Say What?

Neighbor in the opposite downstairs unit — beneath next door neighbor, has been missing since the shutdown began.

Her car was gone, so I’d assumed she was sheltering in place with relatives.

Today she stopped by briefly.

As I was leaving for the Pain Cave — water bottle in one hand, trash bag to toss in the dumpster in the other, a young man I’d never seen before came out of her unit.

Rough looking character wearing a 49ers jacket.

Had I not seen him come out of her unit, I’d have paused at the door and been on guard as to whether I should step all the way out. But the fact he was associated with her, a relative I assumed, I turned the key in the door, locking it, and prepared to head down the stairs.

Hearing me come out, he looked up and said “Do you want me to take your trash to the dumpster for you?” said he.

“Why yes, that’s very sweet of you”, said I.

He trotted all the way up the stairs to take the bag from me and, as he headed down, I said, “This is so nice of you”.

“No problem”, said he. “I always respect my elders”.

HIS WHAT?! thought I. ME … AN ELDER?

How funny is it that I, at 76 years of age, somehow don’t think of myself as elderly. And hearing it put thusly, was a little insulted.

At any rate, when I got to the bottom of the stairs, I looked over to check on that penny — which yesterday was in its 7th week. Lo and behold, it was gone.

So either the neighbor stopping by her unit picked it up, or the young man with her saw the penny, picked it up and will all the day have good luck.

It WAS nice of him to help me out, but when I thanked him, he could have just said, “You’re welcome” and left off that elderly thing. LOL.

Remainder of the week, coming up on Mother’s Day, would normally find me making preparations to participate in a Mother’s Day 5K with Twin 2, after which we’d have a relaxing spa manicure/pedicure.

Covid-19 having put a kibosh on those activities, I was expecting nothing this Sunday … maybe a Happy Mother’s Day text.

Instead, I stop by the mailbox, find a package, in which was this from Twin 2 ….

How funny, sad, ironic and iconic is this tee. Not going to wear it, going to frame it.

Ain’t Nobody Got Time for This

Management — offices still closed, posted notices of Patio Inspections this week.

The world is struggling with a pandemic and management is concerned about residents being in compliance with no more than three plants, each not to exceed 50 pounds, on the patio?

Ain’t nobody got time for that.

Then there’s the Census.

I received my packet just as the lockdown began and, again, with the world as we knew it seeming to come to an end, I had more important things on my mind than completing the census.

I shredded it.

THEN, a few weeks later, I received a reminder with the caveat “You are required by law to respond”.

Oh ffs, arrest me, thought I and into the shredder went the threat.

In yesterday’s mail was another complete Census packet, also a priority mailer. The mailer was from the guy who makes the glitter masks.

I opened it and began jumping up and down with glee, like a little kid.

Rainbow Design

A gift giver that keeps on giving. I didn’t ask for this mask, I didn’t order it, he just sent it and I love it.

When all is said and done, I’m going to have to make a special trip to Los Angeles to meet this young man.

I was all matchy matchy on my way to the Pain Cave this morning, because I accessorized with my rainbow hair buff.

And speaking of the Pain Cave, since yesterday, I keep finding myself glancing out the window, looking at the patio, gauging as to whether the space is suitable for working out, because I’m getting one of those feelings again of knowing something is going to happen before it happens.

This time the feeling I’m getting is Trainer’s studio might not survive reopening, due to Trainer and his partner (he has one who works with groups) not being able to hold group sessions.

Early on in our relationship, Trainer had said, “I’m very fond of you. If something happens where you can’t make it to the studio, I’d come to you”.

My thought about that was how sweet. Then I thought about 1) how the Illusive Unfriendly downstairs neighbor would complain about the noise and 2) management would never allow us to work out on the grounds, but now I find myself looking at the patio, determining what exercises could be done in the limited space.

Trainer has said nothing to me indicating the studio might not survive but, if it happens, I’ll take him up on coming to me and we’ll do what we can on the patio if he doesn’t come up with another location.

As for that Census … timing is everything. I still feel the census bureau should not have been harassing citizens with their survey, when so much was going on. But now that there’s toilet paper and paper towels back on the market shelf, I felt a little more hopeful there might be a future to make the Census relevant, logged onto the laptop and completed the thing.

It took less than 5 minutes.

I still feel it was an inopportune time for a Census, but had I known it took so little time to complete, I probably would not have been so irritated and resistant.

Ready or Not

There was a lot of traffic on the road when I headed out this morning for a drive to the Sprouts out-of-the-area. Noticing the car’s windows had a thick layer of dust from being parked so long, I stopped by the DIY car wash.

I was the only one wearing a mask. That made me feel conspicuous, but I’d rather live with looking conspicuous than take a chance of what could happen by not wearing one.

Heading towards the freeway, I noticed the donut shop, near the freeway entrance, was once again open for business. Not to mention, the freeway was back to tons of traffic.

Ready or not, it appears this area of the state has reopened.

Once back in the area, I noticed the pizza parlor on the corner is also once again open for business and, come Monday, my Pain Cave sessions are back on.

I expect Trainer’s client list is going to blow up because more people are going to spring for personal sessions, rather than wait for gyms to reopen ─ that is IF gyms reopen. There’s also the possibility that if gyms do reopen, folks are going to avoid them because of the group factor and sign up for one-on-one’s.

No news on when the complex office returns to business as usual, and no news on Apache’s situation ... no news because I’ve not seen nor spoken to anyone and did not go out seeking. I’ll wait until news comes to me.

There’s also no news on when the day once again comes when I run out of a floss color and can walk into a craft store and purchase a skein.

Thus far, I’ve run out of two colors, and though craft stores ─ with the exception of Hobby Lobby are open now, allowing customers in, there’s a line, estimated at a 3 hour wait time.

And don’t think of beating the line by getting there early, as customer service tells me people begin lining up at 7:00 a.m .... the store doesn’t open until 10:00.

What in God’s name could people be working on that they’d get in a craft store line 7:00 in the morning when doors don't open until 10:00?

Having already devoted 9 months, 1,224 hours to this project, I’m not going to let lack of a few colors slow completion down. I’ll just work around the missing colors for now.

Worst case scenario, that being months from now I finish the project and have not gotten ahold of the missing colors, I’ll frame it and present as is. Should be an interesting conversation piece. Folks will ask Twin 2 why there are empty spots and she’ll say the piece represents work done during the pandemic of 2020. LOL.

May Day

That is all.

The Deed is Done

I do my best thinking when I’m not thinking, when a thought just pops into my head.

So it was when I was eating lunch today (popcorn and coffee ... don’t judge me) and all of a sudden a thought occurred as to how to get management 100% blamed for my removing the residents’ facebook page.

I texted the Baker ─ the most influential resident in the community, even more influential than Apache … "Hey ___. The office is giving ____ grief over his posting to our Facebook page. That page is none of their business, nothing to do with management but they just like to mess with ____. I'm thinking since we're not likely to have activities to post for like forever that I should eliminate the reason ___ is being harassed by removing the page. What do you think?"

Having already heard management was going after Apache again, she was all over it saying “I think that’s a good idea, we can put up a new one later, if there are any pictures we can save that would be nice. We can find another name later. They’ve no right to interfere with our activities.”

Fortunately, I’ve backed up every photo I’ve ever taken onto flash drives, even photos taken before setting up the page ─ three flash drives full, so saving photos is not a problem. But if they plan on setting up another facebook page later, that’s on them. I’m out.

At any rate, the site is down and it won’t be long until residents, and their families, begin to ask why and are told it’s because of management’s thinking it’s their page and harassing Apache over it.

That’ll fix the lawyers and management. It wasn’t management’s page, it wasn’t Apache’s page ─ it was mine. I put it up, I could take it down, which shows management how little control over it they mistakenly thought they had.

Elsewhere in my self-isolating world, I’m collecting masks like I use to collect leggings.

Twin 1’s friend, that gifted me the bling mask, designed a crystal mask in gold and a crystal mask in silver. They look very much like the crystal mask I already own, but have subtle differences, and I just had to add them to my collection.

Not wanting to take advantage of the designer, I ordered and paid through the regular channel but, good hearted human that he is, he reimbursed me for the shipping and threw in a leopard print he’d just come out with.

The leopard is my new favorite.

In addition to which, this morning’s feed carried a story about a 4th grader donating and selling masks.

I checked out her site and ended up ordering a Black Panther print.

Fauci predicts a second outbreak in the fall. I'm mask ready.

It Moved

Let’s start off with news about that little penny, now entering it 6th week, still on the ground at the entryway to the illusive unfriendly downstairs neighbor’s unit, withstanding wind, rain, people and not moving ........ it moved.

Originally, the penny was situated right smack dab in the middle of that entryway, as though purposely placed there. Then, one day during the week, I noticed it seemed to have been moved from center to left. I thought it was my imagination, but then yesterday, I poked my head out the door to see if the penny was still there and saw a little dinosaur playing around it.

Those little dinosaurs have spindly little fingers, capable of picking up items, so that’s probably who moved it.

So at least we now know it’s not glued to the ground.

And speaking of moving, the idea of relocating has once again been on my mind. Having no reason to move, I don’t yet know if it’s a thought that just popped up to tempt me or a prompting from the universe that it wants me elsewhere but, either way, I’ve been looking at the pros and cons.

Though I do love my little unit, enjoy the view it gives me of watching the world go by ─ the comings/goings of others without having to interact with those others, the price is right and gives me a lot of wiggle room financially speaking, this shutdown has shown me there’s really nothing to keep me here.

Twin 2 had previously suggested I move closer to her, but I’d declined because I felt attached to this community.

The shutdown will eventually end, the Community Room will reopen, there may even be some level of activities established, but I no longer feel the need for that social interaction and won’t be rejoining the community.

The only downsides to relocating would be higher rental rate, loss of Trainer and what to do with the residents facebook page.

I won’t like paying the higher rent but, with a ban on entertainment in the near and far future, due to the pandemic ─  no travelling, no hotels, I can put that wiggle room monies towards higher rent and manage. And even if I decide not to move, stay here but not participate, still there’s the question of what to do with the residents’ facebook page.

So those were my thoughts last few days and, all of a sudden, a sign from the universe that the issue of the residents’ facebook page may no longer be an issue.

Inasmuch as management’s instructions to mail in our rent check did not confuse the mail carrier, i.e., the envelope did not end up returned to my inbox and quickly cleared the bank, I headed to the mailbox yesterday to drop off next month’s check and ran into Apache.

“How’s everything going around here?” asked I. “Is everyone okay?”

“No”, said Apache. “I’m not. I got a letter from the lawyer. They’re trying to evict me again”.

“How in the world did you get in trouble again when everything is shut down”, asked I.

“They’re saying I’ve no right to represent myself as management by posting to the facebook page”.

It’s important here to say that, the way the facebook page came about was as a result of my taking photos at events, residents asking for prints for themselves and to send to their family. I’d provide prints. It wasn’t expensive, but it did get tiresome so I suggested a facebook page so their families could check in.

Apache ran it by the then Community Manager, who thought it a great idea and approved my doing so.

Anyone can post to the page, but I get notification and, if I think not appropriate, I delete, which only happened once or twice.

Once, when Big Linda tried to start shit by posting a comment complaining about Activity Director. I deleted it.

When my buddy Apache posted photos of his knee operation ─ which btw was disturbing to look at, I deleted and pointed out that kind of stuff should not go on the residents’ page, was better suited for his personal facebook page.

Of course he balked ... “I’m a resident”.

“Yes, but it’s not an event”.

He came back with some other bla bla bla that I don’t recall, so I had to go for the jugular ... “Listen, no one is interested in seeing your operation”.

Apache didn’t like it, but he likes me, so he took it and stopped posting ... until recently, when he posted about gathering food donations for residents in need during the shutdown.

I was down with that and actually donated food goods.

Apparently, management so hates Apache, so wants him out of here, that they took issue with his food drive posts, saying his posting to the site is representing himself as management. They sent him a cease and desist from the lawyers, ordered him to remove his posts under threat of eviction.

Apache’s position is the facebook page doesn’t belong to management, us residents set it up for us residents. It’s resident owned/resident managed.

Apache is right, of course, but Corporate and management are so thirsty to get rid of him that they might decide to send ME a cease and desist, remove the page altogether.

This is not the first time Corporate and management have tried to evict Apache, because he’s such a thorn in their side. It’s not even the second time or the third or the fourth, and Apache is still here.

He’s not taken down his posts, I’ve not removed them, so if this ends up being the end of the page, fine by me. I’ll take it as a sign that the universe is giving me an out and go with the flow, leaving the only thing to really hold me here being my training sessions.

I gotta tell you though, but for the fact I’m viewing this happening from a deeper level, taking it as a sign the universe is giving me an out, I’d refuse to cease/desist/remove and dare management to fu*k with me.

I did say the only downsides to relocating would be higher rent rate, Trainer and what to do with the residents facebook page, so swallowing the higher rent rate, no longer managing the facebook page, the only thing left holding me here would be Trainer.

I’m not going to actively look for a new domicile. I’ll just keep paying attention to what the universe has to say about it, and go with that flow.

Ideally, I’d rather remain where I am ─ cheap rent, great view, easy access to Pain Cave, without responsibility of the facebook page.