Got off work today and decided to do the mountain hike - even if 108 degrees outside. Hot climb, but it felt good anyway. Did almost 30 minutes of that. I can't go any longer than that without carrying water with me - so - I am going to get a canteen or something so that I can do a 45 minute to 1 hour climb. The gym is okay, but nature is better. I have given up on my manager finding his MP3 player so I am going to have to buy a new one or maybe find one on Craigslist. My objection to the gym is the horrific music they play in that place. It doesn't motivate me to want to do anything but - leave.
Got home and found out the family finally got approved for their own house to rent, they are leaving on Friday if "all goes well". The guy then informed me that he had a "body in the van outside". That's just gross. I know it's his job and all, but crazy. I asked about the heat, if it's 108 outside, it will get 130 inside that van. He didn't know but he had it in there to take it to the airport at 8:00 - it is being flown to Guatemala. I therefore assumed the body had been embalmed and that was that.
So, anyway, a strange phenomenon ensues. A person cooking a store-bought, frozen lasagna. I have cooked those before, though not any time recently, lasagna and a diet don't mix unless you are referring to the Weight Watcher's version, not near as tasty as the "real" thing but it will have to do.
You see, they all come with cooking directions. Put the thing in there for X number of hours. Well, this person would come into the kitchen, open up the oven, pulled the sliding oven rack out and stick a thermometer into the lasagna. Note that that air conditioning is on, cranking away, attempting to keep it cool in here - well, it does a fine job of that actually, no problems there - but watching this occur over and over began to get a bit disconcerting. The oven would be left open a minimum of 60 seconds and even longer. Is this a big deal? Well, to me, not a huge deal, but let's review: Leaving the oven door open means all that heat escapes out of the oven. Meaning once it is closed again, it will take a while to get back up to the preset temperature. Further, the heat is escaping into the house. Meaning the AC system will have to deal with that heat. I just see dollar signs floating out of the oven when I see that kind of thing going on.
Especially that many times. I didn't say anything, but it got me to thinking. Should I come up with a set of rules, regulations and "best practices" when people move into my house? Should there be a mini-manual of common sense things that you do and don't do? It didn't take me long to come to the answer: no. Probably, most people aren't going to read the thing and secondly, even if they do, if it is person inclined to do things their own way, they aren't going to care.
I stopped runnning ads for the room. I will start up again when I know for sure that there is a sure exit date. The room will have to be cleaned and the bed mattress in that room needs to be replaced. Not too keen on spending money on such things right now, but to make that room rent-able, that mattress is history.
Well, the lasagna saga ended and that was that.
I then directed my attention to 2 things. First, I am an avid fan of the Air Crash Investigation series that National Geographic puts out and I watch different episodes on YouTube rather frequently. I will be through all of them eventually. I found another one and started playing it. But then I remembered that this summer, I want solar sunscreen on the sliding glass door - something I mentioned in another recent entry. I started making phone calls. Ace Hardware Will install the sunscreen on your existing door. Well mine is broken, it's bent. They said they don't carry them but could order one in. I assumed that meant a higher price than I could get one somewhere else.
I started looking online for companies that sell such and realized that probably, Home Depot sells them. Sure enough. I am going to go over tomorrow and see what they have and if they have them with solar screen installed, or if they install it there, or if I can just get the frame. Or even get the frame with regular screening and take it to Ace and get the solar screen installed instead. My kitchen is heating up - again of course - because of the western sun beating on that giant, glass door.
The story with the tenants? I am not a big fan of 3 people living in 1 room and this situation did not start out that way. First it was him, then the girlfriend and then it was the girlfriend's 10 year old daughter, who has been here about a month now. 2 people I can deal with, 3 I think is too much. Too much strain on the household and available resources, not to mention the usage of everything that costs money. Try to find a single person this time that isn't thinking about having someone move in with them.
I was going to end this here, but - drama has struck yet again in the BenB household. I had nothing to do with it - yet. The family people had their door open and they were arguing - intensely and cussing each other out. Big no-no. I don't want to hear ANY of that S*** in my house. I walked down the hallway and abruptly interrupted them: Close the door, I don't want to hear this crap.
They did close the door, the guy left to deliver the body to the airport, a bunch of clothing has been dumped all over the hallway floor. When he gets back, we are definitely going to have a conversation. Number one that junk is getting picked up, cause' if it ain't, I'm throwing it outside. Number 2, I do not tolerate this kind of drama in my house. They want to fight, go somewhere ELSE and shout it out all they want. In my house, not going to happen. I will call the police and have them deal with them if, after I ask them not to do it here, they continue on with it. I have the right to the peaceable enjoyment of my property, that includes tenants living here.
Well, I'm done - for now.
5 comments:
Thursday
I was thinking that I would get off work early today, but the truck routing system doesn't seem to agree with that thought. There is a lot to do in there, certainly enough to keep me busy until I get off at my normal time, maybe longer than that.
Not that I WANT to get off early.
I was just reading about a house that a couple bought that was infested with snakes. Literally. Like hundreds or even thousands of them. As bad as the story was described - them trying to live in the house and not being able to rid it of the infestation - one wonders how they could have missed the snakes to begin with. Even the mortgage they signed said there are "snakes".
I don't get why people don't check things out when they are buying real estate. I have seen it many times over. Plenty of real estate in these parts that is trashed and in need of a lot of repair before anyone could live in any of it.
Which is great if you know about it before you buy it and you get a smoking deal on the place and you have calculated the expense of repairing it. But people seem to get another set of eyes when they go to buying property or used or even new cars.
Do you know what detracts me from buying a new car? Prices are good right now and so are payments. The problem is, people don't think about the insurance costs. In many cases, the monthly insurance premium is going to be far more than the car payment itself.
The property across the street from me is for sale. I had thought about making an offer, but the house is in a shambles. This isn't 3 weekends and it's fixed, this is freaking tear out the walls and floor and start from scratch material. I don't have buyer's eyes anymore. I may have had them at a younger age, but signing on the dotted line and then realizing what you have gotten yourself into has smacked me in the face enough times. I mean, if they wanted to sell the property across the street for 5k, I would jump all over it. The property will eventually regain it's value - without any house on it. Meaning it will be worth around 70k whenever the housing market comes back up.
I know, it's probably years off before that ever happens. Anyway, I have only seen one person looking at that house and even talked with him for a few minutes. He has been looking to buy in my neighborhood for some time now, has looked at a dozen different properties but - who knows what the problem is. Probably financing. Not like there are beautiful, gorgeous homes in my neighborhood. There are some kempt properties yes, but - this isn't rich man's land, that's for sure.
I can't find one year's worth of W-2, so I am going to have to bite the bullet, pay the $10 fee and have my work send me a copy of it. I want that money! Tax money, that is, and I don't want to wait until next year when April 15th deadline looms and I am scrambling to get the info together.
I did see the guy that was arguing with his girlfriend come through last night and I stopped him in the kitchen. He obviously didn't want to talk, I couldn't have cared less. "I don't appreciate arguing and fighting in my house and I don't want to hear it again". I was that blunt about it and I would do that with ANYONE starting that much s*** in my house. He replied they are only there 2 more days. I don't care if you're here 2 more minutes, I don't want arguing, fighting, berating and all that kind of S*** going on in my house, thank you.
It won't happen again, was all I heard. I step on the toes that need stepping on.
The heat has been somewhat merciful for a June. It hit 110 yesterday, but today and the rest of the week are going to be cooler. Low 100's it looks like. That really makes a difference on how much is being spent on keeping my house cooled. Figure July to fire it up, but still, I'll take a June that is much cooler than last June anyday.
Well, work day is almost here. Lots to do and that makes a work day go by very quickly.
G'day.
ben
Being outdoors while you exercise trumps being indoors by a landslide...
Yes, indeed, Bobby, it does!
ben
Another announcement of the same nature as of the other day's entry:
ARIZONA IS ON FIRE
The "Monument" fire is burning out of control, the Wallow fire is starting to see some containment - but damage already done, the Horseshoe 2 fire and I believe there are some smaller fires.
The question is, what is this place going to look like after our "pristine" forests are all burnt up?
The next question, at least for me, is: is there any validity to the numerous statements coming from all over the place that the forest is being mismanaged and has been mismanaged for some time now? This relates to various lawsuits filed that basically shut down logging in numerous forests, which, in turn and according to these people, eliminated the work that those loggers did to clear out forests and thin them.
The statements are that that forests are too thick - too many trees and that's what is causing these fires to be able to propogate so quickly.
It will be interesting to see what, if anything, becomes of this in the politcal circus arena.
Call 911 my @$$, changing the subject, if I see a kid or a pet in a car that has been left unattended, I'm busting out the window of that car and THEN I'll call the police. A local news story - police warning parents and pet owners to NOT leave them in a hot car. The proof was in the pudding: they had a car with the windows closed, the temp inside that car got up to over 140 degrees.
I've already busted out a window once and I'll do it again if it comes to it. The car owner isn't going to say ANYTHING to me about it, either. 10 kids have already died in hot cars this year - though none in AZ according to this story.
Well, I am over 7 hours over on hours this week. That puts me at not showing up for work today, although, lol, obviously I am going to work, in fact I am there now writing this before I log in. I imagine a short day cause they aren't going to want me going over 40. That would put me at getting off at 11:00am at the latest.
Anyway, have a great day!
ben
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