#previous tenants left washer and dryer so that’s free

[prorevenge]

Bully Landlord gets it in the end.

My first husband was a not very nice man. For 6 years I was belittled and basically a baby-factory for him. He was a fantastic father, but a horrible husband. After he finally got his 'heirs' I was then treated even worse until I finally 'woke up' and decided to leave his ass.

This revenge story is NOT about him. I just had to set the scene.

I moved out from the house, taking just my clothes, the car (4K value, no more) and the computer. I had nothing, stayed at a GF for a couple weeks before I was able to line up a crappy town-house with roommates. I had nothing, and my bed was a cat-pee-smelling free couch I was able to score. I wound up having 3-4 jobs with one of them being full-time and once a week I would not even be able to sleep between jobs.

Now, fast forward one year. My divorce was finalized and I had fulfilled my year's lease for the townhouse. By this time I was able to furnish the home and my bedroom and my kids' room when they would be with me for visitation.

The Scum-Bag Landlord (will just call him SBL) was a nice-ish landlord during the time of my tenancy and I was a good tenant, never being late with my rent. Although I had roommates, I was the sole name on the lease.

SBL would show up often, with some guise that he had to work on something like plumbing tests or whatever excuse he could come up with just so he could be all creepy and hang around trying to converse with me with mild sexual undertones that made me quite uneasy at times.

FINALLY the lease was fulfilled and I was now onto a month-to-month contract to which at that time I was ready to move out of this crappy townhouse, and found a great house in the mountains nearby and I was simply thrilled now that I got my feet on the ground and can afford a bit better than slum-living.

My Lease stated that I had to give one month's notice in order to move out. Unfortunately I was able to get the house I was to move into for the next month... only 3 weeks away.

I sent an email to SBL stating that I intend on moving out at the end of this month (in 3 weeks) and he can try to find another tenant. but I did state that IF he didn't find a tenant, I would still fulfill my legal obligation and pay next month's rent.

Within one week (2 weeks before I was move out) he emailed back and stated that was very generous of my offer but he was able to find a new tenant for the beginning of next month and I would be off the hook. He even tipped his hand by stating that he already collected a deposit from them.

Now, something happened within a couple days after that which was no fault of my own, nor my roommate's. The townhouse came with it's own appliances (fridge, oven etc) including a clothes washer and dryer on the main level. My roommate had put a load of laundry in and went to the living room to have a nap. He awoke to find that the washer had malfunctioned with the sensory switch which never stopped the water fill stage... and there was an inch of water in the kitchen and living room!!! He splashed through the water to turn off the washer and called me to come and help deal with this.

I was just getting off of work and I whipped home to assess the damage.

it. was. bad. There was standing water on top of the living room carpet and a good inch of water in the whole kitchen. I called SBL and told him the issue. By the time SBL showed up, I had already got most of the standing water out with the help of my roommate and friends that showed up with shop-vacs.

SBL didn't seem too upset, which was surprising for me and had an appliance repair man had come to look at the washer. The repairman even said "yep, here's the culprit" and showed how the dial would stick on the fill stage and wouldn't click over to the agitate stage. after replacing the dial and lubricating the whole deal, he left.

The next week was chaos as I was busy trying to pack and SBL had insurance guys in assessing and workers taking out the carpet and cutting 2 feet worth of the lower drywall of the whole main level.

The day of the move, though I was still supposed to be there for a couple more days, SBL had let himself in as movers were moving out my stuff with a camera going around taking pictures of everything. I honestly thought that it was for his insurance claims etc. I actually felt bad for SBL (I'm too nice) and told him that I would not ask for any of my deposit back, and he responded in front of the loading crew and my roommate "Thank you, that's very generous of you". We parted ways and I thought that was that.

I was wrong.

Two weeks into my new home location did SBL showed up on my doorstep with a summons to appear in arbitration because he was SUEING ME! WHAT???? on what grounds??? He stated it's all in this paperwork and handed me a manila envelope with 18 pages of everything he was charging me with. All including photos (now I know why he was going around taking pics). Nickle and diming me on everything from a bent Venetian blind (that was like that when I had moved in) and some scuffs on walls, etc etc. but then he ALSO wanted me to pay his insurance deductible and that following month's rent!!! He claimed that the tenants that he had lined up backed out at the last minute (claiming that they didn't think the place wouldn't be ready in time with the new drywall and paint and so on), so he still wanted me to pay that month's rent.

REALLY??

Fuck. This. Shit. I knew I was more than generous of giving him my whole deposit and then for him to come back and sue me for thousands?? He was not only claiming the damages caused by the flood, but improvements he needed to do that should never be or have been my responsibility in the first place. EVEN CRACKS in the living room wall that was from the building settling.... HOW SHOULD I BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT??? Even new lighting, faucets etc... All mainly on the accusation that I was negligent. I wasn't going to have that. I know is was a slummy townhouse complex and most of his tenants were just welfare cases, and maybe he could get away with this with others, but not me. No Way! I had just got out of a marriage that made me feel insignificant and had horrible self-esteem, but now I had my dignity and felt strong for the first time in a long time. No way was I going to let any more SHIT happen to me without my doing something about it.

I had 10 days before the date of my arbitration meeting.

I immediately got to work, first getting a signed deposition from the very repairman that had showed that day stating that the appliance was quite in need of maintenance work and the last time he had done ANY maintenance for him was almost 5 years before. From thoroughly reviewing my rental contract, and local laws, SBL is obligated to have all appliances maintained/services EVERY YEAR.

I had also talked to some of the other tenants and had heard that this wasn't the first time SBL had sued tenants after the fact. I hunted them down and got sworn statements from them also. Unfortunately for them, they didn't know what to do and mostly didn't show up at arbitration hence SBL winning by default. NO WAY I WAS NOT GOING TO LET HIM DO THIS TO ME.

I then drew up a rebuttal to each and every claim he had, including photos from the year+ that I had lived there,, printed out all my email correspondence and even convinced my ex roommate and one of the movers that heard my interaction with SBL about him stating how "generous" it was of me letting him keep my whole deposit (which was a significant amount) to come.

DAY OF ARBITRATION... I dressed up in my power-suit and with my ex-roommate and worker in tow, showed up at the meeting. Now, in Canada, arbitration is not held in a court room per se, but it still held AT the courthouse in a conference room with a judge. We had one hour with this judge. Since SBL was the plaintiff, he got to go first with his case. He spent over 40 minutes going over everything and I sat quietly until he finished.

Once he finished, I then hauled out the rebuttal in multiple copies, handed to the judge, to SBL and anyone else that wished to have one and I quickly went over each point. SBL was irate, and interrupted almost every second sentence I spoke. I would pause the moment he would start talking and say sweetly "I was quiet and polite during your time to present your case, I hope you grant me the same respect". SBL started to get red in the face, ESPECIALLY when I got to the deposition of the Maintenance worker for the appliance. I included with that the tenancy/landlord act sections pertaining to appliance maintenance and stated that this was the only record of maintenance that had occurred, and unless he can come up with more recent records from perhaps another company, it was over 5 years since anything had been looked at.

With my defense, I had also then countered that I would like my deposit back, and my day's pay from work since I had to take that day off to go to this meeting.

The judge then made his statement, and I will always remember this for the rest of my life. He stated that first, he was very impressed of my presentation and that I obviously have a good handle on things and can tell that my nature is of kindness and respect especially with photos of how I had the town house furnished and clean and pride in whatever home I would live in.

Bottom line.... Not only did I win my case, I wound up having SBL owing my over 80% of my deposit back, including interest. SBL's face was PRICELESS. The judge then proceeded to tell SBL that they will be reviewing again all his previous filings, and if there was enough evidence of harassment, he would be reported to the board of landlords and tenants. I don't really know if anything came out of that.

Now.... I walked away that day feeling on top of the world. Completely justified and he got a taste of his own medicine.

BUT... it didn't stop there. OH NO. Knowing that this guy has a history of suing tenants... I printed up my final results (and judge's signature) and gave a copy to each and every tenant in that complex. I wanted to warn everyone his practices and to keep notes, photos etc so that he couldn't do that to them.

But I didn't stop there... He still now owed ME money (he he) and I asked repeatedly for the payment. he never responded. He had until a certain day to pay me back my deposit, and on that day I had gone to his house (I looked up his residence under public records as he is a landlord and had to file under a certain address) and knocked on the door. He didn't answer, though I knew he was home. I rang the bell a few more times, and knocked loudly. he then turned his house alarm on, which at first startled me, but quickly turned to humor seeing how much of a pussy this bully turned out to be.

I then yelled out loud enough that I am not going anywhere. He yelled out, "get off my property or I will call the police!!!"

OK... no problem. I got off the property, but camped out on the front sidewalk. I had a fold-up chair, a cooler with water and sodas, a few sandwiches and all my paperwork with me. I was set to stay there forever. I then would tell anyone that would walk by (already there were some people there from the house alarm fiasco) about how I was a tenant and wrongfully sued me and that I have a claim against him and he now owes ME money. I let anyone look at the paperwork just to back up my claim.

The police DID SHOW UP! they first went to talk to SBL and he was claiming that I was harassing him, slandering him and wouldn't leave his property. I was on public property (sidewalk) and it isn't slander if it's true, of which I had all my court-signed paperwork to back me up. I wasn't disturbing the peace, I was simply and quietly seated outside his home and just talking to neighbors about his actions.

He was out YELLING that I need to leave, and I quietly stated that I would be happy to leave once I am paid that he was legally obligated to do by that date. I was not going to leave before I got money in my hand, and I was more than willing to stay there and tell anyone that would listen to me why I was camped out. The police stated I wasn't doing anything wrong, that it's public property, I wasn't disturbing the peace and it isn't slander if it's true.

Finally after an hour of SBL yelling on his front lawn at the policemen (and at me, of course) did his wife come out with money. She handed the money to the police, of which in turn handed the money to me, and signed off documenting final payment was complete. I sweetly smiled, thanked the police deeply, and went home.

I have no idea what ever happened to SBL, and if he is still pulling shit like this on others, but I hope that I helped put the fear of god in him that he just can't screw with people because eventually it will come and bite him in the ass.

Sometimes, nice guys (or girls) finish last, but with patience ... they finish with a WIN!

(source) story by (/u/Elena_La_Loca)

[seoulfulcity]

August 31, 2018: Frontier House

So you’re going to Korea University...

The biggest worry I had was choosing the right place to stay and with enough browsing, I figured out that CJ International was my best bet: it's a new building, has a kitchen, refrigerator, and a gym within the building.

The other options like Frontier House, Global House, and Anam Hall didn't have those amenities, so the people staying in those dorms were always eating out, unless they knew someone in CJ International who can refrigerate their leftovers for them.

Although CJ International was the best option, there was another factor that made me hesitant to take on CJ.

It was up the CJ hill.

There are two ways to get to CJ from campus - the steep hill or the Frontier stairs, and they're both not good options.

The steep Global hill: the steep hill is accessed from behind Incheon Memorial Hall which eventually leads to Global House. The picture below was taken on top of the Global hill. The gray building on the very right side is the Global House; the beige building in the middle is the Anam Hall, and the gray building on the very left is the Frontier House. The bottom of the Global hill lies the Frontier House and from there, you have to climb up another steeper hill to get to CJ International.

The Frontier stairs: a 112-step stairs that are accessible from Anam-dong, which the entire campus of Korea University is situated in. If you plan to opt out from the Frontier stairs, the Frontier hill is accessible by continuing to walk up the street, to the left of the stairs. Ask anyone who has dormed in Korea University what they hated the most. I am very sure they'll mention "the stairs" as their number one.

The Frontier hill takes you to the CU convenience store, which serves as the fork in the road leading to the CJ hill on the left side and the continuation of Frontier hill to the right side.

On the way to CJ International are Men and Women's dormitory buildings reserved only for the Korean students; so if you're reading this in English as an international student, chances are, you won't be applying for either one of these dorms.

Continuing up the Frontier hill at the end are both Anam Hall (to your left) and Frontier House (to your right). Those staying in Global House have to climb up a third hill past Anam Hall and Frontier House.

If you ask me, I think Frontier is the better option because the amount of people staying in CJ complaining everyday is insane. Anam-dong and the CU convenience store are more easily accessible from Frontier and Anam Hall than they are to CJ International and Global House, since they're both high up in the hall on opposite ends.

I stayed in Frontier House, since CJ International filled up very quickly. Enroll early if you want a CJ room. Most of my CJ friends enrolled from February to April for the summer program starting in June.

Frontier House is separated into two buildings. When facing the stairs and Anam-dong, to your right is the women's building and to the left is the men's building.

There are three main rules in Frontier House: no drinking, no eating, and nobody of the opposite gender.

People usually get food delivered into Frontier, and most of the time, the Resident Assistant and the security at the lobby let them through, and sometimes they don't. If the RA or the security stops them from going up with their food, they ask the students to eat it outside Frontier; soju on the other hand can be sneaked in a backpack.

But since genders can't mix in the dorms, a lot of the students meet outside Frontier to eat their takeouts and drink soju with their friends of the opposite gender. Outside Frontier is everybody's meetup place, no matter which dorm they're staying in: CJ International, Global House, or Anam Hall.

The rooms in Frontier House have the same blueprint as the other dormitory buildings, though with two beds on opposite ends of the wall. Each area of the room gets their own desk and their side of the closet.

Here's a YouTube video of a quick tour of the dormitory: Frontier House Dorm | Korea University

What to bring: your own hamper, trash can, hangers, bath towels, bathroom floor mats, and basic shower necessities.

Since I stayed in the summer, a pillowcase, a Korea University blanket, and a bedding were provided for free, though students usually pay about ₩20,000 during the semester.

Each room gets their own Wi-Fi, if you're wondering. The Wi-Fi user and pass codes are taped at the lobby where the security is - it's best to take pictures of all the pass codes, since there's a high chance you'll be lodging in one of your friend's rooms at some point in the semester. Save them the time yelling out all 12 numbers whenever you visit them.

At the start of each semester, previous students usually leave their hangers, pans, hampers, and trash cans for the next tenants to use. They're available at Anam Hall while supplies last.

Frontier House has a lounge and a balcony on each floor where students can socialize, meet up to do group work, or get some fresh air.

Washing and drying rooms are in basement 2 (B2) next to the reading lounge a big room with many long tables to do quiet school work in. They're both accessible 24/7, though the washer and dryer don't work from 3-6 AM.

You need a pre-paid card to use the washer and dryer for ₩1,000. The machine is right in front of the elevator once you step out. A 30-minute wash is ₩1,000 while with the same price gives you 50 minutes of drying. Just follow the instructions given. Don't worry, there's an English translation. There's a vending machine for a detergent and dryer sheet together for ₩500.

Since Frontier House and Anam Hall are found in the lowest point of the CJ and Global Hills, the two dormitory buildings have the easiest and fastest access to Anam-dong and Anam Station. Anam Hall also has the cafeteria where students can purchase meal plans, though the cafeteria is accessible for three buildings, except CJ, without having to go down a hill. Those staying in Global House can access Anam Hall through one flight of stairs just past the security guard.

You guys have no idea how bad the hills are in this campus. I suggest you really avoid this because you're going to have to climb up these hills everyday.

To get to campus from Frontier, you can go up Global hill to access the back of Incheon Memorial Hall or down the Frontier stairs or the Frontier hill into Anam-dong. Those living in CJ International have the option to climb up a different 100-step stairs instead of walking up both Frontier and Global hills; or they could go down Frontier hill into Anam-dong.

From the Frontier stairs and Frontier hill, everything else is accessible: PC bang (PC방), restaurants, Anam Station, Anam nightlife, convenience stores, and all other entrances to Korea University.

To access the closest entrance to Korea University in Anam-dong (without hills), keep walking straight until you see the place with bright yellow sign, just in front of the cheap kimbap restaurant all the locals frequent:

Turn to your left on the yellow sign, then turn right on the first turn, away from the 7/11 store. You will see Korea University then.

Compared to the Global hill, this way has no hills at all, though it takes longer. This route takes about ten to fifteen minutes, while entering the campus from Global hill takes less than ten minutes.

In the end, I believe Frontier House is just more accessible to everything - it's closer to Anam-dong and is at the bottom of both steep hills. Plus, you get a great view of the area.

It is also the largest dormitory on campus, so there's a high chance that you and your friends will be staying in the same building.

Read: it's easier to hang and socialize in each other's rooms at night without having to break sweat by leaving the building and climbing up hills.

Have a great time in Korea University! Go tigers!

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[sunkissis]

Bonjour Amis,

Let me confess, the first two months were exhilarating and equally stressful for me. I was absolutely enjoying our time living in Nation (12th arrondissement) and exploring beautiful Paris but also I was staying up all night looking for potential apartments. Every time I got close to scoring a fabulous place, someone else would snap it up. I was starting to believe it was because I wasn’t French but we had our French friends call on our behalf and they got the same response. I was so close to renting my dream apartment on the sweetest street ever when the agent said the landlord just approved someone before us. I mean, I called every day, left voicemails, sent emails all during the whole enrolling Liv into school drama. I commend my own strength because I thought I would have a mental breakdown with stress and disappointment. It was house hunting all over again but with a two month deadline. I was also working with our real estate agent in Los Angeles trying to get our house rented. My stress was at an all time high during the first few months here.

Every apartment I saw I would compare to the beautiful, perfect place that we didn’t get.

I grieved over this place. It was €2400, a block from Liv’s ballet school, a 15 minute walk to her school on a private street. I would have lived with the tiny fridge and non existent storage for those floors and that price. I asked the agent to be put on a backup list incase the renter fell through. This put me in a worst state because nothing came close to this place in terms of layout, gorgeous Parisian charm and price. I found a larger, cute place but it was in a shady area of the 10th which would mean a bus ride to school and a 20 minute walk. I was running out of time and feeling like we would end up homeless in Paris.

The second I saw our apartment on the French real estate website I recognized it from years earlier when I first began looking for apartments. It was available the day after we were scheduled to move out of our exchange and it was under my budget. I immediately emailed the agent to schedule a viewing to make sure it wasn’t too good to be true. I’ve had such bad luck getting in touch with an agent and then discovering days later that the apartment had already been rented I made sure to let them know I was ready to sign the lease. I made two lists for our apartment search.

Must Have – Dealbreakers Close to our max budget €2500/$2950 Two Bedrooms Shower High ceilings Hardwood floors Washer/Dryer Dishwasher Oven/modern kitchen amenities Walking distance to Liv’s school Close to Metro/public transportation Smoke-free apartment

Like to Have – Bonus Haussmann building Elevator Balcony Office Space for Antz Herringbone hardwood floors Large Refrigerator (typical Americans can’t live with a minibar fridge) Storage (for our 14 suitcases!) Nice view Close to le Marais Crown Molding Good Layout Parisian Charm Nice furniture

I know I sound picky but every single place had something missing from my Must-Have list. Mostly two bedroom apartments were over budget or too far from school. I was even getting more flexible by the second month and considering one bedrooms and really horrible layouts. We visited an apartment that was way under-budget but on the 6th floor with no elevator and the world’s narrowest bathroom. It was as wide as the bathtub and you practically had to step over the toilet to get into the tub. It also wasn’t in my ideal neighborhood but the price tag was so enticing. The only reason we didn’t get it was the owner wanted someone who would rent it for at least two years. So I guess that was a blessing in disguise. When it comes down to house hunting, location and price and the deciding factors. Everything else is negotiable. It took days of going back and forth to get the agent to schedule a viewing. The problem was the renter didn’t want to show it until the place was available so I was cutting it close to our move-out date. I finally got a call to see it so I dropped Liv off at school. Because it was so close to her school I decided to walk around the neighborhood and wait for our appointment. I was almost two hours early and the agent was late (because she was French, of course!). We buzzed the door of the building and waited. The appointment was fifteen minutes late so she tried to call the renter. We saw the window was open but she didn’t answer. She called the agency and they confirmed the right place and right time. After a half an hour she said let’s reschedule for next week. UNLUCKY LIZZIE! I was practically in tears and starting to feel like this was hopeless. I already began to fall in love with the neighborhood. Everything was a close walk and my favorite shop (Monoprix) was a block away! I was already familiar with the neighborhood and getting excited that I could actually live in my favorite part of Paris.

All the while I was getting no leads for renting our house in LA. Our agent had an open house but hardly anyone showed serious interest. My agent was sure it was due to our cat Lola coming with the house and it being rented fully furnished. I was so nervous we lowered the price and asked my angel best friend Aimee to foster Lola for us so we could rent our place with pets. Then we found a family that was excited to rent our place. I signed the lease and waited for them to send the deposit and then they flaked. This made Antz and I very nervous because we couldn’t rent a place in Paris without renting our house in LA. Like, a scale of 1 – 10 in the stress department, I was about 100. After some negotiations and hard work on our agent’s side, we found someone lovely. She signed the lease, sent the deposit and we are very relieved to have a responsible adult living in our house. Whew!

After the most intense week of my life the agent finally got the tenant to show us the apartment. The chick didn’t offer an apology for not showing up our first appointment and she laid in bed while I saw the apartment. The place didn’t look like the online pictures but I knew they were three years old. The furniture was rearranged and it looked smaller but when I saw the floors, the light pouring in from the floor to ceiling windows and I said, straight out of a movie “We’ll take it!”

Then came the rental process. It’s a little different than in the US, the French don’t really have a credit score rating. We also didn’t have a previous rental or French tax return to show so everything came down to Anthony’s pay stubs and his job title. I spent several days running back and forth to the print shop making copies to send to the agency. They needed to see our bank statements, we had to buy French renter’s insurance and they requested a letter from his job stating he would be employed for the year. I was worried about getting the letter in time because like I said before, apartments go fast and we were not prepared to lose this one. Thank goodness Antz job sent the letter right away. I saw the place right before we took our trip to London and we electronically signed the lease when we were in London! I couldn’t believe we did it. I have heard so many horror stories about Americans getting scammed online by having to wire huge cash deposits and losing the money. Or the landlord requesting up to a year of rent for a security deposit. We only had to put down two month’s rent deposit and pay an agency fee. I was ecstatic! I could finally breathe after so long, I found a place of our own in le Marais, a seven minute walk to the kid’s school with almost everything on my must-have list. The first week we didn’t have wifi so I almost died but lucky for us, we extended our house exchange so Antz would go to the other apartment to work. I don’t even mind that our building has world’s smallest elevator or the wonky furniture. I got my herringbone flooooooooooooors!! (Hope you heard that in Oprah’s voice)

I packed my beloved Anthropologie tablecloth, some family photos and as many crafting supplies as I could fit in my suitcase. I would have brought my Things Will Work Out print but Antz made a good point that it could have gotten damaged in my suitcase.

I adore the French doors and the open flow from Liv’s room to the living room. The layout works perfect for us because Antz works California hours so he can close the doors for his conference calls and Liv is usually sleeping while he’s working. Antz was fortunate enough to inherit a comfy office chair from the previous tenants. When we were staying in Nation, he was using an antique chair that was cool but uncomfortable. It may be ugly but it’s super comfy! I bought that wall map from a shop in le Marais for under €30. I’ve always wanted to get her a world map but never had the wall space in LA. I may add some framed photos on the back wall. Antz doesn’t want to add any holes, so we’ll see. I love the white palette of the apartment but we wanted to add some color so I bought a pom pom kit and vibrant yarn from La Droguerie.

Now you can see why I brought so much luggage! I packed Liv’s Miffy bedding and a suitcase full of her books and toys. We rented a car for move-in day and drove outside of Paris to Ikea. We bought basic bedding (comforters/sheets/pillows), that lamp shade and the sheepskin rug. I also had to buy some new kitchen supplies, a flatware set, wine glasses, a new bath mat, storage bins and throw blankets. The apartment came with plates, pots, pans and utensils.

  I also brought a sewing kit, art supplies, a few books, a huge accordion folder with our important paperwork and our huge iMac computer (which serves as our TV).

There’s a long story behind that rad Shepard Fairey poster. Antz and I went to a hardware store called Castarama. I was looking for curtains for Olivia’s room when I saw the framed print. I asked one of the guys working there if they sold the print and he said no, just the frame. He then told me where to go buy the print at a poster store near the Pompidou Center. I could have hugged this kid! I thought I was going to have to order it from eBay for hundreds of dollars. We rushed to the store and found a smaller version. When I asked the woman if they carried it in a larger size, she said they were sold out but she would print one for us in ten minutes. Say what?! I couldn’t believe we got the French Shepard Fairey print for less than €60. I mean, President Macron has this same artwork in his office. I love the French motto: Liberte – Egalite – Fraternite which means Freedom – Equality – Fraternity. That kid really did me a solid.

I brought our rainbow maker from home. I need to make a video of the rainbows bouncing around our room. I can’t get over the details of this fireplace. I am still looking for the perfect mirror to go on the mantel. Our bedroom in this apartment is larger than our bedroom at home. I didn’t get as much crown molding as I hoped for and we don’t have a dryer so we have to put our clothes on a drying rack but I can’t get over this stellar view.

The bathroom is pretty basic. We purchased a new shower head and spent a fortune on new towels.  OMG! I am obsessed with our towel warmer. I need one for LA.

Antz and I are now sharing one closet along with all of our empty luggage and winter coats. I am extremely happy I brought a shoe hanger from LA. This is about half the shoes I brought. It’s a tight fit but there is space for everything.

And lastly, here is our mini balcony.

It’s just wide enough to step out on and see the entire street. We are extremely lucky to live on a trendy, lively (sometimes noisy) street. This area is exactly like Highland Park without the dumb neighbors across the street. There are cafes, brasseries, cute shops, art galleries and a tiny square dedicated to one of my favorite jazz musicians, John Coltrane.

We have met our nice neighbors, a dad and his young son. We love living here. It’s simple but has everything I could ask for. We are just under budget and all the utilities are included in our rent. I cannot believe this is our life.

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Bienvenue dans Notre Appartement Parisien Bonjour Amis, Let me confess, the first two months were exhilarating and equally stressful for me. I was absolutely enjoying our time living in Nation (

[trespiratesque]

Day 5

Saturday, 4/15

We had several appointments already scheduled for this day, which dawned drizzly and cold. The very first was with some caracal kittens at the nearby zoo in the Jardin des Plantes. A caracal is a medium wild cat, whose shoulder height measures to about an average human knee. They're reddish tan, with lighter bellies and tall black tufts on their ears. We heard about them pretty much the day we arrived, plus one of the folks at the lab lent Beck her museum card (which all employees receive free and gives them access to all the amenities of the Natural History Museum complex). It would be our second visit to the zoo - we went the last time we were in Paris a few years ago. A selection of animals we saw: red pandas, a yak family, a bunch of different vultures (which are magnificent in person), several kinds of goats, gray cranes, a rhinoceros hornbill, cockatoos (very needy), ostriches, owls, martens, and whatever this important little fellow is.

They have a raccoon enclosure, but there were no "washing-rats" (as translated by yours truly) to be seen in the thin, gray daylight. The primates were diverting, as ever, with orangutans performing some NSFW athletics. And of course, the kittens were marvelously cute, feeding and then rearranging themselves into a sleeping pile. Fortunately, the rain was very light, barely noticeable, so we had no discomfort making our way around the uncrowded zoo. We did have a time limit on our wandering though, and we snagged crepes from a zoo stand on the way out.

Next up was moving to our new place. We'd packed everything up pretty well before we left for the zoo, and after finishing touches, we brought our luggage downstairs to the front hall of the building. I then set off for Gare d'Austerlitz, the nearest train station and taxi source. I hustled to the taxi stand (a 7-10 minute walk) and told the driver in my nervously practiced French: "Hello! I am sorry, I speak French like a cow. I would like to go to rue Buffon, my friend is there with our bags. After, we go to somewhere near Bastille." That got us most of the way there - in the end, the final address was somewhere near the Republique metro instead, but they aren't far apart. Taxis are a whole different ball game in Paris, or at least that's the impression I got from this one. Signs indicating smartphone chargers were available, magazines to read - I think it's more like what Uber's dreams are made of. I believe I even spied bottled water. The car was incredibly clean, the driver was nicely dressed, and even the taxi UI was elegantly integrated into its hardware.

We arrived in a small street, rue Dupetit-Thouars, looking for a door with our number on it. There were a few cafes on the block, and a teensy, triangular open plaza with seating and a ring of flowering trees. Rounding the corner with our bags, a young man on his cellphone waved at us. We introduced ourselves to Jordan, who had been expecting us. He kindly offered to take a bag from me, but I think began to regret the offer around the top of the second flight of stairs. Because this is a classic Paris building with a classic Paris stairwell: cramped, uneven, spiraling stairs with no alternative means of ascent. And we were headed for the fifth floor. I think Beck counted something like 85 stairs from the front door to our door. But there was light at the end of the tunnel, literally - a skylight beckoned us up the final flight, to a short landing with two doors.

Ours was on the left, painted a medium green with a doorbell that didn't work. Jordan opened the door and revealed our new home. The floor was the same hexagon tile as the landings, but in here it was covered in red paint and slanted downward toward the external wall. A small, well-used wooden desk was planted against one white wall, a bricked-off fireplace stood against another, and most of the rest of the walls were punctuated by thrown-open windows. The bedroom featured another window and some built-in cabinets for storage - no space for any furniture other than the bed and a tiny stool/table. The kitchen had a stainless steel countertop, a diminutive refrigerator, and a few cabinets. A tacky fabric printed with images and names of Paris landmarks hung in swathes from ceiling rails all over the place. I made sure the taps worked, and Jordan tried to help us figure out the laundry machine.

Not a washer or dryer, but a washer AND dryer in one. (I'm writing this a full 48 hours later and only now have we begun to understand this mysterious creature.) Laundry was one of the first tasks we undertook after signing papers and saying our farewell to Jordan - it was comforting to know we would be able to wash clothes on our own schedule again. I began to organize the kitchen to my liking and take a tool inventory, while Beck made the bed and unpacked his things. He found that the bottom desk drawer swings out and contains slots for files, which happen to perfectly fit all the board games we brought. The shower is very small, and the bathroom also contains an enigmatic device that may be a heater, or possibly a towel rack? We decided to just pretend it didn't exist rather than risk burning down the building.

After putting together an initial shopping list and taking a moment to revel in our new independence, we set out for the day's next appointment: going to visit the apartment we hoped to move to in nid-May. I'd been corresponding with a Frenchwoman named Linda. We walked there, about 25 minutes' walk, planning to take the Metro back, and arrived about 15 minutes early after stopping for a snack along the way. Beck had the best quiche he'd ever eaten, and I had a ham & cheese croissant. The ham and croissant parts were good, but there was a very soft, almost liquidy cheese hiding inside that I wasn't expecting, which wasn't quite to my taste.  We also picked up a baguette for later.

This building was also very much of a style with what you imagine a residential Parisian building to look like - pastel yellow, tall windows, steep-pitched slate roof with a flat top, 4 or 5 stories tall. It was just a block or two from the Seine on the Left Bank. Linda was there with her boyfriend, cleaning after the previous tenant had left, and let us in through a foyer, up a mercifully short flight of stairs. I knew I was going to like this apartment from the pictures, but in person I absolutely fell in love with it. Airy, clean, spacious, and it had an oven! There was even a bathtub. Linda was totally charming, and Beck and I were falling over ourselves to compliment the place. She said she had others coming to look at it, but she would try to make a decision by the end of the long weekend. (I still haven't heard anything, so answers hopefully to come soon! We are definitely still obssessed with that place.)

We took the Metro home, and stepped into a protest at our stop. I couldn't tell what the aim or purpose was, but I did see some Palestinian flags, and signs calling for justice for someone, not sure who. We hadn't used this Metro before, so it took some time to find our way to our new home, but our other task was grocery shopping anyway so we found somewhere to do that. Monoprix is sort of like a small-scale Target, with heavier emphasis on fresh foods and less on appliances and electronics. This was the Saturday before Easter, and the store was completely packed - not exactly Food Shopping for Dummies, but we got a few essentials to tide us over. It's incredible how overwhelming a shop full of 95% unfamiliar items can be, and we were lucky to have gone grocery shopping in Croatia so many times before since that at least got us knowledge of what lactose-free milk might look like. Walking out with TP, cheese, milk, a couple of veggies, and a couple of snacks felt like a victory.

When we got home, Beck took another look at the still-running laundry machine and made some lentils and green beans for dinner. This place only has two hobs and a microwave, so we're going to do our best as far as cooking. It came out really good. And Beck also gave his folks a call on Skype so they could see the place (I have never managed to get my parents set up with Skype, alas - maybe someone local can help them). It was nice to hear from them (and I'm not just saying that because I know they read this blog).

Sorry for the super long post, but I do have one other thing to mention - I have had a hard time figuring out how to balance the joy and excitement I'm feeling about this adventure with the mountain of awful things happening in and performed by the USA and its military. It feels so tasteless, tone-deaf, to be publicly exuberant about choosing to live overseas when Syrians and Afghanis are living in fear, unable to escape violence done in my name. I am actively looking for ways to be supportive of radical and progressive causes and actions back home while I'm abroad, so if anyone reading this has ideas, please do share them. Anyway, if I seem to be holding back pictures and facebook posts, this is why. I know it's important to also celebrate the good things in life and share our joyful moments, but at the moment it can feel inappropriate. What can help me with this is having direct requests made - for example, a friend who lives in Japan posted on my wall demanding pictures, and that was the push I needed to make my first uploads. I hope everyone back home is staying safe and taking steps appropriate to their own lives to join the struggle against utter bullshit.