I'm learning that there are consequences for choosing a "charming" apartment in an old buiding. This is the latest in what seems to be a never-ending string of potentially hazardous "issues" involving apartment *806, where I live. Here's what happened to me this morning. Around 8am this morning I grew tired of the constant hiss being emitted from my bedroom radiator, which heats up the entire apartment. I notice, too, that the clothes next to the radiator are completely soaked. So I go to twist the nob and see that even more steam escapes, and the hissing is angrier. I'm pretty sure my radiator called me a bitch as well. So I try and turn the thing off without exacerbating the steam problem when the ENTIRE NOZZLE unscrews completely and falls off and my room immediately fills with a steam that quickly travels throughout my apartment. It's around 8:30am or so. For the next hour my apartment turns into a steam room. I opened all the windows and my front door, gather my laptop, digital camera and ipod and sit in the hallway with my dog Bean who's scared out of her wits and shaking uncontrollably. Steam is now pouring out of my apartment into the hallway and it starts to rain in my corridor. Around 9:30am or so the plumber arrives. At one point I went back inside to find my video camera and couldn't find it at first. Then I remembered it was in my closet, right outside my bedroom, and go in and grab it. But the water already worked its magic and I can't get it to record. Fortunately I was able to get video from my Canon PowerShot, which I may post on YouTube or MySpace. Not sure yet. Anyway, it's been an eventful day so far. Oh, I also burned my left hand and cannot put warm water on it without it burning.
Anyone else have rental horror stories? Feel free to share or vent. I did.
*Not my actual apartment number.
10 comments:
Holy cripes, that's crazy. Hope your hand's okay.
1. Immediately start laying tile everywhere.
2. Charge neighbors to take a little steam.
3. Profit.
Sorry about your hand.
Yikes! Yes, I hope your hand, Bean, and your stuff is all OK.
806. I was thinking there was no way in Hell you were on the eight floor in L.A. in a older building. 3rd floor is the highest I've been.
I've had numerous floods from leaking or breaking pipes in both apartments and houses.
The worst for me was the Northridge Earthquake where everything I owned was violently put on the floor. I lost a lot of stuff that morning. Luckily FEMA helped out with the bills.
I really hope your stuff isn't all damaged. The way you described it could be a nightmare. One of my roommates once had a leaky hot water pipe in his bathroom. He didn't tell the landlord about it (dunno why) and all kinds of mold grew in there. Plus the paint started peeling off the ceiling and the mirror rusted, which looks weird.
Hope you have renter's insurance, or that your landlord will pay for stuff. Liability.
I'm not sure what to say.
I just saw something about fixing radiators on Ask This Old House
Saturday. Too bad I'm not psychic, because I would have warned you.
I really don't believe in making fun of someone's misfortune, so I'll wait a couple of days.
I lived in *New Hampshire one winter with a few friends - my friend and his girl were responsible for the oil - seeing to it we had some, etc. We'll they sucked at this job. Three times that winter I woke up between 2 and 3 am with the temperature hovering just over freezing and rocketing down. The house was actually a little shitbox like the frame a double wide would sit on - the walls paper thin. Three times that winter I found myself in jammies and boots chopping frozen fire wood in the dark to start a woodfire in the potbelly stove in the basement so we would not die by sunrise. Im not talking "ooh it's a bit chilly" - I'm talking wind chill of forty below zero. That was some truly scary shit but I couldn't really call it a "rental story". I file it under "roomates r dumb" story. The odd shaped upshot of life means you will never forget this steam filled morning though other more wonderfull quiet mornings will fade away into memory. The Departed truly was best picture.
*Not really New Hampshire. It was Vermont. Leave me and Britney alone! Post that vid Laura.
I think that's enough time.
(Really, I just wanted to get it down before I forget it.)
That's a photo of "the fog of Laur"
(rhymes with "fog of war")
I just find it kinda strange that in a situation like this you manage to grab your laptop, digital camera, and ipod. You can tell we are living in a tech age when people grab their gadgets first, forget about the clothes, money, photos, life saving stuff. Well it could have been worst, glad it wasn't nothing major like a fire. You could have stayed in your apartment and lost weight at the same time.
toothpaste is very soothing on hand burns (really), and watch out for closeted gay men flocking to your flat. i heard they like steam rooms.
Clothing can be dry-cleaned, washed or replaced. Photos are now on hard-drives and my laptop is my livelihood. If the steam got to my laptop, I'd be screwed. I don't find it that strange (still appreciate the comment).
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