Not Playing Nice...

[KwanYingirl]

So. I bought a condo in an old beach house that was made into six units. For four years, only the woman upstairs from me lived here year round. She is also the president of the condo association. As you can imagine, she thinks she owns the place. I park my car the wrong way, I have nowhere to put my trash, my dog is peeing in the wrong place, she interfered with the insurance agency that is selling me flood insurance, my shower trap is frozen and her solution defies the laws of physics, I got yelled at for calling the plow guy after she sent me his phone number and told me to work it out with him what time I need to go to work, then yelled at me for calling him. I invited her to come have a cup of coffee during the blizzard Tuesday, but she turned me down. The association is breaking the law by not having a dumpster.
She has injected her manipulations into my life and I can't stand it. I am getting more depressed with every email, text or voicemail I get from her. Here I have all this natural beauty around me, serene marshland right out my door, the ocean across the street. She's bumming me out.
As usual, my mind is swirling with thoughts of nonstop conflict, people lording their power over me. I'm just trying to settle in and be left alone. I didn't read anything in the condo docs that says I have to put up with this crap. Of course I do, being the peacemaker I am. I am secretly hoping the supposed solution to my shower trap freezing fails and I am going to gloat "I told you so". The plumber says the trap is frozen. It holds a cup of liquid. Seven gallons of boiling water didn't thaw it. The problem is further down the line. No plans were made to snake the drain-hell there could be a hair ball the size of a small cat down there.
I think for my nerves sake I'll just stay the hell away from her she's just triggering me and I have no Xanax so I lay awake night after night fuming. When I should turn on Pandora singing bowls.
Thanks for letting me vent

 

[Friday]

If you haven't seen the children's movie "Over the Hedge" ... I highly recommend it. :)

Which may seem non-sequitur ... Until you realize that the president of the homeowners association is the villain in the movie :sneaky:

 

[KwanYingirl]

Oh @FridayJones you always hit the nail on the head. I'm trying to jerry rig a snake. I'd like nothing better than to pull a wad of petrified pubic hair out of the trap.

 

[Barberian]

Oh @FridayJones you always hit the nail on the head. I'm trying to jerry rig a snake. I'd like nothing better than to pull a wad of petrified pubic hair out of the trap.

Don't forget to shove it in her face while saying "See, told ya so"! Lol ;)

 

[Lucycat]

Here we can buy 'sink and plughole unblocker'. I have no idea what chemicals are in it, but essentially it is a bottle of very heavy liquid that sinks down through the trapped water and then dissolves any hair ball. I have used it with success in my own shower.

 

[Friday]

@Lucycat... Here it's called LiquidPlumber! (Or DrainO). You know a clog is bad when either of those won't unblock it! Yikes. I used to have to rent a motorized snake and snake my side sewer twice a year from roots (and the scary things that get hung up on roots in a 4cm pipe). But I think my worst clogs were little-kids-in-the-house, and the myriad things they flush that should never be flushed. Creative, though. I think my favorite was GI Joe in a ziplock bag (submarine, so he'd have air to breathe). Clearly, because plastic toys need to breathe. Oddly, the slightly puffed up bag did get him through the worst of the U-Bends... Until he got afouled on those durn roots! I have to admit I did give some though to my son's idea of a whirling bladed propeller "next time" to machete his way through the jungle. And then my reason returned. Right. Spinning blades & kids. Bad. I had to guard my food processor & blender for weeks to avoid their conscription into the "GI Joe Water Insertion Assault on the Sewage & Municipal Buildings".

 

[StellaBlue]

Oh @KwanYingirl ,I am so sorry you are having to deal with this difficult person....the only advice I have is trying one of the DBT interpersonal skills (like DEAR MAN) (or get a voodoo doll).

...but this thread has made me laugh.

Having 3 boys, I've had may share of strange things go down the potty and having old houses, I've pulled up some pretty disgusting clogs But my favorite was when my son (then 4 or 5) woke me up at 3 am to tell me there was a rat in the potty. And there was.

 

[KwanYingirl]

@StellaBlue Rats!!! I thought at one point it was a dead animal in there. Well, the temps here in Maine are dropping into the teens for a few days. Plus it's snowing-up to a foot. Does snow piled up around a crawl space increase the temp inside or does it keep it super cold? I can not get this drain flowing. ack...

@Barberian i can't get anything (clothes hanger posing as a snake) to go into the trap. It's solid and no amount of boiling water is melting it. Arghh

 

[Eleanor]

the "GI Joe Water Insertion Assault on the Sewage & Municipal Buildings".

BWAHAHAHA!!!

And I vote for the voodoo doll.

Maine has rules about this stuff. All states do. The condo association is responsible for plumbing? I imagine the rules are a lot the same as for landlords. If it is an urgent health and safety issue and the association won't respond you can have it fixed and deduct the cost of the repair out of your dues. If you want to get really mean call the department of health and sic them on her. :devilish:

Of course, either of those solutions will cause a fight. But everything does, so that's not really a reason against. Might as well fight over something that is unambiguous.

Alternative to the voodoo doll: Find someone with legal stationary to write her a letter that says all further communications with you must be through an attorney. Then ply said person with yummy baked goods to screen the communications. That's what I'd do anyhow.:angelic:

Re: snow around foundations. It will trap the air inside. It will cool it slightly, but generally insulate it from the fluctuations of the outside temp. So if, say, there is an old oil boiler in the basement that is heating the house, the basement will tend to warm up. Shower trap in the basement? Metal line or plastic? If there is no ice in the basement the line isn't frozen inside. So it'd be a clog.

On the upside, everyone else probably hates her as well. As a rule, condo boards are elected. Stage a recall vote, you only need three other votes. You can't reason with crazy people. And she is plainly crazy.

On a more sober note: I am so so so so so sorry that your beautiful new home has subjected you to this kind of crap. I have total confidence that you will prevail however. Go get 'em @KwanYingirl

 

[Deleted member 1860]

I'm guessing she is the condo board leader because she is the only one who lives there year round and the other owners don't want that sort of responsibility for a vacation condo, right? They may all be perfectly aware of how kooky that old bat is, but since they don't live there year round, they may just put up with it.

It isn't her responsibility to tell you that you are parking your car the wrong way. It IS her responsibility to get that dumpster in place. Maybe drop a line to her to let her know she is breaking the law. I mean if the condo is fined, do you think SHE will pay it? Oh heck no! She'd pass the fine on to everyone else!

 

[KwanYingirl]

Thanks @Eleanor and @Solara
Yes, she changed her tune yesterday after getting the SAME info I gave her which she had belittled me for. My final response? Keep me posted. My daughters boyfriend validated my opinion and he has the best plan of action: snake the drain, if frozen, affix heat tape around it. Problem solved. It is wicked cold here and has been for a week and the forecast is more temps in the single numbers and two more storms on the horizon. Mostly I am quite content here. If I can crack a window, I want to finish the last of the painting or at the least do all the cutting in (four doors and three windows). Onward and upward. I may even christen my range and bake cookies.

 

[Eleanor]

Isn't it... what? perverse? Annoying? Remarkable anyway how the universe just throws these difficult people in our paths so that we have to deal with them.

Well played @KwanYingirl.

Baking is the best revenge? ;)