We Will Not Forget

Today marks the 10 year anniversary of 9/11.

On September 11, 2001 I was only 3 weeks into my first job at a social services agency. As receptionist there, my duties included raising and taking down the flag every day. I arrived early and walked out to the flagpole holding the American flag and the Northern Valley Catholic Social Service flag in my arms. Do I raise it all the way, do I put it at half mast? 'What is going on?' My friend, Angela pulled in to the parking lot and rolled her window down - noticing the obvious expression of bewilderment on my face...and then she got out and came inside.

I called my then-partner who I knew would be fast asleep at home..'Babe? Babe, pick up. Turn on the TV, I need you to wake up.' Being that she was in law enforcement, I knew that there would probably be a mandatory department meeting post haste. I resumed my daily duties and that was the day that CNN.com became a bookmark on my desktop, laptop and smartphone forever after. I got home, and we went to give blood...like hundreds of others...all of us standing in line while George W. Bush was on every TV screen in the North State Blood Center building. We came home and we put up her father's American flag on the post at our house. The entire neighborhood put out flags. The entire community was quiet that night - wanting to be with their families, I'm sure.

Tonight it seems like the entire neighborhood is having a BBQ, as there are cars everywhere and kids playing in the street, patio sets in front yards. Community.

No. I will not forget.

A Fan or to Fan the Flame?

Gosh, I didn't know I had such a readership coming out of Wilsonville, Oregon.

Wow.

Aye Papi!

So far, Costa Rica is amazing. Gorgeous! It took quite a bit of travel to make it to the Pacific coast. Buses, a ferry, thunderstorm, rain and the humidity...Oy.

This morning I woke up to find that a critter in the night had nibbled holes into part of my backpack. Little fucker! I suppose I should not have left a snack in there...but still. The thing was gnawing away at my pack as I slept maybe a foot away.

After breakfast, I walked over to a jewelry stand. All of the sudden I heard this commotion and palm leaves and twigs started falling off the roof above. I though a coconut had fallen. Instead, a huge iguana tumbled off the roof and into the street. My friend Teresa screamed and I laughed as the thing righted itself and then ran toward Teresa...and then ran to the jewelry stand and hid under the table.

Well, this is a German keyboard and takes more effort to type so, I´m off....the beach calls.

The One Upper

I used to know a very arrogant person who took a look at some of my travel pictures and remarked: "New Orleans? Why go there? That's like going to San Jose (CA) on vacation". Well, I am actually flying in to San Jose (Costa Rica) for vacation. But I mean, really...why go there? Isn't it like going to Bogata on vacation? Maybe I'll run in to Juan Valdez.

Ass.

...

I'm not sure there is any better judge of character other than to give a person some power (or perceived power) and then see what happens.

Let's Be Frank

Weiner. Funny word, isn't it? The dog looks funny. The sausage looks funny. The organ well, is funny. And now the man. Weinergate Come on...Weinergate, really? In this age of tweets and blogs and social networking and Internet smut trails it's important to remember that you're going to have to eat what you Tweet. And always keep that Weinerdude Attitude!

There are times....

Sometimes distance does not make the heart grow fonder, but rather...grateful.

Shady Practices

As my readers know - I've referenced my moves quite a bit in my blog. I have a great rental history and have never had an issue with a landlord until....

Oak Street Apartments, Hood River Oregon owner/landlord - Charlotte Wertgen or Wertgren. Whatever.

I moved out of my apartment there on December 3rd 2010. My landlord came into my apartment while I was cleaning it and we discussed how I should leave (will there be a walk through? Do I owe money for 3 days in December?) Nope. No walk through. Just leave the keys, the parking pass and a forwarding address on the kitchen counter. As for the 3 days rent for December "We'll square that up with the deposit". Okay...so a month goes by....I call the landlord on January 3rd 2011 from my cell phone and she returns my phone call 2 days later on my work phone. The delightful message stated that she didn't "Think" that I would be getting any of my deposit back and that I could "call back and argue" if I "wanted".

Well...to keep my deposit is one thing. $300 isn't much. It's on top of the $175.00 non-refundable "cleaning deposit" that is written into your month-to-month lease. So, I suppose that we did "square up with the deposit" and the $300 I didn't get back was a very expensive 3 days in December. I called Charlotte back and asked for an explanation in writing (Oregon law states that a landlord has 31 days to submit this to the tenant). Charlotte yelled that she was giving me an explanation and was very indignant about the whole thing. All I want(ed) is the explanation in writing. Her final response: "If I get around to it". Well, that must be nice...and a good little scam too. Apparently Charlotte is above the law and doesn't need to give her tenants any explanation in writing as to why she keeps any or all of their deposits. Her rent is cheap. Her apartments are downtown in a tourist area and well...we should be so happy to rent from this woman.

My advice to anyone considering renting an apartment at Oak Street Apartments in Hood River, Oregon - Take pictures. Lots of pictures. Be careful about calling for any repairs, as you'll be docked on your deposit for that too. I called the maintenace man one time for a plugged sink. I was scolded by Charlotte for "stuffing lasagna" down the sink. A horrible patch job apparently means a room was "painted".

An alternative...don't rent from this woman at all - she will treat you like a child if you question her methods versus treating you as the paying tenant you are.