Day 46: Ready to jump out the window

Between You, Me and the Lamp Post

Day 46: Ready to jump out the window

For the past 30 years or so, I have lived in a condo building and never given much thought to the person in the management office.

To the best of my knowledge, that person was there in case one of the residents had a complaint and in due time that complaint would be taken care of.

Today, I have a newfound respect for people in management offices everywhere. How they put up with the constant stream of complaints, I don’t know.

As a temp, my latest assignment is working for such a management company and I tell you ... if it wasn’t that I worked on the ground floor, I would be ready to jump out the window.

I started in the management office last Thursday and initially the work was fine, if not a little boring. That all changed today.

Earlier this month two men from a fire alarm company came to inspect the units to make sure that the smoke and fire alarms were in working condition. Today, they came back to visit the units where a problem had been found.

All-day long I was getting calls from residents demanding to know when the two men would visit their unit. How was I supposed to know that? I didn’t accompany the men and they didn’t check-in with me.

In addition to this there was a steady stream of visitors to the office, each with their own complaint: a hole in the ceiling needed fixing, something was stuck in the garbage chute, a dead rodent was found in the garden, two people protested a fine they received after not paying their maintenance fees on time. By three o’clock I had enough. Did these people do anything but complaining?

The cherry on the cake came at 3:00 p.m. A man walked in, I guessed him to be in his early 50s, who looked and smelled like a bum. He asked me when the next flea market was to be held. I told him in early October. Could I give him a registration form? I told him that no registration forms were currently available. “Well, if you can’t do the job then why are you here?” he stated.

Next, he told me that he wanted to file a complaint. When I asked him as to the nature of his complaint he barked, “That’s none of your business.” I wasn’t gonna argue with him, but it was my business. How could I address his complaint if I didn't know what it was?

I’m not exactly looking forward to tomorrow and as far as I’m concerned, this assignment can’t be over soon enough. Like I said, I have a newfound respect for condo management office staff everywhere. How they put up with the complaints day in and day out, I don’t know. If I had to do it, I'd jump out the window.

My Project: 365 Creative Writing Prompts

Day 58: Pain management – Fasciitis

 

This morning I learned that someone I know is suffering from fasciitis. Ever the concerned, helpful and resourceful friend that I am, I immediately sprang into action and researched what fasciitis is and how to treat it.

 

What is Fasciitis

 

Fasciitis is a rather common cause of heel pain. Not just the heel though, but the ligaments that connect the heel to the toe bones. In other words, the whole flat or arched side of the foot. As we walk and run, these ligaments absorb the pressure we put on our feet, but too much pressure or unsuitable footwear can cause these ligaments to get damaged or even tear.

 

What causes Fasciitis

According to the experts, fasciitis can be caused by being overweight. The weight of the body put extra pressure on the feet resulting in the ligaments getting inflamed.

 

Other people who are at risk to develop this condition are runners and joggers, which makes sense as their feet take a lot of punishment.

 

Professionals who spent a lot of time on their feet may also develop fasciitis. Folks such as hair stylists, waiting staff, nurses, and blue-collar workers.

 

Finally, people who have very high arches or flat feet are at risk.

 

Since my friend is not overweight, is not a jogger (to the best of my knowledge), does not work in a salon, hospital or factory, I have to assume that her high arches or flat feet are to blame.

 

How to treat Fasciitis

 

The first thing a doctor will give a patient suffering from fasciitis is anti-inflammatory tablets along with the advice to rest the affected foot. Walk as little as possible and certainly don’t run.

 

In severe cases, a doctor may suggest an injection of corticosteroid, directly into the ligament.

 

Physical therapy is an important part of treating fasciitis. A therapist will show the patient how correctly stretch the Achilles tendons along with the plantar fascia.

 

Pain Management

 

Along with pain tablets and anti-inflammatory pills, a patient can wear something called a fasciitis brace. Not only will such a brace speed up the recovery time but it will ease the pain when walking.

 

To avoid further fasciitis episodes ... give the stilettos or ballerina slippers a miss and wear proper shoes with sufficient heel and arch support.

www.connymanero.weebly.com

Day 52: Pain management - Sciatica

My Project: 365 Creative Writing Prompts

Day 52: Pain management - Sciatica

It happened on November 3^rd. It started with a tiny pinch in my back, by 10:00 p.m. I was in excruciating pain. Nine days of pain, pain and more pain. While sitting, standing and walking the pain is moderate, but one wrong move and the pain is so severe that for a moment my breath gets stuck in my throat, or I scream.

Even since I announced this condition, I’ve been getting advice from readers:

-      Rest

-      Walk

-      Apply heat

-      Apply ice

-      Exercise

While these comments are much appreciated, I wonder if any of these people have actually experienced sciatica pain. Come to that, I wonder if my condition really is related to the sciatic nerve. Sciatica pain is not like regular back pain or lower back pain. If you look at the diagram you’ll notice that the sciatica nerve radiates pain into one buttock, hip and down the left or right leg. With me, that is not the case. My pain is centralized at the coccyx and radiates in both buttocks.

As for the given advice … I’ve done everything. I’ve rested, I’ve walked, I’ve applied heat and cold. This morning when I went looking for how to alleviate sciatica pain, I came across an article that said ‘Go for a brisk walk’. I closed my eyes and shook my head in wonder … does this person have any idea what sciatica pain feels like? You could promise me a million dollars, you could promise me ten million dollars if I went for a ‘brisk’ walk and I would have to forego the money. On a good day I can walk slowly, on a bad day, I shuffle. Of all the advice received, this is what has helped me the most:

Let me explain what my days are like.

Showering – This happens with the greatest of care. As you well know, one doesn’t shower standing still, there is constant movement, with twisting and turning. A water dance so to speak. This takes its toll on the back muscles. Not to mention that one stands on a slippery surface. A healthy person has no idea how many muscles are at work to keep a body upright and balanced.

Drying off – This too is risky business. Drying face, neck and chest is no problem, but then it starts … drying arms, back, and legs must be done slowly and with caution. When drying your back, you’re technically doing a mini version of the twist and that can lead to shooting pains. As for drying my legs … I do what I can, but anything below the knee must air dry. I just can’t reach.

Dressing – With a little caution, slipping on my bra and shirt goes reasonably well, but stepping into my underwear and jeans … hm, this takes several attempts, usually accompanied by a lot of groaning with pain.

Face and hair – While I used to do this in front of the mirror, now I moisturize and brush my hair sitting down. I know my face, I don’t need a mirror to show me where the moisturizer goes and neither do I need a mirror to fix my hair.

The first walk - When I’m done, I get up (slowly) and walk to the living room where the couch and a thick pillow awaits me. As I sit down and lean back I let out a contented sigh and feel like someone who just climbed Mount Everest … ‘Aaaaaah, that’s over, I’ve done it!’

Making breakfast - After I’ve rested a bit and caught my breath it’s time for breakfast. I make coffee, tea or hot chocolate and slip a bagel in the toaster. As I wait for the beverage to get ready and the bagel to pop, I have to support myself on the kitchen counter. The pain sags and my coccyx feels like it’s being attacked by several hot bricks. After carefully walking back to the living room I enjoy the satisfaction of sitting down.

When I fire up my laptop and read advice about treating sciatica pain, I come across advice such as … ‘getting on with your day’, ‘doing everything you usually do’ and ‘go for a walk’. I wonder about the experience of these writers. Getting on with my day … walking … hm, I shuffle more than what I walk and a trip to the kitchen, bathroom or bedroom leaves me exhausted and often nauseous with pain.

I do get up from time to time, to get my blood flowing and my muscles from stiffening up, but every time I’m more than happy when I can finally sit down again.

I’m seeing my doctor on Monday. For this, I have to go all the way downtown Toronto and at this time, I have no idea if I’ll be able to make the trip. Fortunately, I have today, tomorrow and part of Monday to get better. To get from home to the station, take three trains and walk from the station to the clinic. Mount Everest, here I come.

www.connymanero.weebly.com

Getting out of debt

Now that the holidays are over, have you taken a look at your credit card account?  If you’re afraid to take a peek, you won’t be the only one.

Between presents for family and friends, Christmas decorations, festive food and beverages, not to mention a killer outfit, you might have let the dollars roll just a little too generously.

And now what?  If you’re like millions of other people, you want to pay off your debt, but the payments you make seem like a drop of water on a hot plate of debt.

If your monthly payments are swallowed up by the interest your credit card company charges, or you can’t resist the temptation that your card poses, you need a plan.  Perhaps you need help to stick to the plan. 

The office of Cockburn & Associate LLP can help.  The firm specializes in debt settlements for Canadians.  Contacting them is as easy as filling out a form to arrange a free telephonic consultation.

From there it’s up to you.  You can either continue to struggle with debt payments that never seem to make a dent in the total amount you owe, or you can let a debt specialist lend you a helping hand.

http://www.clegal.ca/

Flooded?

“This is Colette from the management office at 301 Prudential Drive. There is a flood in your unit and we need to get in. If we can’t get in we might have to break the door down. Please call me back as soon as possible. This is an emergency.”

This is the voice mail message I found on my cell phone yesterday when I came back from lunch time and as you can imagine, I flipped. A flood in our condo! Breaking the door down! I immediately called Colette back and ... got the management’s office’s voice mail.  I called back five minutes later and ... got the voice mail again.

Fortunately the message gave a number in case of an emergency and since Colette had mentioned that this was an emergency I saw no reason why I couldn’t use that number.

I quickly explained the situation to the woman who answered the phone and through some ‘back door’ she got hold of Colette. Naturally I stressed that my door was not to be broken down. We would leave work immediately and we would be home as a.s.a.p.

I had already alerted Dieter of the situation and like two bats from hell we flew out of our office. Once outside we hailed a cab, jumped in, gave the cab driver our address and told him to ‘step on it’.

We soon found out that ‘stepping on it’ only works in movies, in real life there were cars, cars and more cars blocking our way and annoying things like speed limits. In other words, it took forever to get out of the downtown core but eventually we got onto the highway. Great, now the cab driver would be able to ‘step on it’.

Euh, wrong, there was an accident on the highway and traffic looked like a parking lot. So we left the highway and took the regular road. The regular road was far from ideal though. In addition to slow moving cars, we had to deal with traffic lights, traffic lights and more traffic lights.

Finally, finally we got home. We took the elevator up and before the door was fully open we were already out. In Olympic sprint style we ran to our unit and wondered what we would find on the other side of the front door. I fully expected to find my bedroom rugs floating in the living room.

We opened the door and ... saw Charlie, Mickey and Charlotte who very obviously had just woken up and Chanel who was still asleep on top of the fridge. They meowed a hello and seemed totally at ease. I rushed to my bedroom, thinking the flood was maybe there and found Gabriel asleep on the windowsill. Where exactly was this flood? What exactly was the emergency? What was the reason they would have broken the door down for?

When I called the superintendent he knew about the ‘flood’, our downstairs neighbors had called him because they found water trickling into their bedroom. He would be up to see us shortly.
I waited half an hour and when the super didn’t show up I called him again. He stated that he couldn’t come up because he was waiting for the plumber. He would come to our unit as soon as the plumber arrived.

Eventually at 6:45 p.m. there was a knock on the door ... the super and the plumber. They went to have a look at the A/C system in my bedroom, found a blockage in one of the pipes, which apparently caused a bit of a leak. Don’t ask me what the plumber did, but ten minutes later everything was fixed.

Strange, isn’t it, that we had to leave work in a rush at 2:00 p.m. and spent $50 on a cab ride, only for the plumber to show up at 6:45 p.m.
Anyway, all is well that ends well. I suppose we should be thankful that there wasn’t a real leak, with real damage.

In January 2009 we actually had a real flood. It happened late one night. I was still up when I heard, what I thought was, one of the cats peeing in the litter box. The release of water kept going and going and I remember thinking ‘Jeez, but that cat pees long’.

When I went to check there was no cat in the litter box, but I did see water seeping through the air vent of the ceiling. Within minutes the seeping water turned into a wild gushing. I mean, the water come down the ceiling, down the walls ... there was just water everywhere.

We tried to mop up the mess but it was no use. At the time we really were ankle deep in water. In the end the superintendent came with the assistant superintendent and two giant machines resembling vacuum cleaners. The machines were designed to suck up water and did a marvelous job. Half an hour later all the floors were perfectly dry again. We later learned that a pipe had broken on the floor above us.

So, nothing quite as severe this time. No broken pipe, just a blocked A/C pipe causing a bit of trouble. Damn Colette, some people can turn a molehill into a mountain.

Are breasts important while job hunting?

Goodbye to Workopolis, goodbye to Monster, goodbye to so many job sites I frequented on a daily basis over the past few months.
I won’t be visiting anymore because I found a job. It’s not exactly my dream job, but as everyone keeps telling me, it’s better than nothing.

Better than nothing yes, but it is a shame that experienced staff has to settle for less, while young dolly birds get the good jobs.

You might have heard that looks are not important while job hunting. Forget it, they are important. I recently wrote an article on the subject, so instead of repeating myself, the article can be found here:

http://www.helium.com/items/1211930-job-hunting

By the same token, they same that honesty is important. I disagree on that too.
In 2008 I worked with someone, let’s call her Samantha, who blatantly cheated on her time sheet. We were both temps, but while I recorded my working hours accurately, she added 2 to 5 hours per week to her time sheet.

As I worked for the accounts department at the time, I picked up on the fraud and pointed it out to the financial director. Nothing was done about it.

I spoke to the temp on the subject too and asked her to stop.
“No way,” she said, “the sooner I have my 500 hours, the sooner I will qualify to be hired full-time.”

To cut a long story short, the financial director knew about her deceit, HR knew about it and the agency Samantha worked for knew about it too. All of them closed their eyes to the fraudulent time sheet.

Then the day came that I met Samantha. So far we had only spoken on the phone and communicated via email, but during a lunch meeting I met her face to face.
And suddenly all became clear. Truth be told her face was not the first thing I noticed, her breasts were.
Excuse me, but they were hard to miss. Forget double D, they were at least triple D.

They were fully covered by a turtleneck sweater, but the sweater was so tight, nothing was left to the imagination. As were the leggings she wore that day. Skintight, revealing every curve of her size 12 voluptuous body.

I suddenly understood why the manager who signed his approval on Samantha’s time sheet didn’t see the extra hours she declared … he was too busy looking at other ‘things’.

I don't have such 'things', at least not such big 'things', so I guess I'll have to be happy with any type of job I can get.

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.

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.