Small, medium or large?

Over the past few months I have complained about the cold. Here in Toronto, winter started in November and kept us in its icy grip until well into April.

Even when it was officially spring, the temperatures varied from cold, to very cold, to OMG my fingers and toes are frozen.

Now, for the past week or so, it really is spring and would you believe it … I already miss the cool days of winter.

During the day it’s not so bad, with the balcony door open, the temperature inside is, what I would call, comfortable. But the nights, OMG the nights. I can’t even remember the last time I slept good.

With only a small window in the bedroom, the night air is not just warm, it’s oppressive. I rarely fall asleep before 3:00 a.m. and if I do fall asleep, I keep waking up in a sweat.

While I used to enjoy a nap during the day, that’s become impossible too. I can’t fall asleep without some sort of cover, but it’s too warm for any type of covering. So it’s a catch 22.

Air-conditioning you might say … great idea, except I live in a condo building where the management decides when the A/C gets switched on and apparently they don’t think A/C is needed yet.

So, until I get the use of A/C, I have to make do with a fan. Do I have a fan … as a matter of fact, I have three: small, medium and large.

The small one releases nothing more than a gentle breeze. It’s perfect for very local use, such as a nightstand.

The medium sized one is what I use the most. It has three settings and a swivel head, and gives off an acceptable stream of cool air. Except, it’s still very local. If I’m in bed, and I turn over, I feel cool air on my back instead of my face.

The large fan is more suitable for the living room than the bedroom. For one, it makes so much noise, it’s like a helicopter is about to take off. And two, the emitted air is so powerful, I run the risk of being blown out of my bed.

A few people in my building have a ceiling fan installed, but I’m not in favor of that concept. I have visions of such a fan falling from the ceiling and decapitating me or one of the cats that sleep on my bed.

Think about it, those ceiling fans have huge blades, which rotate at an increasable speed. If such a fan were to fall, it could do some real damage. So, if you had to choose between having a hot head or no head at all what would you pick … (I thought so).

So until the management of this building decides that it’s hot enough for the A/C to be switched on, I’ll suffer in silence and melt, inch by inch, pound per pound.

Good bowling

Today being Tuesday we went bowling tonight.

Dieter: 199 – 163 – 134
Me: 213 – 157 – 178

I did pretty good hu.
I was a little ticked off though. In the first game I left the 10th frame open. If I had closed it I could have had a 223 or even a 233.
Still, I was very pleased.

On a different note ... the court case that was to be (re. the A/C in our condo) is not to be. Dieter asked me not to go through with it.

I got notified today that the court date is set for August 20 (small claims court) but Dieter thinks it’s too risky.

The future of our condo hangs in the balance as it is (landlord wants to change management companies) and with this complaint, he might just want to sell.

I agreed because quite frankly I don’t want to be blamed. Suppose the landlord wants to sell, then it will always be a case of ... what if we hadn’t complained?

As Dieter said, it’s not the landlord’s fault or our management’s company’s fault that the A/C malfunctioned, it’s the management of this building’s fault and its Board of Directors.

I can see his point, so I agreed.
But as I said to him ... this is exactly why people put up with all kinds of shit, fear.

To bowl or not to bowl ...

It would appear that if I’m not moaning about one air-conditioner, I’m moaning about another.

Today being Sunday, we set off for All Star Bowl at 11:30 as we do every Sunday.

The moment I walked in I could feel that the air-conditioner was not on. It has been like that in the past and it absolutely infuriates me.

The staff has to work and run around in the alley and moans that the environment is too hot for them, but it is even worse for the bowlers.

You try chucking a 14 pound (6.3 kg) ball down a 62 feet (19 meters) lane a couple of times, see how you feel.

Anyway, since the side door was open and we had come all the way, we decided to have a couple of games.

Halfway in the first game I saw Luba, one of the daughters of the owner of the alley, walking in and switch on the air-conditioner.

See this really ticks me off. When Luba, or one of the other members of the family are in the bowling alley, the air-conditioner gets switched on. When it’s just the staff and the bowlers, they have to cope with the heat. Why can’t the A/C be on all the time?

After three games we had to give up. Even with A/C it was too hot. Too bad really because we started off really good: 175 for Dieter, 172 for me.

And the heat isn’t the only problem, the lanes are far from perfect. Sometimes the lanes are bone dry, sometimes they are drenched in oil. As for the machines ... sometimes a ball comes back, sometimes he doesn’t.

In an attempt to fix some of the problems, management hired ‘experts’ to come and have a look at things. The machine of lane 1 was taken apart and the bits and pieces were all over the lane. It was quite funny as it looked like they were having a sale.
Not so funny was seeing the experts at work ...





One guy was looking at the bits and pieces like he didn't have a clue how to put things back together again. The other walked up and down the lane, looking at things, but didn't pick anything up. Three weeks the lane was like that.

Were they waiting for a part or were they waiting for their fairy godmother to wave her wand and say "Bibbedi babbedi boo," so everything would magically fly into place.

This is what happens when people, who are not bowlers themselves run a bowling alley ... it’s a slippery slope and the only way is down.

Maybe it’s time to look for another bowling alley.

Finally

IT’S RAINING, IT’S RAINING, IT’S RAINING!!!!!!!

I’m so happy I could go outside and do like Gene Kelly did ... dance in the rain.

And so our Sunday came to an end. Usually we go bowling on a Sunday, but today we decided to give it a miss. The second week in a row I might add.
Reason ... you guessed it, too hot. I’m beginning to sound like a broken record.

It is quite a trek for us to get to the bowling alley. Walk to the station, take the train, take a bus and then walk another stretch to the bowling alley. Try doing that loaded with a bowling bag containing a 16 pound and a 14 pound ball and other equipment.

Plus All Star Bowling Alley isn’t always the coolest place. On Tuesdays, on league night the A/C is on, but sometimes on Sundays it is not. They probably figure, why put on the A/C for one or two bowlers? For management who doesn’t do much of anything the no A/C temperature may be okay, but it’s quite a different story for the players.

All in all this has been a very unproductive weekend. No bowling, no shopping, no cleaning and oh dear, no writing.
My goal is to write two or three articles per day, but this Saturday and Sunday has gone without any writing at all.

Better make up for my slacking next week.

On the balcony

Aah this is the life. For a change this is not written under the Toronto sun, but under the Toronto moon and stars.

Although it has cooled off tonight and we have three fans going, it is still stifling warm inside.

While watering the flowers on the balcony, I felt how nice and cool it was outside, so I decided to move to the balcony with my laptop. It is so much better here.
Nice view too.

On my left are two neighboring buildings where it seems most of the occupants have gone to sleep as windows are dark. Here and there, there still are some lit up windows though.

In front of me is the building’s park, now completely deserted. Beyond the park is a pond, also deserted. There used to be ducks and geese, but I haven’t seen or heard them in a long long time. Beyond the pond is a residential area, now covered in darkness but dotted here and there with white and orange lights. Street lights I presume.

On my right is a railway, a townhouse complex, a bingo hall and a soccer field. And beyond that, some 25 miles away, the skyline of Toronto with the CN tower as the most noticeable light beacon.

Aah it’s so peaceful and quiet here, this balcony would be the perfect place to sleep.

New chiller

The residents of 301 Prudential Drive just found a notice by their door. The notice read and I quote:

CHILLER UPDATE

Dear Resident,

“AT THE END OF EACH TUNNEL THERE IS A LIGHT”. In order to avoid any life threatening situations during these summer months, we would like to inform you that after a successful attempt the management was able to obtain the authorization from the Ministry of Environment to repair the chiller. Therefore, our service provider, Carrier, is in the anticipation of securing the parts and will repair and operate the chiller by the end of next week; in the interim, the Board and Management will be arranging to replace the chiller in order to comply with the new Government Rules and Regulations.

We are deeply aware of your suffering during this calamity, however, we ask for your further patience to execute the essentials.

Truthfully,

The Management Office
Harris Property Management

What a bunch of baloney. Management didn’t need authorization from the Ministry of Environment to repair the chiller. The Ministry had advised management two years in a row to replace the chiller, but the president of the Board of Directors had chosen to ignore this advice.

To be on the safe side, we, the residents, should stay on top of their promise to replace the chiller. My guess is that once the chiller is repaired, they might try to duck out of buying a new model.

Complaining helps

A lot of people, including those near and dear to me, claim that contacting the government over issues of concern is a waste of time.

They seem to think that, because so many complaints are received, government officials cannot possibly read them all, let alone respond to them.

Well I have news for them.
I complained about the lack of A/C in our building due to negligence of the building’s management and Board of Directors and in addition mentioned that the building’s elevators are far from safe.

And guess what, within three business days I received the following response:

Hi Conny

Thank you for contacting 311 Toronto.

I have placed a service request for both of your issues. For the air conditioner the reference # is 619142 and for the elevators the reference # is 619154. An investigator will be looking at these issues within the next 5 business days. If you need to follow up on these requests you can contact 311 Toronto (just dial 311) and quote the reference numbers above.

I hope this information helps.

Regards,

Daniel E.
311 Toronto

See, some people DO care.

Let it rain, let it rain, let it rain

Toronto woke up to another sunny day. We were promised rain for yesterday and today, but so far not a drop has fallen. Oh we saw dark gray clouds yesterday and it’s a little overcast today, but if there was any rain it fell somewhere else.

Outside it’s not too bad. In fact, when I went outside yesterday – on my way to bowling – the first thing I noticed was how nice and cool the air felt. The second thing I noticed was how many people were outside.

Usually the lawn of our condo building is more or less deserted. There might be the odd child running around, or someone walking their dog, but in general the front garden is not a popular area. However, now it seemed to be a hotspot. There were old people sitting on benches, men and women seemingly sleeping on blankets, people playing with their dog and children on bicycles.

It crossed my mind how nice it would be if we could all live outside for the duration of this no air-conditioning period; if we could all bring blankets and just camp outside. There is soft green grass, beautiful big trees, flowers and even the occasional squirrel and wild bunny.

The bowling alley would have been an even better place to stay for a while. Ah the feel of the cold air when I first walked in ... I never wanted to leave.
Coming back home was not a nice experience. As soon as I opened the door I felt like I was walking into a sauna. Even with the windows open and the fans going, the heat is trapped inside the rooms and feels oppressive.

Oh, if only I could have gone back outside and spend the night under the stars. I could have, but it wouldn’t have been fair on the cats. They are hot too. If I left, even if I left the fans on, I would have to close the windows. At least by staying with them I can make them as comfortable as possible.

Not that they seem all that bothered. During the day they sleep stretched out on the floor and in the evening they play. Not as enthusiastically as they used to, but they at least come alive after sundown.

When will we have A/C again? Who knows. I haven’t even bothered phoning the office because on a previous occasion I’ve been told it could take two to three weeks. My guess is, management doesn’t know either. All the residents of 301 Prudential Drive can do is wait and hope it doesn’t take too long.

A new 'chiller'

There is good news and there is bad news.

The bad news is, the ‘chiller’ of the A/C has packed up. After fiddling with silicone and gaskets, and the machine being red flagged by the Health & Safety inspector, the A/C technicians have given up.

The good news is that the building is getting a new chiller. Long overdue and at a most inopportune time, but better late than never.

More bad news is, it could take weeks for this new chiller to arrive. Apparently there are no chillers in Canada, so management went shopping in the States. As soon as the chiller arrives it will be installed.

Of course, I and everybody else in this building is wondering when that will happen. Will the machine arrive in July? August? Or will we get cooling when we no longer need it?

Meanwhile people have been most helpful with suggesting cooling tips.

- Dress loose and light
- Avoid activity such as cooking and cleaning (I can definitely live with that)
- Put wet cloths in front of the fans
- Put ice in front of the fans

I'm trying everything.

Meanwhile the fans are doing their job.
The two small ones are keeping the bedrooms cool and a big one is cooling the living room. He is so big and powerful, I have him on speed 1. On speed 3 he would blow the cushions out of the sofa.

Have a look at this big boy ...

The Beginning

At 301 Prudential Drive, an aging condo building in Scarborough, residents are fainting in their units.

Amidst the sweltering heat Toronto is experiencing, the residents find themselves without air-conditioning. The building is equipped with air-conditioning but management neglected to service the machine properly and as a result residents are now boiling in their units.

This is not the first time that the residents of this condo building find themselves battling the heat. Back in May of this year, when all condo buildings had their air-conditioners switched on, 301 Prudential Drive lacked cooling.

When questioned as to why there was no cooling, management stated that the air-conditioner had problems. A technician was called and a few days later it was reported that the problem was ‘fixed’.

Apparently it wasn’t fixed very well as the ancient machine, a mere three months later, has given the ghost again. This time the technician found a leak which he patched up with some silicone.

The silicone didn't do the job though. When a health and safety official come around, he red flagged the machine. He actually red flagged the machine in 2008 and in 2009, urging management to buy a new machine, but this didn't happen. They rather payed a fine than buying a new machine.

Management operates under the instructions of a Board of Directors. The president (Shaun) wouldn't give his okay to buy a new machine.

Because of him everybody is now suffering.

We, and many others, have bought fans to keep us cool.
A small fan in each of the bedrooms, a large fan in the living room.
Today, with a temperature of 80 degrees it is okay, but last week when we were having 100 and 113 degrees the situation was almost unbearable.

Our pets were suffering too. Now they're okay again, but during the very hot days they were on the floor without any energy at all. To cool them I sponged them down with cold water and freshened their water bowl every few hours.

What angers me the most is that this could have been prevented. If management had listened to the Health & Safety inspector and gone ahead and bought the chiller when first recommended, we wouldn't have to suffer.

If I ever get my hands on the stingy president ...

Stay tuned for updates on this situation and other stuff that happens under the Toronto sun.