Finished?

I noticed something interesting when I was walking down the alley the other day.

What? You don't walk down the alley on your block?

How else will you know what's really going on in your neighborhood?

Anyhoo...

I was walking down the alley and noticed that the back windows of the newly renovated apartment building are covered in plywood.

The openings where the back doors should be are covered in plywood as well.

It appears that someone from the inside may not be able to exit to the back porch.

How in God's name can you rent apartments to tenants and not have another way out of the building in case of an emergency?

That ain't right and that ain't safe.

Moreover, that doesn't sound legal.

It's Always Something

Like most people, I have some neighbors that only speak to me when they need something.

A phone number of another neighbor. A key to the basement. I'm usually persona non grata until their needs come front and center.

That's not to say that there aren't a few great people who live in my association.

Neighbors who will pick me up when they see me on the bus stop, or take me along with them when they go to a big box store. Kind simple gestures that show a basic level of humanity and consideration.

And don't think for one minute that I'm making my neighbor's responsible for hauling my ass from point A to point B. I have a Chicago Card and a shopping cart, thank you very much.

But it sure is nice to give righty and lefty a break and every now and then.

So after the "Great Assessment Debacle" last fall, I made the decision to pull away from caring about my condo association.

Why in God's name would I care about our home more than a majority of the people who live here?

It's not just their attitude towards me that sticks in my craw---I've got thick skin. It's their complete lack of willingness to help in the smallest way for the betterment of our home.

Let me emphasize that again---OUR home.

Stuff doesn't get done around here by hoping and magic fairy dust.

While I have my issues with our treasurer and his wife, I will give them their props for doing a great deal of work on behalf of this association.

But then of course so have I and a few other people.

Unfortunately that spirit of cooperation nd a tiny bit of sacrifice is sorely lacking among a majority of my neighbors.

Which makes our latest set of issues quite interesting.

In A New York State Of Mind

The Saint of 9/11


The Blueprint 3

*Images courtesy of Tribecca Films and Roc Nation*

Clearly It's Not The Rabbits We Need To Worry About

Per my Tweet from yesterday, some jackasses are going into the garden and stealing produce.

That's just plain out and out bullshit.

The only leeway I'd give would be if someone's hungry but even then I'd rather you ask me for my tomatoes than find them used in an impromptu food fight.

Just a gut feeling after seeing the remains of ripened tomatoes all over the garden.

If you remember part three of my Yo Chicago interview on You Tube, you'll see a glimpse of my tomato plant which only had about five tomatoes on it vs. fifteen from the week before.

So much for tomato, mozzarella and basil salad.

The Good Neighbor

Neighbors.

You're blessed if you have good ones. If not, the few good ones you have will stand out even more.

It's difficult to put into words how much I simply adore this young woman. We initially met because of former neighbors but her blog also keeps me in stitches.

Before I go on a rant about bad neighbors, I'd like to reintroduce you to Erin, the author of Swim & Glitter. Her posts make me laugh out loud.

Her latest one is no exception.

You'll hear me talk about a great many things. My sex life won't be one of them.

Giving Up The Ghost

The last time I wrote about Carlton Knight’s Dixie Highway property, the day to day operations had been taken over by a court appointed Receiver in December of 2007.

The Receiver really gave it a go.

Rents were collected and recommendations for repairs were made.

Some tenants were evicted, some were moved to other units and others continued to live in their current situation.

Make no mistake, the condition of the building was (and is) dismal.

But sometimes, no matter how much you want to make it happen, you’ve got to give up the ghost.

From the 13th report:
“We had come to the conclusion that given the condition of the property and the limited income we were receiving, it was better to vacate the property rather than keeping only a handful of paying tenants, which would have resulted in an operating deficit of at least $4,000/month.”

Holy Crap.

Even with loads of money the Receiver and Inland Bank couldn’t make that dog hunt.

I guess you need to know when to throw in the towel.

But the scary part is that the property didn’t get that way overnight.

At least that what the Receiver’s first and second reports said.

Do not make me detail the contents of reports three through twelve.

It’s just too jaw dropping.

And to think, people had to live in those conditions.

It just makes you shake your head.

Debut

Check out my Yo Chicago debut.



Click on the links for Part II & Part III.