I finally came to my senses and told my bosses I have to end this freakin' contract. It was supposed to end May 31st, and now they're talking about October. I know that might seem like a good thing for a contractor, but I have to get my freakin' house done so I can finally move in for real. When my upstairs tenant moves out that's going to be a full-time job in itself. Anyway, I told them I could come back if they still need me after mid-September. So that's the plan, along with some time scheduled for "knowledge transfer" between now and August 18. I really cannot wait to not have to work every day. Although after a month of living in a soon-to-be construction zone, I'll probably be begging to go back, haha.

My upstairs tenant (the one who's actually living there) left me a note saying she lost the check for $500 I gave her with the 30-days notice back in April. She says she's on a student visa and has to stay in film school otherwise she'll be deported, and she doesn't want to borrow money to stay in school. True, she has not cashed the check yet. He cashed his on July 17. I'm supposed to give them each another $500 after they move out, plus the settlement money - which I'm not required by law to give them, but it's one way to make sure they really do move out, otherwise they get nothing more and we have to do it the hard way.

Anyway, it'll cost me $25 to stop payment on the first check, and the stop payment is "only good" for 6 months. What the hell is up with that? Obviously, I'm not going to tell her that part. But I did tell her I could write her another check (as soon as I get back from my LATEST dog-sitting gig, don't ask), but if she "happened" to find the first check, please use that for the second payment, otherwise I would have to deduct the $25 stop payment fee from the next check.

Mostly I'm doing that in case she's trying to pull a fast one. She'll think she won't be able to cash the first check after all, plus she'll be out $25. I think she probably really did lose the thing (you would have to see this apartment to believe it), BUT why the hell should I have to pay for it, and am I willing to bet $500 on it?

I hope the first check does show up. I should probably ask my lawyer whether I should give her a replacement check at this point, but I'm sure she would say "no" and I would end up paying my lawyer $300/hour for that bit of advice which I would probably ignore anyway.

Jesus, who died and made me the Bank of America? I'm no good at this.

Autonomy!

The Buzzcocks song, not the individual empowerment. Ok on second thought, make that both.

Damn! That show rocked!

Whoa, (e:Leetee,204) that was NOT a good introduction to sailing. It might be ok to "bark" orders to your regular crew when you're racing and everyone is there to compete. But it is NOT ok to bark at your guests or guest crew. If she can't handle the boat on her own or with the crew she's brought onboard, you don't want to be on that boat. It's not safe and it's not fun.

Tell her it was too stressful learning what to do and being expected to do it your first time out. You learn by doing, but not under pressure like that. If you would like to sail with her again but strictly as a guest, tell her you're comfortable helping to prep the boat, but not being responsible for anything while under sail. At least not until someone else is there to show you what to do and do it with you a few times until you feel comfortable.

Sounds like her bitchiness started even before you set sail, so it might best to stay away from her in that environment. Maybe she was on a power trip instead of a sailing trip.

In other news, looks like the Adored won't be opening for the Buzzcocks here. Oh well, it would have been fun to hear them since you found them [inlink]leetee,462[/inlink] most excellent. But obviously I am PSYCHED TO SEE THE BUZZCOCKS! I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!




Also, I'm thinking of printing this out and putting it in my upstairs tenant's mailbox. Just in time for him to get rid of all his junk!

Canaries, that is. And us delicately constituted Californians.

Seriously, I found this article somewhat alarming.

In just two or three minutes of preheating, your (Teflon) pan will give off fumes that can make you sick. Each time you use medium to high heat on an empty pan, the surface on Teflon-coated and other nonstick cookware breaks apart and emits a toxic chemical called perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA, according to the Environmental Working Group, a Washington, D.C., organization that investigates issues of environmental health and safety.

Avian veterinarians have known for decades that Teflon off-gases are a leading cause of death among birds, and estimated that hundreds, perhaps thousands, of birds are killed each year.

Like the canaries that were used in the coal mines, birds act as an early warning system for humans. The EPA recommends that bird owners avoid cookware and heated appliances with nonstick coatings completely. Perhaps everyone should be heeding this warning.

In January 2006, DuPont agreed to an EPA plan to phase out PFOA by the year 2015.

I'm not going to throw out my teflon quite yet, but I am going to take the following precautions (at least until the next environmental hazard comes along).

If a recipe calls for preheating an empty pan, either put the oil in first anyway, use a stainless steel or cast iron pan, or get someone else to cook it for you and stay far away from the kitchen. (Ha! Just kidding about that last one.) Also good advice from the article - never preheat teflon on high, and make sure your kitchen is well ventilated. Also, keep pet birds out of the kitchen.

Great, one more thing to worry about.

Wow. I need a tan.