This Tuesday life changed around our apartment. The big high school started the fall term, and that brought a new level of zaniness. I have posted in the past about the “kid droppers” and the insane risks they take with their precious cargo, but this deserves its own post. First sign was that I was leaving a few minutes later than usual on Tuesday. Normally not a bigger deal, just a...
Apartment Living – Competitive Parking
Life in a moderate density apartment complex is fun, and I mean that in the most positive way. The property management team does try to be fair, particularly around “parking“. Each unit has one assigned space. There is a “permit” (a mirror hangar) that looks impossible to counterfeit. And even if you could, the spaces are assigned, so each permit is numbered. We have one...
Apartment Living – The Exodus
While we have been here only a month, we have noticed an exodus of tenants. The residents are moving out in droves, hence the overflowing trash with household goods. I had wondered why there were so many people moving out, but hadn’t put much thought into it. A part of the puzzle fell into place when about a week before rent was due, there was a knock on the door. A letter from the...
Apartment Living – Living with less space
Having the shock of going from ~2,400 sqft to < 1,200 sqft is enough. While we never filled out last house, we had collected a lot of “stuff“. But there are things we have lost that hurt. Today, I will talk about kitchen space Both our houses in Arizona had ample counter space. In Tucson, they were fine Corien counter tops, with ample space for gadgets. But I didn’t need to...
The Travel Log – carry on baggage
My work keeps me on the road a lot. I am a frequent flier, in and out of airports all over the country and the world. In the new world order, with domestic carriers trying to extract the most fees from fliers, charging for checkedĀ bags, has encouraged everyone to carry on their luggage. This wouldn’t be a problem if people had reasonable sized bags, but alas they push the envelope and try...
Apartment Living – Maintenance
There is one benefit of leasing an apartment (or even a house) that I was looking forward to: Your landlord is responsible for all the routine maintenance. No longer if the plumbing springs a leak, or a drain clogs, or a hot water heater dies, do I need to call a repairman or roll up my sleeves and get it fixed. Woo hoo. Or is it? Alas, there are downsides. We have had a couple of minor issues...
Apartment Living – Competitive Laundry
Continuing on in the vein of apartment living adjustments, this episode will be about the laundry situation. As the units do not have hookups for washers and dryers, we have four laundry rooms spread across the campus. Open from 9:00AM until 10:00PM, they are convenient oases for those needing to do laundry. Of course, there are wrinkles. First – machine hogs The doors unlock at precisely...