It didn't take long for our "great deal" of an apartment to start showing its true colors. For starters, the flushing mechanism on the toilet didn't work properly. Now for most, this would be a minor inconvenience, but for some (like me) who have limited hand mobility because of a broken wrist, this can be a major handache 😆. Each flush was like playing a game of chance. Not only did I have to remove the toilet tank lid, but I had to pull on the hose that was attached to the inside of the lid at one end and the inside of the tank at the other, all while holding the lid close enough to the toilet so that the hose wouldn't snap. Try this when you're taking a two AM tinkle. I can guarantee even the most able handed individuals would struggle.
Then there was the issue of our shower. Last I checked I wasn't in SE Asia, yet every time I showered I soaked the entire bathroom floor (and if the 2am tinkle scares you, then don't even think about trying the 'post-shower-wet-tile-balance-while-flushing' challenge) I think, after further inspection, that the floor of our shower really was more of an after thought anyway. It's a raised 2 by 2ft platform without any sides, and it's not attached to the wall in any way. The curtain for the shower hangs on a makeshift rod that ends up being a floor decoration more often than a wall hanger. The curtain itself isn't wide enough to reach the edges of the wall, nor is it long enough to reach the sides of the platform, so when the water hits, it runs straight to the tiled floor where it pools quite nicely. To top it all off, you'd better not be planning on shampoo-ing, condition-ing, face washing and body washing because there won't be enough hot water for that. Don't even think about shaving. Choose wisely, because most often you have 7 minutes or less before the water runs cold. But never fear, my hubby's here! One day I kept hearing the water go on and off, on and off. What was he doing in there? Finally I went in to find Mark suds-ing up with the water off. "What're you doing?!", I asked. He explained that if he only ran the water to rinse and then turned it off each time he was soaping up that he was able to make the hot water last throughout his entire shower. Did I mention there's no heater in the bathroom? Yeah so count me out for that one, hubs.
If our bathroom had been the only challenge I probably would've been able to deal (let's be real, probably not) but it wasn't. Our living room was furnished with wicker patio chairs and our balcony door wouldn't lock. To top it all off, there was only one heating/cooling unit in the entire apartment and it definitely wasn't centralized.
Mark didn't have nearly as many annoyances on his list but the one he harbored the most disdain for was absolutely priceless. In our living room we had a chandelier that hung low to the right of the coffee table. I walked under it fine but without fail, every single time Mark walked by he would smack his head on the fixture. He'd curse out loud and swear that the next time it happened he'd throw the damn thing off the porch. FYI, it kept happening, but was never thrown off the porch, so I'd say, Mark 0, chandelier 20.
As luck would have it a colleague of mine was moving out of her apartment right around the time that we were having all of these issues. She spoke to her landlord and was able to change the lease over to Mark and I without much hassle (on her end, anyway) which is how we ended up with two taxis worth of shit piled up on the side of the road on the first Monday in October.
We may be moving for the fourth time this year, but damn is it a good move. Both of our toilets flush, with ease, our shower water is hot and the tub has sides, our living room has a fantastically comfortable wraparound couch and there are heating/cooling units in every room. To top it all off, our chandelier is high hanging so Mark's head is no longer a casualty.
#Winning #FourthTime'sACharm
Then there was the issue of our shower. Last I checked I wasn't in SE Asia, yet every time I showered I soaked the entire bathroom floor (and if the 2am tinkle scares you, then don't even think about trying the 'post-shower-wet-tile-balance-while-flushing' challenge) I think, after further inspection, that the floor of our shower really was more of an after thought anyway. It's a raised 2 by 2ft platform without any sides, and it's not attached to the wall in any way. The curtain for the shower hangs on a makeshift rod that ends up being a floor decoration more often than a wall hanger. The curtain itself isn't wide enough to reach the edges of the wall, nor is it long enough to reach the sides of the platform, so when the water hits, it runs straight to the tiled floor where it pools quite nicely. To top it all off, you'd better not be planning on shampoo-ing, condition-ing, face washing and body washing because there won't be enough hot water for that. Don't even think about shaving. Choose wisely, because most often you have 7 minutes or less before the water runs cold. But never fear, my hubby's here! One day I kept hearing the water go on and off, on and off. What was he doing in there? Finally I went in to find Mark suds-ing up with the water off. "What're you doing?!", I asked. He explained that if he only ran the water to rinse and then turned it off each time he was soaping up that he was able to make the hot water last throughout his entire shower. Did I mention there's no heater in the bathroom? Yeah so count me out for that one, hubs.
If our bathroom had been the only challenge I probably would've been able to deal (let's be real, probably not) but it wasn't. Our living room was furnished with wicker patio chairs and our balcony door wouldn't lock. To top it all off, there was only one heating/cooling unit in the entire apartment and it definitely wasn't centralized.
Mark didn't have nearly as many annoyances on his list but the one he harbored the most disdain for was absolutely priceless. In our living room we had a chandelier that hung low to the right of the coffee table. I walked under it fine but without fail, every single time Mark walked by he would smack his head on the fixture. He'd curse out loud and swear that the next time it happened he'd throw the damn thing off the porch. FYI, it kept happening, but was never thrown off the porch, so I'd say, Mark 0, chandelier 20.
As luck would have it a colleague of mine was moving out of her apartment right around the time that we were having all of these issues. She spoke to her landlord and was able to change the lease over to Mark and I without much hassle (on her end, anyway) which is how we ended up with two taxis worth of shit piled up on the side of the road on the first Monday in October.
We may be moving for the fourth time this year, but damn is it a good move. Both of our toilets flush, with ease, our shower water is hot and the tub has sides, our living room has a fantastically comfortable wraparound couch and there are heating/cooling units in every room. To top it all off, our chandelier is high hanging so Mark's head is no longer a casualty.
#Winning #FourthTime'sACharm
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