly scheduled to treat my unit on Wednesday of next week. In the meantime, after having made such a big deal of management’s incompetent handling of the situation, rightfully so, I’ve not seen termites since.

I think it’s probably because I’ve so saturated the areas above the windows -- which is where they entered, with product, they decided to move on and find another resident to harass.

I’ll still have the areas treated professionally, just in case they decide to come back.

I don’t know much about termites, but from what little I do know, I would think management would be anxious to get them taken care of, rather than allow them to eat away at the building’s internal structure. However, Nurse Ratched seemed more concerned with the outward appearance of the complex, coming up with asinine rules, such as no more than three plants on the patio and now no curtains and no decorative vases on window frames … “When I walk the grounds, I want to see nothing but blinds from the outside. No curtains, no nothing in the windows.”

She’s reneged on a door which would allow residents entry to the Community Room when management is out-of-office, saying it’s “Too expensive”. The plan now is to go back to leaving the doors unlocked, Monday through Sunday, until 9:00 p.m.

She did not specify who’s going to open, who is going to close, but this is a solution she’s given us before, which solution did not last long. I don’t expect it to last long this time either.
She also mentioned a rumor that had been going around about an elderly resident being beaten and robbed in her unit.

I didn’t hear it, probably because I’ve not been out much.

She went on to say it didn’t happen … it was a rumor. The resident had actually passed out. When she roused herself, she had no idea what had happened, called a neighbor, said she’d been beaten and robbed. Once composed, she looked around and everything she said had been taken was still there.

I don’t know who that resident was, but I have a feeling it was the discombobulated senior I found on the ground in the field by the market last year.

At any rate, Nurse Ratched was very irate that the rumor of a beating and robbery had been so wide spread and said spreading rumors will no longer be tolerated. It’s a lease violation and anyone found spreading a rumor will be evicted.

ROFLMAO!

The woman is delusional.

Signs, Stuff and Nonsense

For the first time in years -- since I was a kid even, I had an egg with double yokes.

Being as how I see signs in everything, I took it as foretelling a day of good luck and, naturally, headed to the 7 Eleven for Powerball and Mega Million tickets, followed by a run to the market and Starbucks for another pound to brew at home and a fresh cup of java for the road.

And still it has been, since the last post, that’s pretty much been the extent of my adventures outside the unit – mostly market, occasional run by Starbucks and, today, 7 Eleven -- a 3 mile radius.

The third Resident’s/Management Meeting was scheduled for 3:00 today. Actually, it’s the second, because management did not show up for the second. On that occasion, Nurse Ratched entered the room five or ten minutes after we’d all assembled and said the meeting was cancelled.

Today’s meeting actually happened, and the room was packed.

Of course, I attended as it was my intention to put management on blast about a maintenance issue – termites.

I first reported seeing them creeping inside a few weeks ago. Maintenance Supervisor came up and pronounced them baby wasps (because he’d removed a wasp nest from the patio the day before). His remedy was to use my own wasp spray in the area they were dropping down into the unit.

Next day, same issue.

Thinking to myself that he’s the Maintenance Supervisor, ergo smarter than I, more knowledgeable than I about such things, I figured more “baby wasps”, sprayed them myself, thinking eventually there’d be an end t0 them.

There wasn’t.

Every day since May 18, same issue.

Calls to the office went unreturned.

Finally, I made a video, emailed it to the office saying, “Why is it so hard to get a return call? Send someone. I want whatever they are permanently gone.”

Still no return call; however, a week later, Pest Control arrived, pronounced them termites … that he couldn’t do anything because they’re in the walls, said he’d tell the office to send a termite specialist, then nothing.

So more days of my spraying to keep them at bay until yesterday, when I went over Nurse Ratched's head by taking another video and emailing it to Corporate.

THAT got a rise out of her.

Today, just before the meeting, Nurse Ratched responded to my email that “The problem had been addressed last week, pest control had treated the area.”

A blatant lie, for the benefit of Corporate I suppose.

I replied, “You are mistaken, pest control came, said nothing they can do as you need to arrange for a termite specialist.”

In addition to which, I put it on blast at the 3:00 meeting that we have a termite problem. Of course Nurse Ratched repeated her lie that the unit had been treated last week.

I wasn't going to let her get away with that. I corrected her that yes, pest control came, did nothing because he could do nothing, said he'd let you know a termite specialist is required.

She backed off with, "Sorry. I was misinformed".

I did learn, at the meeting, I'm not alone. There are five units in the complex with this problem, supposedly termite control will be onsite next Wednesday. I also learned the Maintenance Supervisor is no longer with us.

WHAT?!

That’s right.

The guy who was brought in and given the title of Maintenance Supervisor, in a plot to force out our long-time maintenance man back in December, is gone.

Wonder what he did to displease Nurse Ratched?

The new Maintenance Supervisor is younger, and looks quite the eye candy.

I just hope he’s not as dumb as the one who just left us -- the Maintenance Supervisor who didn’t know the difference between baby wasps and termites, but I’m not hopeful.

This business with calls not be returned, the ever present mix-up of dates on the calendar (more on that later), I’ve come to the conclusion the entire management structure here is just plain incompetent.

The remainder of the meeting was just so many out-and-out lies, double-talk, misinformation, bull crap that, I couldn’t take hearing anymore of it. I got up and walked out.

A day of good luck? I dunno. Wasn’t exactly a bad day. 

Times Up, Get Out!

I can’t believe that, other than runs to the market, I’ve not been out of the unit in almost two weeks.

My body must have been fighting something off because, for three days, I woke up late, ate breakfast, fell asleep on the couch, woke up around 1:00 in the afternoon, ate lunch, fell back asleep, woke up in time for Judge Judy, managed to stay awake through dinner and a couple evening shows, then to bed asleep early.

I seem to have an internal clock which gets me up in time for Judge Judy – sometimes 4:00 sharp, sometimes a little late at 4:13, but always I become alert when Judy is on.

During one of those “naps”, I recall being slightly awakened by the sound of a helicopter circling. Unable to rouse myself awake enough to care, I went back into a deep sleep and, when I awakened for Judge Judy, found a text message that there’d been a robbery of one of the businesses down the street. The fool that robbed the place took the cash register, dropped it in the middle of the street when chased, ran home to his dwelling – which happened to be only a quarter mile away on the other side of that empty field. There was a police chopper following him, the corner across from the market was roped off, and then swat came, surrounded the house he'd run to, hauled him out and away.

I slept through swat!

Again, this kind of activity makes the area sound unsafe. It isn’t. It’s just that there are some bad areas scattered throughout, one needs to know where to go, where not to go, and sometimes the folks from those bad spots bleed into our area.

At any rate, I woke up this morning feeling more my old self, with plans to head out for a walk but, once again, found myself reluctant to open the front door and go out into the world of other people.

I made it all the way to suiting up in walking gear, but then turned on the computer, began today's post ... still dressed in full walking gear.

I’m really anxious for my downstairs neighbor to get outta here so I can do the indoor walking tape. Her two weeks are up, she’s given away all her furniture and is living in chaos – everything packed up, surrounded by boxes. The only piece of furniture is the couch, which is where she sleeps. She’s given that away as well, but told the recipient she needs it to sleep on for now, she’d call the day she moves for her to take away.

Even the recipient is anxious, calling me, asking me to check, “She said she’d be gone by now … when is she moving … can I get a firm date”.

I checked, neighbor doesn’t have a firm date.

That being the case, why’d she pack up and give away so soon?

She’s a nice woman, a nice neighbor, I’m sad to see her go, but leave already!

The morning is still young so, after posting, I'm heading to the couch for more cross stitching, but I’m staying dressed in walking gear hoping, at some point, it will push me to make it out for that walk.

Happy Trails Mr. Postman

He’s gone!

Retired!

As of almost two weeks ago. In fact, his last day on the job looks to have been the day I almost got busted at the UPS Store checking on a way to work around him for deliveries. Since then, I'd caught a glimpse of mail being distributed by a young female, which I thought was his vacation replacement and, since I've not been out much, didn't realize he'd not returned.

Funny thing about his retiring is, when he all-of-a-sudden began falling down on the job, performing so poorly and adopting a pompous arrogant attitude about it, the thought did occur to me it might be time for him to hang up his mailbag and retire.

Now that’s come to fruition, I’m thinking it may account for WHY he’d all of a sudden begun falling down on the job, performing so poorly. It must have been because, having already decided to retire, he either no longer cared about the job or his mind was elsewhere – preoccupied with planning his next move, counting down the months, then days.

He wasn’t the kind of guy on friendly terms with his customers – at least not at this location. Not the kind of mailman you’ve give a birthday card, a gift card at Christmas, a retirement hug, so I don’t think he’ll be remembered or missed.

I once again feel comfortable that online orders will reach me. However, I’ve since learned of something called “toffee”.

It's a service provided by Amazon where, at no extra cost, I can have deliveries sent to a  locker. There just happens to be one near my dentist and the Souplantation I frequent.

Good to know and WHY didn’t I know about this before?

Oddly enough, nothing ordered through Amazon was ever misdirected but, now that I know of this option, I will take the extra added precaution in future of only ordering through Amazon.

Didn’t make it to the craft store yesterday, but did make it to the market – which is where I learned from someone about the mailman’s retirement. Just before leaving for the market, I checked my make-up in the mirror and noticed I wasn’t wearing my hoop earrings.

I'm one of those prissy females who feels naked without perfume, earrings and have been known to turnaround, go back home, rectify the situation when suddenly realizing I’d forgotten either of the two while already out and about. At any rate, seeing in the mirror I was without the earrings, I looked for them on the earring tree.

Not there.

Sometimes I remove them late at night -- while sitting on the couch, and end up leaving them on the counter or table in the living room.

Checked both locations … not there.

So after running around the unit, wondering where I’d left the earrings, I put my hands to my ears … and there they were.

Whaaaaat?!

I swear they weren’t there when I looked in the mirror, so they either mysteriously reappeared or it’s time for new glasses.

I'm going with a need for new glasses.