New Sheetrock

Day two of the Sheetrock project is almost done. Day one consisted of Jose delivering 1 1/2 piece of Sheetrock with damaged corners. Day two he delivered the last sheet. My aged husband carried it up the stairs noting that jobs like this make it clear that he no longer has the strength of a young man. He used to be able to carry a lot more at once, but this time he had to cut the Sheetrock in half and make two trips. According to him, ex-construction worker and painter, the absolute worst job ever is carrying Sheetrock. I think I mentioned this before, but will repeat it again, because if I have to keep hearing it, so do you.  

Who Works on Weekends?

Nobody, unless you are making a ton of noise to disturb he entire block, and then your construction projects are 24/7. Except Jose, he's around today. Really his only problem is saying he will show up and then not telling you he can't come. Otherwise, so far, not bad.

Jose promised to bring the Sheetrock this morning but when we called he said he went over to the site where he was going to get it from (this is the advantage of a landlord with construction projects all over the hood including a massive new 7-11, you can pinch their stuff) and it turns out they don't have any, so he can't get it until Monday. 

His young, buff assistant brought up 2 drums of joint compound and tape, one drum at a time. The Husband was not impressed recalling his time when he could carry 2 drums up the stairs at once. But apparently the worst hell on earth is carrying Sheetrock. Plus we'll get linen white paint. Not sure yet what we'll use to paint the floor. Jose offered us ceramic tile for it, but I don't think so.

In other news, our neighbor without a fridge was promised one "from the basement." This Jose is totally old school. He's personally very nice and smart and knows the tricks to avoid having to go through management, but every super we've had has been great the first few weeks until the bastards wear them down into a pulpy mess. Perhaps Jose's Buddhism will keep him on track. He also looks like Buddha. A Dominican Buddha.

On another positive note, it's been cool so The Smell hasn't appeared yet today. As it warms up this weekend we'll know if the foam bubbles have had any impact.

This is where we are with the wall. And the rest of our house crammed with all our crap taken out of this room. Amazing how much you can cram into such a small space.

What Makes a Slum Lord?

So The Husband finished everything he could do yesterday with the foam bubbles, patching the wall, letting it all dry. This morning, Jose was supposed to come back with the materials to cover the wall -- ie sheetrock, tape, some other stuff I don't know what it is. He never showed, never returned any calls. You might know why. Because "I have 13 buildings and they all have problems."

So I do feel bad for Jose (who is a Buddhist by the way). This is a horrible job where everybody is yelling at you because these 100 year old buildings are falling apart. Boilers breaking, rats swimming in puddles, refrigerators broken in 90 degree heat, who knows what else.

It's not his fault, it's the fault of the owners - and now we come to the point of why I started this blog - Jared Kushner and his Posse, who are quickly earning the title of Slum Lords by the way they are managing these buildings. One super for 13 buildings? Slum Lord. Don't answer the phones? Slum Lord. Make promises that you have no intention to keep? Slum Lord. Rats in the garbage? Slum Lord (ok maybe even regular landlord buildings have rats in New York, I admit to that). No electricity for 3 weeks (my neighbor)? Slum Lord. Refrigerator broken (I know of two in Westminster buildings right now that aren't replaced)? Slum Lord.

And this list is only what I know. There are more problems out there, I'm confident of it.

What is in the walls?

Every time we go into the wall we find something interesting. Here is what we found a few years ago when they renovated the apartment downstairs. And here is what came from my kitchen wall. And this also.

Now from the bedroom we have footwear. Men's socks and what appears to be a piece of hosiery that is very thin, but quite strong, not easy to photograph, it's shy.

Bubbles

So here is what Jose can do. He can show up (I emphasize how important that is), come to the apartment and look at stuff. He can also being construction supplies. What can he not do? Actually work on the job. Why not, you might ask, thoughtfully. Jose's answer is "because I am the super for 13 buildings and don't have time."

So The Husband spent all day stuffing some foam substance between the baseboards and the floor. if he had a job, we would have no hope. He seems ok with doing all the work, perhaps because he has  forgotten his promise to paint the kitchen this summer. I am not so ok. In fact I think it sucks balls.

The good news is this room will get painted for the first time since 1982 and it will be the first time a landlord has ever supplied paint. (Note that this room is mostly a closet underneath a loft bed).

Here are some photos of the stinkin wall, with a close up of the foam, for your amusement.

Jose is a Real Person

Jose showed up this morning, as promised. He agreed to do some sort of construction to seal the wall and the baseboards. Not sure about the floor. This is tricky because our loft bed is directly on the wall, so how this is going to pan out is unclear. Will we lose our 30 year old bed, built by Mark himself, RIP. Tonight we clear out the room to get ready.  Another week at least of living with our stuff piled up, a depressing reminder of how close to hoarders we might be, deep down.

On another note, the Department of Health & Mental Hygiene are coming next week to examine The Smell. This is to get The Smell on the record in case none of the construction works out, and we come to a standstill over what to do next. Or, it will be for naught. Hoepfully, the latter.

Right now, things appear to be moving along and I can't complain. My fears are not being realized ... yet. Feeling positive for now, as Jose was pretty gung ho about making this happen.

I can hear my inner voice, talking into the camera in the closet like a reality show. Not sure if this blog makes any sense at all. I feel a little stupid. Stupider than usual? I also wish there was a way to take a photo of odors. 3D printer my ass, we need an Odor Printer.

Jose? Are You There?

So today I realize how long it takes to get a case through housing court. I compose and certify mail the letter to Jared to document that he has been informed about The Smell and a possible remedy. I cite the Warranty of Habitability and cc local officials who I think have the Kushner empire on their radar. I also try to call back the Dept of Health who has followed up on my 311 call, but after leaving 4 messages, still nothing from them. I'm wondering if there is only one call back to a 311 complaint and now I have to refile to get a human? Not sure.

By the end of the day, I've had no chance to follow up about Jose because it was a crazy, busy work day. The Husband has not done anything about this either, for no apparent reason other than causing us to have another fight about this. But Jared is still in the office when I return this evening. Ha ha, he works right here, he can't really avoid me, can he.

I go inside, and he greets me in a very friendly way. He asks how I am and tell him, "Bad, I'm smoked out of my bedroom and your guy never showed." He was a little surprised by my new change of attitude. Had Jose shown up I think I would have been less pissed off.

"What guy?" he asks.

"Your guy, Jose."

He nods and calls Jose, makes an appointment for 9am tomorrow. Also informs me that Jose is now our super. The super who came to "look" at the smell has vanished over the past few minutes it seems and has been replaced. Unless it was Jose who came to "look" at the smell and we didn't know it. I can't actually remember what the last super looked like, he was like a ghost. If that was Jose, then we are in for some fun.

Jose

Lets now meet Jose. Or not. Because Jose doesn't show up. Jared, the landlord's guy, has changed his mind from sending a plumber to sending Jose, now that The Smell has a source and a possible solution of sealing the room. Jose is a contractor. Three times today the promise of Jose is presented but the reality is a sham.