Random Thoughts, Notes, & Incidents

Yesterday certainly began well enough, with a notice on our door from the property manager. That's usually not good news, and we pulled the paper from the door with a bit of trepidation. It was only the second, so rent was not late. There's no garbage piled up outside our door that needs to be cleaned away. We haven't had any parties or done anything else to disturb the neighbors. All that was left in our concept of possibilities was a rent hike.

Reading the notice, and seeing that the figure under "new rent" was actually 6% less than what we're currently paying, we were naturally confused. Was there a typo? Were the numbers transposed somehow? Was this some sort of cruel joke? I chase the property manager down and demanded an explanation.

Our rent has actually been cut, she explained. The owners wanted to make sure that their good, long-term tenants remained happy. Imagine my surprise at a business person looking at the long-term and recognizing the importance of their customers, rather than looking at the short-term and only seeing their wallets. I nearly kissed her, but Leslie was watching.

Later in the day we saw other tenants walking around with the notices in their hands and dazed looks on their faces. "Did you get one of these?" being cautiously asked. "Is it for real?" An early holiday gift, and a great start to the month.

This is, of course, National Novel Writing Month or "NaNoWriMo" for short. Idiots, such as myself, sign up to begin writing our novels on November 1, and expect to complete at least 50,000 words by November 30. You can track my progress on my profile page.

Finally, yesterday we also say Michael Moore's new movie, Bowling for Columbine. This is an excellent and important film that every American should see - and before election day, if possible. It will make you laugh, it will make you cry, it will make you get off your ass and do something. Yeah, right now! Shut off the computer and go see it!