response 59 of 120:

May 21 17:28 UTC 2003

Tree roots on this side of the street, starting about 5-6 years ago, possibly
from the linden planted over 15 years ago in the front yard by a previous
tenant.  When your alarm sounds, do you snake out the sewer?  Jim has decided
it is no longer his problem but the landlord's, so an alarm would only have
the advantage of letting me remove things from the floor before it flooded.
Rotorooter can take two days to show up.  The upstairs neighbors continue to
use water and it gets deeper.  I consider myself lucky to live downstairs
despite the frequent floods.  They get rain coming through the roof instead,
in the rotten area at the edges, which rots because the gutters are always
full of things like roofing.  Some day I will stop living in rental housing.
For many years (not recently) it used to rain into my kitchen when the
upstairs shower was in use.  The leak must have rusted shut.

A hot water bottle helps a lot - I think it eliminates the muscle spasms and
those are what cause the pain.  

response 61 of 120:

May 21 17:40 UTC 2003

I like living on the middle floor.  Sewer backups are the problem of the
people under me, and roof leaks are the problem of the people above me.
;)  So far I don't think there have been any of either, though.  The
only water problems I've had were a minor leak from my sliding door
(fixed about a week after I complained, when they redid the upstairs
neighbor's balcony) and a leak in my kitchen ceiling when my upstairs
neighbor's washing machine drain sprung a leak.

response 63 of 120:

May 21 19:20 UTC 2003

I have some stuff I flush down the toilet twice a year plus I stopped 
flushing tampons. I have not had a back up since I started doing that. 

response 65 of 120:

May 21 19:50 UTC 2003

Rotorooter said to use copper sulfate once or twice a year.  When I pointed
out that they had been there less than half a year ago they suggested every
two months.  The landlord forgot to put the copper sulfate in.  The bill from
Rotorooter should prompt his memory.  I am supposed to open up the drain in
the floor and pour it in directly.  Sold at hardware stores.   I might buy
a few cans and have the landlord reimburse me.

He has been good about spraying the wasps' nest over my door when I ask him
to.  That is certainly not a problem of rental property alone.  

Another advantage of living downstairs is that it is not as hot in the summer.
The floor is rather cold in the winter though, maybe 45.  (It is over a 38
degree basement, or maybe colder.  The bathroom is about 38).  

Does anyone remember how long it takes badly pulled muscles to heal enough
to sit upright without hurting?  I am going back to bed again.

response 67 of 120:

May 21 21:17 UTC 2003

This item is for system announcements

response 69 of 120:

May 21 22:55 UTC 2003

im lost

response 71 of 120:

May 22 00:14 UTC 2003

Oops - it is system announcements, very sorry.  I thought it was the happy
item for some reason. 

response 73 of 120:

May 22 03:06 UTC 2003

The title says "Grex announcements".  If it's for system 
announcements, shouldn't it say "system announcements"?

response 75 of 120:

May 22 12:01 UTC 2003

Re #73:  Well, the item text does say it's for system announcements,
but I agree that it would be clearer if that were in the item title
as well.

When anybody *does* have a system announcement, I'm sure they'll put
it here.  (Where it won't be seen by the folks who have forgotten the
item because it's so drifty...)

Okay!  Everything in this item after the following dashed line *has*
to be a Grex system announcement.  Violators of this edict are subject
to, um, well, I'll think of something suitably dire.

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response 77 of 120:

May 22 13:21 UTC 2003

He can't really penalize you for that, can he?

response 79 of 120:

May 22 17:06 UTC 2003

If the Grex system has a sewer that is being clogged by roots, they
might consider using Roebic's Foaming Root Killer, available at local
hareware stores. (I cannot confirm that it works, nor guarantee that
it is free of environmentally harmful compounds, except that it IS
only 0.55% active ingredients.)

This does not reflect any personal animosity toward roots, but just
a desire to eliminate their slowing down and eventual freezing of the
(sewer) system.