I'm Back

I'm back in the Land of High-Speed-Internet and e-mail. I'd gladly give it all up to not be work*.

I was not, I am sorry to say, on vacation. Len's parents own a few rental properties in Ann Arbor's student ghetto. Because Len's father is increasingly unable (an issue I will not go into, given the complications of their relationship), Len has been taking over management. Apartment/house changeover at the end of August (leases in Ann Arbor run September to end of August) is traditionally extremely busy; students move out as late as possible and their replacements try to move in as early as possible. Landlords have to try to get the rentals clean, painted and carpeted between move out and move in. It's a dicey operation under the best of circumstances, but this year was Len's first year mostly in charge. He was down a few people: his sister and her handy husband just had twins and their regular professional cleaner had bypass surgery a few months ago so Len assumed was not able to work (never assume, as it turns out). Add to that the emotionally and physically complicating factor of his father and a mother with brand-spanking new grandbabies. What do you have? Stressed out Len.

I took last week off to lend a hand. And let me just say. Undergraduate and graduate students are pigs. I cleaned under a stovetop which had not been touched in a year (the thing to hold the stovetop up was still taped down). I scrubbed an extremely disgusting floor with Comet. I cleaned refrigerators which had never seen a sponge. I am happy to say I did not have to clean anyone's bathroom (except one which was left in very good shape by the previous tenants). Nasty nasty business.

One of the buildings has a parking lot which is much larger than necessary, so they rent out parking spaces mostly to the neighboring fraternity house. When Len and I first start dating I was horrified by the cars in that lot: Lexus SUVs, Jeep Cherokees (actually those where so last year), BMWs. This year, though, was the worst. A Hummer 2. Seriously. What moron sends their child to school with a fucking Hummer??? Don't answer that, I don't want to know. Personally, I don't quite understand having a car that isn't the old family beater while in college, but I guess things have changed in 20 years.

By the way: Thanks Barb, for the compliments on the little hat! I will hopefully put up pictures of the boy hat soon, if I can figure out how to make a pom-pom, that is.

*Actually, I rather like my job, even on days that I am bored to tears. But when there is knitting, weaving, tomatoes, basil, and all manner of other fun things to do at home (in the Land of Very Slow Dial-Up), well, let's just say, I will (in about 30 years) make a very fine retired person.