proba tive org archives

It's Canada's birthday today and while folks all over this vast land are out and about wearing red and white of all descriptions, I thought I'd post a link (next paragraph) to some Canada Day activities you can have fun with in the event you find yourself away from the Great White North at this time or the weather is not cooperating with outdoor activities.

Have fun and don't forget to check some of the other (educational) links on the bottom part of this fun page for interesting facts about my country of origin, including but not limited to this one: "Canada is a large country in North America".

It's a start, it's a start....

Being in the capital during Canada Day is an experience every Canadian ought to try to have a least once. Honest. And I'm not much of a fan of the country, personally. Still, we do get quite a show here.

If you have to be here you may as well enjoy it. That's my motto. When I'm not grumbling about having to be here that is!

Can't forget our "big brother" neighbour to the south on that country's birthday, now can I? Here are a whole lot more Independence Day crafts. Probably fitting, since the USA is almost twice as old as the Great White North. And it's likely an American site to boot.

Happy 4th folks!

Today was a banner day. Really. How often in a lifetime do you get to:

1. receive excellent news from your neck surgeon (no more collar for me!)


2. make the same surgeon laugh (I was telling the receptionist that I was keeping the collar because it was good for eliciting sympathy)


3. wander into the local pawn shop and meet the owner's brand new 12 week old Rottweiler (such a cutie -- I may go back and walk him :-)(the dog, of course)


4. have that same owner inform you that the choice was to get married or get a dog, so he got a dog (a man after my own heart...)


5. speak with a couple of family members to share your good health news


6. drop in on a former therapist and have her take notes on the book you're reading because you told her it was good (Radical Honesty - highly recommend by moi)


7. have that same therapist tell you she'd be interested in what you thought of her book (it's on Amazon apparently, but I'll wait until Chapters has it myself)


8. get to tell a certifiable fool to F*** Off when you're pretty sure the call's being recorded (I called a collection agency that's done something they are not supposed to be doing and which they agreed not to do almost a year ago -- long story and I'm almost certain most people wouldn't have lasted as long as I did)


9. realize that this is all more normal than you've been in a while


10. suspect that "suffering fools gladly" is something you're quite happy to be known for not doing

- all in one day? Not often enough IMO.

Answers.com helped me clarify that last point. Especially at work. And more especially programming and system design.

A performance review I once received included the statement that I didn't suffer fools well - like there were points given for putting up with foolishness. I recall having to exert a huge amount of self-control to keep from blurting out: Why do we hire them in the first place?

It's not about intelligence or lack thereof. Nor is it about lack of knowledge. No. It's about refusing to engage what intelligence is available to productively apply the knowledge that is at hand (or head). Missing the learning gene. That's what I call it. As a proponent of natural selection I'm duty bound to exert whatever positive influence I can. In my warped view the gene pool needs some protection if we're going to continue to evolve as an intelligent life form.

So ends another eventful day in the life that promises to be starting an upswing. And if I'm swinging somewhere near you - duck!

Alcohol and I are not getting along well. Last night I was enticed out to celebrate the excellent state of my recovery by a good friend. A beer was the agreed upon ritual. It was a whole pint though and a microbrew that had Raspberry in its name.

I've been known to have a beer once in a blue moon before the liver became weird. But I won't do that again. I may have to go back to champagne. It seems to be less poisonous to my system.

The only thing I did of any worth today was post a care package to Miss Adventures over in Japan. This entailed an early morning walk to the postal outlet which was the extent of my activity.

I lie. I also backed the Jeep up so there is no room for anyone to block me in. While I was a non-driver I left it parked with room for contractors and friends and family to park behind. The rest of the world seems to think it's a public parking spot now. Grr.

It was a small lie after all. I've forgiven myself already.

I know you'll all be glad to hear I am feeling much more human today than yesterday. I know I am glad to be feeling this way despite being rudely awakened late enough in the early morning to have adequate sleep elude me.

I've got Steph's blog back in order. Not sure why moving files from one directory to another should have caused the puzzling problem it did but I finally fixed it by removing some data from the db and regenerating it through the admin console.

Not wanting to stop while I was on a roll, I also tailored a plugin to my liking so the archives would be much prettier (and actually work for more than one hard coded month!). It is demoralizing to see what some people consider programming - having to hand code a line to call a plugin for each month (or week or day) of your blog site is just plain, you guessed it: FOOLISH.

Having learned my lesson (see? the learning gene at work) and not wanting to have to recreate everything from scratch, I have also made backups of the db and all the code. I was tempted to eat first (I've been at this for about 7 hours now and getting hungry) but NO! NO! NO! Backing it up was much more important.

Now I'm going to eat and watch a movie. I have received the good news that a friend who lives near London, England was not near the sites of the latest tragedy. Neither was his wife. A good day this is and there's lots of it left.

The heat wave is set to continue, so I've decided it is time for a window a/c unit. I have rented housing in Ontario for almost two decades, half of these years in Ottawa. This is only the second time the heat has forced me to invest in conditioning. The last time was in Ottawa too; 1995 I believe.

At 6 am this morning it was 30° C in my kitchen. Opening the door wide cooled it off a few degrees temporarily. By 11 I expect the process to have to be reversed.

Pecuniary considerations have been satisfied by locating a place that rents window units on a per season basis. They even deliver, install and remove it. Very attractive to one who is very likely unable to do so.

I have lived in much warmer climes and have learned that heat is a killer - mainly for those without air conditioning available. The upside is that most housing in those places did have a/c. In the hottest place, Georgia, they were sane enough that large businesses had summer hours - opening an hour or two earlier than the rest of the time so people could shop (especially grocery stores) before the heat built up too badly.

Even in the other warm states it was common practice to go everywhere with a bottle of water in hand most of the year. A/C doesn't eliminate the need to stay hydrated and waiting until you feel thirsty is too late in the game.

I found this interesting factoid on the Center for Disease Control web site:

From 1979 –2002, excessive heat exposure caused 8,966 deaths in the United States. During this period, more people in this country died from extreme heat than from hurricanes, lightning, tornadoes, floods, and earthquakes combined. Because most heat-related deaths occur during the summer, and because weather projections for this year indicate a hotter-than-average summer, people should be aware of who is at greatest risk and what actions can be taken to prevent a heat-related illness or death.

Having indoor comfort can lead to dangerous attitudes in some people. It is helpful to understand the effects of heat on one's body and to watch for danger signs in oneself and others. Even professional athletes have been known to ignore these signs to their detriment. Weekend warriors should dial it down considerably during heat waves.

As a public service to my Canadian readers here are Hot Weather Tips including symptoms and emergency treatment for heat exhaustion (first stage) and heat stroke (extremely dangerous and potentially final stage) from our southern neighbours. FYI - I did search a couple of times only in Canadian sites and once specifically including "Health Canada" in the search terms and came up with nothing as useful as this.

The physiotherapist I saw yesterday told me things I should know and kind of suspected but wasn't sure. She believes running (even on a cushioned surface) is not a good choice for keeping in shape. She says I should find something else I enjoy and do that. Bummer. I was looking forward to getting back into it. Not immediately, but next summer by the latest.

Situps are not okay yet - Steph was right. Glad I waited before embarking on my lower back relief plans.

Swimming is okay. Biking too (given I don't fall over!). Kayaking may have to wait a bit longer. Endurance is going to be my biggest challenge. Regaining strength and flexibility in the shoulder and neck.

I'm kind of busy doing shoulder stretches twice a day plus stretching my neck (very carefully) every hour anyway. Yeah. Once an hour I have to do 5 reps of 5 different stretches. Just to the "edge of pain".

I learned how to relieve pain in a sore shoulder tendon by rubbing on it, too. I can't take any anti-inflammatories at the moment (liver crap), but this works not too badly once you know how to do it. Ice is helpful if you leave it on for at least 15 minutes, too. Timing is everything.

Could it be the weather? There has been a confluence of landlordly abdication of duty within my sphere of knowledge in the past two days.

Firstly, Win98 bit the dust here and I decided to free myself from its shackles. Before installing a RH9 I burned some cds of things I wanted to use later. A goodly portion of the burning involved a crapload of, well, crap related to the Kingston Landlord Battles. This got me thinking about how close I'd come to actually nailing their asses to the wall. As a consolation I figured I could still post a lot of extremely amusing and instructive information about one person's attempts to take a slumlord to task.

That very same day I happened upon poor Mike Hoye's blog entry about a sewer backing up in the building in which he resides. You guessed it, more Stupid Landlord Tricks.

Tonight I encountered the single mom who is also a tenant in this building. Turns out she's been having some problems with this landlord of ours. You may remember that I thought he was one of the good ones back when I first moved in. And, truth be told, he hasn't messed with me. Could be because I told him up front about the fact that if he searched the Ontario Rental Housing Tribunal records he'd find out that I'd been there a few times with my Kingston landlord. Or, it could be because he had already finished gutting and renovating the unit I was about to occupy. Could be.

The single mom and I had a chat after I got back from a dinner with my friend Rob. I took her the number for Property Standards here in Ottawa and told her to call them. That was after hearing that her bathroom and windows remain in major disrepair despite her complaints to the landlord. After I saw her house for myself I was more appalled. The landlord's excuse is that he wants to renovate but can't do it while she's still there. He thinks she should just find somewhere else for herself, two sons and a cat to be for two weeks. Not that he's given her any formal notice of when this is going to happen.

When I found out that she'd been badgered into giving him post-dated cheques - meaning she can't have a Pay No Rent Event of her own, I got really pissed. Not that I think she should, but she has no option now. If she hadn't already paid the rent, she could put that money into having the necessary repairs done and then deducting them off the rent and letting him come after her for it. Which is why, people, landlords try to get the money first.

To Ontario tenants wherever you may be: it is a contravention of the Tenant Protection Act for your landlord to even ask for post-dated cheques.

[Update: My sister disagrees with this, citing the wording of the TPA. I looked it up and what it says is it is illegal for the landlord to "require" post-dated cheques. To my mind, when you're in that delicate gray area of negotiations just before a lease is signed and the landlord "asks" for something without telling you it is optional and has no bearing on the lease being granted or not, it is a subtle and implicit "requirement".]

Of course if you want to give them voluntarily, that's up to you.

I think the subject of whether or not I would be giving post-dated cheques came up when I was signing the lease. I said I preferred writing the cheques each month because I'd rather it be a little late if it was unavoidable than having it bounce. That was the end of the discussion. (BTW: both of the landlords are ecstatic to be getting the rent through email now.)

I have suggested that the other tenant write to the landlords and request the cheques be returned. There are several ways to do this - straight up or underhanded.

Straight up, she'd just document in the letter that she had become informed that post-dated cheques were not kosher and that she'd appreciate them being returned.

Underhanded and less confrontational (not everyone is comfortable asserting their rights I have found to my astonishment) would be to tell him she's changed bank accounts and needs to get the cheques back. Naturally he'll want to have replacement cheques (which he can't ask for remember?). To keep things from becoming, ah, volatile, she can say they haven't been printed yet, but she'll mail them to him. (Yeah, it's not true, she's not going to mail any, but what's he going to do about it? He wasn't supposed to ask for them anyway. See? This is the fun part.)

Oh I do so want to be a lawyer when I grow up. I hate this. Especially when single moms are involved. Like they don't have enough to do already? Like the landlord (who is, by definition in the rental game as a business) should try to make her leave (that's what I think is going on) by refusing to fix anything because he's "going to renovate the whole place"? I remember being told we were all going to get new windows in the spring, too. And there ought to be a patio where the mud patch is. Right. Path to Hell and all that...

Most of this entry is a bunch of images for my sister's use. Ancient family photos, truth be told. If you weren't there at the time you'll be pretty bored I think. Or maybe slightly amused. Even bemused. Bear with us. I can't mail them to her for some technical reasons that are indecipherable at the moment.

For the rest of the Starved For Something To Read masses, today's George Carlin bit from my little desk calendar. Are you ready? Here it comes!

I've always wanted to place a personal ad no one would answer: "Elderly, depressed, accident-prone junkie, likes Canadian food and Welsh music, seeking rich, well-built, oversexed, female deaf mute in her late teens. Must be nonsmoker."

Okay, you guys may leave if you wish. You still here Linda? Excellent.

When we were kids mom used to sing "When I go to sleep, I never count sheep, I count all the charms about Linda". I particularly enjoyed digging up and viewing the one of you busting a gut on the couch next to Allan. Chuckles were you. Enjoy.

[Eventually, this will be part of a planned but as yet unrealized Landlordly Tales portion of the new, improved proba.tive.org (Steph's blog is prettier than mine and that's just not right ;-) also in the pseudo planning stages.]

My current landlord (the one I blogged about a day or so ago and who likes to remind me that that's who he is when he calls or leaves a message - "This is [name name], your landlord calling") sent me this email message today.

The roof on the property is being redone next week. It will require for no cars to be parked in the driveway. They are scheduled to begin on Monday and work until Wednesday inclusively.

If there is a change because of rain they may delay for one day or so. I will keep you informed of the situation.

We are sorry for the inconvenience, but it needs to be done and it is better than to have leaking ceilings.

Thank you for your understanding

You already know that I am fresh out of "understanding" so here's my reply. Pay attention you neophyte tenants, there be lessons here!

What would you suggest I do with my car? If I park on the road for the length of time you are suggesting I will very likely get a few tickets. The neighbouring property owner agreed to pay any parking tickets when she requested I move my car for her roof to be done. Are you willing to do that for myself and the other tenant who normally enjoy ticket-free parking?

The neighbour's roof took required the driveway clear of vehicles for only one day. The job you describe sounds much less well-defined. There is no indication in your communication regarding when work will start and stop each day or whether the car(s) are to be off the driveway the whole time. Please see what you can do to make this less problematic for me. How will I know whether or not the workers are coming on a given day? How will I know when they are finished? Are you willing to pay for my tickets for the whole week?

I expect notices for such things to comply with the Tenant Protection Act - in writing, 24 hours in advance and have specifics such as the answers to the questions I have just posed.

While we're on the subject, yesterday there were several rounds of unanticipated loud pounding on my door. It startled me to the point that if it had occurred again I was going to call the police. Your phone messages put it in context, but I was still dealing with the panic reaction and more than a little steamed that you hadn't seen fit to inform me before hand.

This is unnecessary and unwarranted. I have no intention of honouring unknown persons knocking on my door by opening it for them. For that matter, I have no way to view the person (no peephole) and no chain to secure the door so I can speak to them. What would you do were I to send someone unannounced to your door and have them pound on it repeatedly? Would you be feeling cooperative after that? I surely wasn't.

When I rented this apartment in March, you stated several times that you didn't want to be a slum landlord. There were plans stated to improve the backyard, put in a trash can "shed", put a storage shed in the back and replace the windows. It was all very encouraging and I was extremely cooperative in accomodating your workmen's schedules in hopes that it would all be completed soon and I could relax in peace and quiet.

Instead, there is still a mud patch at the back of the property with construction materials stored against the fence. The grass and weeds reached the height of my shoulder and nothing was done about cutting them until I finally mentioned it to George. And then yesterday a disturbance of my quiet enjoyment. I am very glad I wasn't in the middle of a phone interview for a job because it sounded for all the world like the place was being broken into by force. There is no doorbell and people seem to think it helps to bang louder and louder if I don't answer immediately.

From now on, I will expect 24 hours notice in writing (in my mail box) of any need you have to access my apartment or restrict my parking rights.

If you don't see the lesson, add a comment and I'll elucidate. [Sheesh, look at my brain sans narcotics - big words and everything. Only one little cut and paste error in my email, too. Oh, and a spelling mistake. Yeah yeah...]

Close to noon today I received an email from my landlord. The impending roofing repairs are to take place on Monday as you will recall, leaving little time to sort out the issues I raised yesterday. To my mind, he sidestepped most of my requests for information, specifically a practical solution to the problem of where to put the car for three or four days.

He missed the point on the issue of three days of repair (or I didn't communicate my concern properly?). My issue wasn't whether or not the repair should take one, two or three days, it was that his roof project promised to be a much longer inconvenience than that of the neighbouring property owner's and yet he had not offered to take the financial hit for potential tickets or towing of my vehicle.

He did apologize for the workman who disturbed me and I have begrudgingly accepted that this once it may be excused as an unanticipated slip up. This is pretty big of me, since the repeated banging at 5 pm that day really doesn't fit his "story". Turns out I can be less of a pedant than we all thought. I still have my detailed notes of when and what happened, though - JIC :-)

As it turns out, I have taken care of the parking complexities for myself and the other tenant even though I do believe it to be his responsibility. I was partway to just leaving my Jeep where it is, but this is our first real run in, so I didn't. Next time, though - I have laid the groundwork in the correspondence today for no misunderstandings of my expectations.

I also didn't go for his making nice about our informal relationship. I haven't told him that part of my ire is a direct result of having viewed for myself the unit the single mom and her kids have been living in for years. Granted, he has only been the property owner since October, but that's been plenty of time to address normal maintenance.

During our email exchange today he states that he can't do all of the projects he mentioned earlier because of all the money he has already put into the building to bring it to "good standard". Also that he doesn't think I was fair in implying he is a slum landlord. Right. I'll be talking to the mom to see if she's gotten Property Standards lined up yet.

I think I made my point. I hope he got the message. We'll see. The lesson today is that documentation and assertion of rights are best done sooner than later. Also that an explanation does not responsibility negate. Anybody unclear on the benefit of insisting on 24 hour written notice? It is a wonderful record should the number of such entries become a nuisance or a particular problem is never permanently fixed but requires multiple disturbances and intrusions.

If you're interested in the email exchange read on. Otherwise, see ya next time!

1. Landlord email.

From the tone of your writing, it appears that the worker knocking on your door unexpectedly triggered a reaction which could strain a good relationship. I would therefore like to address the various issues that you have brought up in order to bring clarity to this situation and keep our relationship as Landlord and Tenant a pleasant one.

First of all, the worker that knocked on your door was disturbing to you and very much a surprise to me. This worker was given the task to install a new furnace into Unit 5. I knew that the work was in progress and it was not supposed to involve any other tenants. I received a call on my cell the same morning and he informed me that he was at the property and had knocked on doors to have the car removed. I was very annoyed at this and I told him that this was not appreciated and that he should have told me that he needed the cars removed and I could have informed you and [other tenant] in advance. I told him that I would call you and ask if your car could be moved for a short period of time. My calls to you were unanswered and I called him back and told him that you could not be reached. He found a way of completing the work. I exercise great diligence in controlling any work to improve the property and bring it to a very good standard. However, not being God, there are times like this instance where something goes amiss and does not work as predicted. I do apologize for the disturbance.

In regards to the roof being redone, it will take more time than the neighbours’ roof because there are two (2) roofs to be done, not just one. There is the barn style roof at the front and the flat roof at the back. The company has informed me that they will do the barn style roof on Tuesday and the flat roof on Wednesday. On Monday, my worker will be there to take down the chimney which does not serve any purpose anymore. This is why contrary to the neighbour; it will take more than one day. Again, this schedule could be moved back by a day or so because of the weather which I have no control over. The company cannot do the roof if it rains, it would damage the property. If this happens, you will be informed of it.

During this renovation, the roofers have asked that the car be moved to avoid damages to your vehicle. This is not to restrict your parking rights. It is to do repairs to maintain the property in good standard. As reasonable adults, we can find a solution which will work for both of us. I do not suggest that your park on the street and be given parking tickets. I suggest that a public parking in the area could be found where your car could be parked. We will reimburse you for the cost of parking upon receiving your receipt for the expense. I believe that this is a reasonable solution to this situation. If you have another suggestion, please feel free to let me know about it. I am certain that we can arrive at an understanding in this matter.

As to the other improvements to the property, yes there are plans to do the landscaping, the windows, a storage shed, etc. In less than a year I have invested large sums of money to bring this property to good standard. The plans are there for further improvements and they are dependant upon having the money to do them and the workers schedule. I don’t believe that having plans which cannot be executed as rapidly as I would like brings us to the level of a slum Landlord. When you sent an e-mail to have the grass cut, I did instruct my worker to go over as soon as he could. He was able to go a few days after. He has been instructed to keep the grass short and the property clean. I also try to minimize the storage of building materials on the property and hope to have it removed as soon as the major renovations are done.

Finally, I would like to address the matter of the 24 hour notice. I thought that our relationship was such that I could call you in advance to let you know of repairs to your unit.

The Tenant Protection Act states:

Entry with notice
21. (1) A landlord may enter a rental unit in accordance with written notice given to the tenant at least 24 hours before the time of entry under the following circumstances:
1. To carry out a repair or do work in the rental unit.
2. To allow a potential mortgagee or insurer of the residential complex to view the rental unit.
3. To allow a potential purchaser to view the rental unit.
3.1 To allow a person who holds a certificate of authorization within the meaning of the Professional Engineers Act or a certificate of practice within the meaning of the Architects Act or another qualified person to make a physical inspection of the rental unit to satisfy a requirement imposed under subsection 9 (4) of the Condominium Act, 1998.
4. For any other reasonable reason for entry specified in the tenancy agreement. 1997, c. 24, s. 21 (1); 1998, c. 19, s. 186.

A 24 hour notice is required in the case of repairs being done in your Unit. In this case, the repairs being done are outside your unit and thereby do not require a 24 hour notice. However, I do inform you and other tenants involved of what is to happen any time improvements are being done. Now, if you wish for our Landlord Tenant relationship to go in this direction, I will ensure that any time that I need access to your unit; a written notice will be given in accordance with the Tenant Protection Act.

Up to now, I have very much enjoyed our less formal relationship and would hope to continue in that direction. But, if you wish on having such notice in writing, I will respect your rights and it will be done from thereon.

If you have any other concerns, please let me know either by calling me or sending me an e-mail and I am certain that we can discuss them and arrive at an understanding like we have in the past for such things as the replacement of electric base board heaters and the change of the door closer.

And you thought I wrote a detailed note! Whew. I have heard that liars will provide tons of irrelevant detail and answer questions you didn't ask. Not that I'm saying that this person is a liar. Don't get me wrong. I'm just ruminating on all that detail that doesn't answer my concerns. Hmm.

2. My first response (remember, he said I could send him my suggestions!)

On the matter of the parking problem, which is the most pressing at the moment, the City of Ottawa will issue Consideration Parking Permits to residents for situations such as these, I have not been able to talk to a live person yet, but a recording informed me that the city needs 72 hours notice for the provision of such a permit.

The city's web page: http://ottawa.ca/city_services/parking/permits/consideration_en.shtml

If myself and [other tenant] had been given enough notice, this could have been a solution to the request that we not use our designated parking spaces. As it stands at this time (1:30pm on Friday) I have little faith that my call to the city will be returned, whatever hoops necessary jumped through and a permit issued in time to accommodate your request for a car-free driveway on Monday morning.

I know of no public (non-metered) parking in this area. The city's web site shows none in this vicinity, so I have to say that your proposed option for reimbursing receipts for such will not be workable.

What would work, would be the rescheduling of the roofing until the week after next (week of August 1st) which would give you enough time to get the permits for our cars to be parked on the street for the whole week if necessary.

At this point, with no further information from the city I have no other suggestions to offer but the latter.

The remainder of the problems communicated in my email can be addressed by your informing workers of the need to not disturb your tenants. I don't expect you to be "God", but you are responsible for the worker's behaviour as their employer through your service arrangements with them. To prevent further disturbances, supervision of said workers may be prudent.

I will accept your apology for the disturbance yesterday at face value. Back to back the disturbance and short notice of a need to move the vehicles in concert with the neglect of the property up to my email to George gives the impression of a less than diligent custodianship on your part.

I will hold you responsible for the behaviour of your workmen in the future, however. I had hoped we would have an agreeable relationship as well. At the moment, my perceptions are that my rights under the TPA should be asserted.

As for the 24 hour notice only pertaining to the apartment itself, I think you are taking a very convenient view of the rights of tenants. The parking is part of what I am paying for according to the lease. 24 hours notice of the requirement to relinquish my right to park here along with already processed Consideration Parking permits seems reasonable.

3. Final word from me

I have just gotten a call back from the City and arranged for Consideration Parking Permits for myself and [other tenant] for next week. This means there is no need now for any other rescheduling of the roofing work. I was very lucky that someone was willing to issue them with this very short notice.

I do hope you will take care of all this if another occasion arises.

I did thank the City of Ottawa employee who helped me with this last bit profusely. If I had a job, I don't think this would have turned out the way it did because I wouldn't have time to sit on the phone making and receiving the phone calls that were necessary.

My physical rehab of neck and shoulder muscles is going famously. I am grateful for the backing of a wonderful son that made immediate access to physio services possible. (As opposed to going on a waiting list for OHIP sponsored care. When I was in Kingston, it took me 8 months. I didn't even call the only clinic OHIP has on their list here in Ottawa.)

I am a complete, if controlled, maniac as far as doing what's good for me - even if it hurts once in a while. Strengthening exercises have been upped (reps and weight - beans are my hand weights: cheap and edible!). Stretching continues.

Yesterday I decided to find out how problematic driving might be, so I visited my friend and former business associate, Patrick and his family down by the airport. We wound up going out on his power boat for an hour or so, then cooling off in his pool. I was invited for dinner - excellent as usual, Patrick! As a bonus I got to play in the pool with Keenan. What a hoot.

This morning I was only slightly stiff and headachey (wine? beer? bumping around in the boat? playing in the pool? the low pressure system that's on it's way into town?). Some coffee and a walk to get groceries and I'm feeling only slightly sluggish now. No pain. This is fantastic.

But I won't overdo it. Today is a resting time. It's supposed to rain buckets this afternoon anyway so I'll watch the movie I bought at the local pawn shop - my new source for cheap stuff that's still useable.

The landlord saga continues but will be posted separately. That way if you're just plain tired or uninterested, you can avoid it. User friendliness - job one here at proba.tive.org!

I've been in a bit of pain since my last physio encounter. She did some different things to access deeper muscles in my neck and all I have to say is: Ouch!

Not that that has kept me from sticking my neck out in other ways. I have decided to do whatever I can to help the single mom in my building with the incredibly dense landlord and his workmen.

She called Property Standards as I'd advised but didn't get an inspection. I asked her what she told them and it was everything that I had hoped. Very odd. I was unsuccessful getting past the screwed up City of Ottawa call centre menu on Friday so I made an in person visit to the building and planning department. I wanted to know if a building permit had been issued and/or was required for the work to date and the promised renovations to the mom's unit.

I discovered that the last building permit for this property was issued in 1981. Also that at least some of the interior renovations that took place this winter and spring should have had a permit. When I asked about where I could find the Property Standards Inspections department I found out that the only way to reach them is through the call centre. I explained the crusade I was on and the conditions under which my neighbour was living, and that if I'd been able to get through by phone I wouldn't be at City Hall.

My goal was finally accomplished with the help of the planning personnel: the internal number for PS was called and I was allowed use of an employee's phone and desk to make my case to them. I was prompted by another person to say the magic words "I want to make a complaint." Seems if you don't say "complaint" they aren't as likely to inspect.

The PS person was just as surprised as I that my neighbour's phone contact a week or so ago had not resulted in an inspection. No, she doesn't know who it was that she spoke to either. She's under instructions to take notes now.

There are now two official complaints (complete with reference numbers) lodged against the property. One is in my neighbour's name and is about the sorry state of repair inside her unit. The other is in my name and relates to the fact that when I read the Property Standard By-Law (not posted on the web, but easy enough to get an electronic copy by email --- let's not talk about the digital divide right now though) I realized that two of the other units are in gross violation even though they've been renovated.

You see, although they've been rented out as 1 bedroom units (same size and layout as mine for anyone who's been here) the "bedroom" part doesn't have a window. I know this to be a fact because I was allowed to view them at various times before they were occupied. No window makes it illegal for use as a bedroom here in Ottawa. (One of the single mom's supposed bedrooms also has no window - I can't wait for the inspector to be here.)

I have offered to help with the scheduling problems that she may have with the inspectors. Also to watch and catch any illegal entry by the landlord or his workmen. Oh, yes, things just keep on getting more ridiculous here at "Train This Landlord". I was most pleased to hear that she has an excellent backbone however. You'll have to wait until I have enough energy to get all the correspondence up for your edification as well.

I've put my writing talents to work for her and I'm using a lot of the lessons I learned at the "practice" run at the ORHT that I went through in Kingston. The letter has been faxed and sent by registered mail on her behalf. So far the landlord doesn't know I'm helping. If he needs to, though, he will. I have told her I am available to be a witness anytime she needs me.

Today I spent most of the morning getting my poor bicycle cleaned up and oiled. Wore me out (there's that damned endurance problem). I'm almost ready for a spin. Tomorrow I'm going to try to set it up properly for my neck restrictions and get some air back in the tires. I'll need to get my tools out of storage for that I think. Not a problem - I'll need the drill to install a door guard for my neighbour anyway.

Come to think of it, I'll put one on my door too. Only 5 bucks at Crappy Tire. They are those things you see on hotel rooms so you can open the door a bit but it can't be pushed any further. Not a chain thing - the other thing. My upstairs neighbour has moved out so I'm at the back all by my lonesome. More problematic is the fact that my door opens to the back of the property and can't be observed by very many other people. Maybe none.

AND: tomorrow will bring some excellent Shaver/Holmes nostalgia to this blog.