Chrononautic Log: The Social Contract (updated)

The Social Contract (updated)

7 o'clock, September 22, 2005

So, I know I’m lousy about removing my laundry from the communal laundry room in a timely fashion. But is stealing my clothes really the most appropriate way to communicate to me that my laundry habits have become a problem for you?

Update: And, yes, it was the apartment manager.

At least she didn’t try to give me a lecture along with my laundry. I’d probably be posting this from jail.

Update (9/22): And today I came home to a note threatening me with eviction on grounds of violating my lease agreement by harassing my fellow residents — to wit, my “threatening” note. The text of said note, for reference:

To the person or persons unknown who made off with my laundry: I appreciate your strength of feeling, and I apologize, sincerely, for any inconvenience my cavalier laundry habits may have caused you.

That said — and particularly given that you made no other attempt to communicate your displeasure to me — I consider the theft of my clothes to be a thoroughly disproportionate and highly inappropriate response. A simple note in the laundry basket would have been sufficient.

Please return my clothes to the laundry room and spare us both any further unpleasantness.

I’ll be evicted if I don’t comply within ten days. Comply with what, I’m not exactly sure.

I was going to move anyway.

stealing clothes is low, low, low: moving to another apartment seems like the right response.

although to be honest i can easily imagine some really stoned neighbor *not realizing* that the clothes they were taking weren't theirs.

which, i guess, doesn't make it any less undesirable a place to live, but at least it would be free of hostile intent.

And today I came home to a note threatening me with eviction on grounds of violating my lease agreement by harassing my fellow residents — to wit, my “threatening” note.

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?

Your manager is an idiot. Incidentally, do you live anywhere near the U-District? You probably already know where you'll be going, but the Malloy Apartments on 15th Ave. N.E. are pretty nice. I lived there a few years ago.

Hah! You think you have laundry stories! Try these!

1) My landlady used to sneak into my ROOM, steal my clothes, and wash them -- ineptly -- so that my white underwear all turned bright blue! She did this to have an excuse to spy on me to see if I was sneaking a woman into the room. (Which of course I was, namely Esther -- this was in Siena, where we met). She then told me that the Anti-Terrorist Law of 1977 forbade such goings-on. (At the time I thought, how absurd these Italians are, making terrorism an excuse for all kinds of irrelevant forms of social control. Heh. Oh well.)

2) I was threatened, not with eviction, but with DEPORTATION -- from the COUNTRY -- for not folding the cleaning-rag properly after cleaning the communal washing machine in Bern, Switzerland.

So there!!! My laundry trauma kicks your laundry trauma's ass!!!!

Clearly your best option would be to move to California.

...Or Japan. That would also work.

(I'm guessing the "threatening" thing refers to the phrase "spare us both any further unpleasantness," which I can imagine coming across as threatening. An eviction notice is still a way disproportionate response, though.)

Chrononautic Log

The Social Contract (updated)

7 o'clock, September 22, 2005

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