HEATS BACK!

Also, I got 99 problems and Carbon Monoxide ain't one cause I got 3 different kinds of CO monitors.

[The couple who lives in front of the house] were way more level-headed than me and talked to a bunch of City Health people who promptly came over and took lots of photos.

I am so entirely pissed right now. I haven't had heat at my apartment since Tuesday morning. Maybe I'll get it tomorrow who knows.

But the entire house is certainly filled with CO as they put a kerosene heater in the basement to keep the pipes from freezing. An out-fucking-door heater that has warning labels all over it not to use in a living space.

I was very cool with everything until I got out of work tonight and A] there was not a message on my phone from my landlord saying everything was fixed and B] there was not a message on my phone at all from the landlord.

I talked with the people who live in the front of the house and they were in a hotel and are now with friends. The landlord said he wouldn't pay for a hotel after the first night. I wonder if he will pay at all.

At first on Tuesday morning we were half joking that we might get outta the lease this way and at this point I'm thinking about breaking it anyways.

I tried to read this to see if I'm rambling but I'm too pissed to think.
What are the drawbacks to breaking a lease? I don't care about the reference and if he takes me to court I think I have at least a 50% chance.
As far as my deposit goes he can blow his nose on it for all I care.


FUCKBOMB

I tried to enroll in a party to vote in the primaries but I got this letter from my County Board of Elections:

Dear Voter
Your present enrollment is Blank - No Party and must remain the same, according to New York State Law, until after the 2008 General Election.
Your new enrollment will be changed after the 2008 General Election, which is November 04, 2008

Thats some shit cause if I wasn't registered at all I could have filed by January 11th and voted today.

I hate that dang old Erection Board.

For real: yesterday the sidestreet my house is on was real icy.
I forgot about how icy it was until I tried parking behind someone and slid right into their bumper.

What a pisser, it was a new car and everything.
Even though it was a tiny bump on the bumper (what else is that for, if not for bumping?) I knew I had to at least say something about it. Its only right eh?
However, in the two minutes it took me to go inside and write a note on an envelope the person or persons unknown drove off.

For real: I still have the envelope in my coat pocket:

I ran into your b ack bumper (the street was icy) Please call me at XXX-YYYY & I can pay for the repair

Also for real is the fact I never wrote more about New Orleans. I tried a few times but the post was too long and maybe even rambling. Ask me about it ( at a party or something)

Instead, here are a few pictures. I didn't take that many.

Fig 1: Looking down Marais St



Fig 2: Garage across the street.



Fig 3: In the backyard; you can see the Claiborne Ave Bridge in the distance.



Fig 4: The back step. My favorite spot at the house.




for real

I've been putting off writing this for a few days now.
Instead of writing a super-post I'm just going to break it up into a few nuggets. That will be easier for me to write and probably easier to read.

To recap: A group of Presbyterian Churches including (e:Drew)'s took a trip last week to the New Orleans area to help in the recovery effort. I went along with them.

We stayed at a little village of "Pods" in the backyard of a church in Lulie, LA. The Pods were little corrugated plastic huts and there was a tent set up for a dining area.



FIG 1: a group of Pods. Drew & I stayed in Alligator 5.



FIG 2: a Pod from inside. Notice the heat hole. This was connected to a kerosene heater.


The group of 50+ was mostly Presbyterian but included Baptists, Catholics, Episcopalians, and then me. There were old timers on down to college kids.


The large group was split into smaller teams and each team worked separately on a house. Our house was in the Lower 9th.
It was a pretty far drive as we were staying so far west of the city.

An overhead view of the camp. They called it Fish Camp.