Monday Musings

My busy weeks are almost over. Spring break is coming up and I'll have a temporary hiatus from grading. Though I teach history online, it's still a busy, demanding gig. I've been up to my ears in papers, quizzes, and formulating midterms...especially since I put off some of it in order to do my research, tend to my finally fixed ceiling...or just read, watch Fraiser, play solitaire, now blogging. Last night I got particularly caught up watching the Oscars. It's a bit silly, really. I hardly keep up with movies, so I'm not sure what I was watching it for; it's not as if I were rooting for any film or actor in particular.The only movie I saw that was up for any nominations was Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life and Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris. Both were good films. I liked Midnight in Paris much better. I found the portrayal of Hemingway, Dali, Picasso...all the historical characters, very amusing.
Last year's ceremony was great. The King's Speech won "best picture." The King's Speech is a terrific film. I don't love it just because I'm a history buff. It's a genuinely well-done movie with a great cast, cinematogoraphy, soundtrack...I could just go on and on. What I will do is post my favorite track from the film:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=LBQvhKkG1x8


I like to play this song while "cooking" and/or eating. I bet this makes me seem like a freak who finds grandeur in mundane tasks, or like a pretentious snob...but keep in mind I mainly eat frozen dinners, jarred pasta, and low-key chicken dishes. Alone in my apartment. If I could get over my OCD, I think I actually would host dinner parties and invite my colleagues I admire most. Or old friends from university. Until then, if I ever overcome it, I eat processed foods with the company of my television or a novel. Which doesn't strike me as being particularly pretentious.

This was a refreshing break from reading student's research on the boom of industrialization. Unfortunately, however, I must get back to it.

Week of the leak continued

This past week was a nightmare. However, the leak is finally fixed.

Turns out the source of the leak was the radiator in my neighbor's apartment directly above mine. Old piece of garbage. Anyway, for whatever reason their radiator began to leak, and it went on for so long, and got so bad, it soaked through the flooring and leaked through my bedroom ceiling. After calling the building's maintenance guy, Doug, last Monday, the dud finally showed up on Wednesday to check it out. I live in a pretty reputable apartment in a decent part of Chicago...I was stunned our maintenance was so slow to address this. However, once he showed up, he checked out my ceiling and declared much of it will have to be replaced since the water damage was so bad. I wanted to shriek. He went on to tell me how he'll have to break through the ceiling...causing me to clear out my once perfect bedroom and make due with sleeping in the living room for the next few days. This is just one of the many horrors this leak has bestowed upon me.

In addition to evacuating my room and transforming my living room...I had to let Dough and his team of carpenters into my apartment. I never even let SUE, my grocer, set foot in this place. It was horrible, it really was. I couldn't sleep the night before they came in. I shook and sweat in my bed (the pullout sofa) all night, on the verge of tears. The fortunate thing, however, is that this exhausted me so much that by the time Doug and the guys showed up, I was a little less anxious about the whole thing. I had been dreading this day for nearly a week.

Each day they came to break through and reconstruct the ceiling, it got a bit easier to deal with having outsiders in my place. Of course once they left around evening everyday, I immediately vacuumed, scrubbed, and disinfected the path of flooring they walked on to get to my bedroom.I so badly wanted them to wear plastic bagging on their feet, but knew better not to ask. Not only is it seen as a ridiculous request by most, but I guess it would have been a safety hazard with them standing on the ladder and all.

...wait, I smell something burning...DAMNIT it must be my Stouffer's lasagna! 

To be continued...

Marty

Week of the leak

Between my work and the leak that is taking over my bedroom, I've had little energy for blogging. Though it probably would have helped me vent about the whole situation and the stress it's causing me...So sorry, followers. If there are any of you faithful ones out there.

Anyway, I'm pretty beside myself right now. Either a pipe in the ceiling is broken or my neighbors upstairs are doing something to cause the leak. It's just unsanitary. The part of the ceiling where it is coming from is damp and appears to be buckling a bit. The constant sound of the dripping is extremely irritating. I called the building's maintenance, but they STILL haven't been able to come over. I've begun to box all my belongings in my bedroom and move them out into the other rooms. I've packed up all my bedding and moved it into the office. As for the bed, I've covered it in a plastic contraption I made out of my mattress cover, unused garbage bags, and other plastic bags I've saved and disinfected.  I'm now sleeping in the living room on my pullout sofa.  It's been a disaster. An unnecessary, unnatural disaster.