I don't think there's a day goes by that I don't have to deal with some annoying issue, or another. That's almost funny, because being an artist/writer type, I spend the majority of my time at home, alone! Of course, when I get editing clients, I occasionally get to interact with a person of sorts. Every once in awhile, I even view a neighbor when I take the garbage out to the street or collect my junk mail. I also encounter the occasional stranger when I have to do my own shopping (mostly winos on Hollywood Blvd.), and sometimes I have to get all dressed up and go to an event or something where there's actual, real live people (all dressed up, too).
So, when I do have to deal with those irritants in life (and since I don't like getting even and am still working at fame and fortune), I have to resort to GRIPING.
I've started to keep a list: (second installment)
(no particular order)
1. The Paranoid Landlady!
My husband and I used to own a large, Victorian House in Canada, and in order to meet the mortgage payments, we rented out rooms. So, we were landlords! Yes. Now, unfortunately because of my addiction: my career, we rent the apartment we live in. We moved here about eight years ago, and the landlady we then had was a nice, older woman, and lived in another city. She never raised our rent, even sent us stamped envelopes to send the rent in every month, and told us to deduct from said rent for any improvements we made to our home. Five years ago, the fourplex went into foreclosure, and our present landlady bought it for a song. Since we were paying a reasonable rent for an older apartment in a gang neighborhood, we mistakenly assumed that life would go on as usual.
For some strange reason, our new landlady took an instant dislike to me, and started trying to evict us: reasons being that I was causing vandalism around the building (like I have the time), we were stealing electricity from the other tenants, causing her to put a cage and locks on the electric meters and outdoor light switches, sent me harassing letters, phoned me with insults, and during minor renovations in our apartment, broke my personal things by tossing them around. Since she had a key to our apartment, she took every opportunity to "visit" when she knew I wasn't going to be home. Our rent started to go up with every capital improvement to the building. It's a long story. Two years ago, when she decided to plaster all the cracks (small ones) in our apartment , she asked me to move all my furniture and collections to the middle of each room.
I knew something awful was going to happen, so I bought a cheap video camera and sent her a letter informing her that because of my injured elbow (from falling down the unsafe back stairs), I would be unable to move heavy furniture, but I would gladly video tape the illegal labor she hired and "hers truly" while they moved my stuff, to keep everyone honest. To this day, my apartment hasn't been plastered, except for a few holes a workman had to make in order to fix a plumbing problem inside the walls of our laundry room.
A month ago, our lights started flickering. I called the Electric Company to find out if it was a neighborhood problem. They sent a man out immediately, and he got a little upset because the meters were locked up and the Electric Company hadn't received a key (nor had any of the tenants). The problem couldn't be fixed. I guess he must have reported her , because she started harassing me again. I asked her to phone the DWP herself, and report the trouble that all four apartments were having. She claimed she did, and they would come the next day, and she would be here to unlock the cage. The next day the Electric Company phoned me, and asked if I would be there to access their equipment. Evidently, she had used "my name and apartment number" to report the problem. I gave the workman her telephone number, and she showed up within an hour in a very bad mood, yelling at me for causing her problems and trying to for some mysterious reason to get her building foreclosed upon. The poor workman was totally intimidated by her.
He did tell her, however, that the problem was probably going to get worse, and she would eventually have to rewire the old building. I haven't heard from her since, but I'm sure she'll come up with some other scheme to try and get me to move so she can cheaply renovate our apartment and raise the rent significantly for some young and naive new tenant. I'll keep you informed. She'd make an interesting character for a screenplay, wouldn't she? As a matter of fact, I've already started writing EVICTION BY DEATH!
2. Rude Beggars
Some people unfortunately have to make a living by begging for quarters. This, in itself, doesn't bother me. I feel sorry for those less fortunate than us, and occasionally hand out money. What irks me, though is that when I don't happen to have change to give, and the beggar chases me down the street, shouting obscenities at me! I'm not rich, I don't look rich (I buy most of my clothes at the thrift store) and even if I WAS rich, I shouldn't be treated like I owed anyone a living! Oh, well. I guess I have to excuse these people, because they're obviously mentally handicapped.
3. Graffiti Art
I'm an artist, as you already know. I paint on canvas or paper, and have even done some murals. I love the various types of art on the buildings and cement walls of Hollywood, but I just can't get used to "graffiti" being called art. If the "graffiti artist" has gotten permission to paint on public or private property, that's one thing, but to illegally deface buildings and roads, fences and garbage bins (yes, mine has "scoops" spray painted on it) just for the thrill, really, REALLY gets me upset. Art it's not, in my opinion!
4. People who never, ever call me unless they need a favor!
I've lost quite a few friends in the last couple of years. I guess I shouldn't really say lost. I know where they are. What I should say is I've been dumped by quite a few friends. To me, friendship means being there for someone, and them being there for me, whether it's through problems or happy times. Definitely friendship is not about "what can I gain from this relationship?" I have a lot to offer as a "so called friend". So, every once in a while, although I have no "real" friends, some "friend" will call me up to ask me for something.
These things vary. Sometimes it's advice, sometimes it's information, sometimes it's something a little more costly and time consuming, like free editing for a project, or ,"I'm feeling suicidal, can you come and stay with me for awhile?" When they call, the routine is always the same. Their compliments about my talents are profuse, then the "I haven't called you lately because I've been so busy", then "why I called was could you...would you?" And then, "We'll definitely have to get together next week, and catch up." Next week never comes. Here in Hollywood, it's definitely the "let's do lunch sometime" brush off.
It took me years to clue in. For some reason I thought I had lots of friends because they actually liked me! When I started standing up for myself, and saying "no" to favors never to be returned, people literally disappeared. I guess that makes me just as bad. Ideally, one should be willing to help someone and not expect anything back. But, it's not an ideal world. Sometimes I need to have someone listen to my voice. Sometimes I need to have someone care how I'm feeling. That, I think is not all that much to ask of a friend.
If you see a description of yourself up there, I've changed the "names" to protect the guilty, so it's really not you, but someone else. Really.
So, up above you see a picture of me and a shipwreck. That poor boat once had a whole ocean to float around on, and now it's beached and useless. That's how I used to feel. But, now I have the whole internet to vent my feelings on (a whole ocean of it). It really doesn't matter if someone reads this or not. It's actually very therapeutic writing all of it down and keeping this "cyberspace diary". I'm sure there are some out there who feel the same way I do, and can relate. I'll keep this page updated and have new gripes often, since my life is always full of them. But, as I said on my home page, "I love life because I'm lucky enough to get to do the things I love to do", even gripe!
New gripes to look forward to:
Street cleaning days
Men are from Mars
Cable Television
Obnoxious collection agencies
Crank phone calls
Instruction manuals
And etcetera?
