It’s All Part of the Job

February 27, 2008 at 7:07 am | In my neurosis, the super | 31 Comments

I’m learning so much in my new role as The Super like. . .

Vacuuming four floors of carpet including three flights of stairs is no easy feat. The vacuum is a beast. A heavy beast. But a hell of a work out.

It doesn’t matter if you haul a carload of “donations” to the Goodwill on your first day before you’ve even unpacked a box, people will still think it’s ok to leave crap they don’t want in the laundry room. Would do this? Would you be doing it to be charitable to your neighbors or to just be lazy? Because I am inclined to wonder why on earth you’d think anyone would want your dirty t-shirt or broken computer tower or mismatched bedding not to mention the dented wok. That’s stuff I’d feel bad even donating to Goodwill, frankly. And yet. . .someone thinks the communal laundry area is the perfect place for such items. I beg to differ.

Apparently the garbage bin marked “Recycling Only” means “perfect place to put a lone dirty sock.”

All the keys look the same. They are gold and big. Many will fit in the lock but won’t turn it. Clearly not the correct key. I still can’t figure out which one locks the maintenance room.
Speaking of the maintenance room- it is frightening to my Type A OCD-ness. Shelves of cleaners, gallons of paint, lighting equipment mixed with plumbing parts, the whatsit for the whosit and the whatchamacallit are all in one big, dirty, jumbled mess. This is anxiety-inducing. I dreamt about it last night.

The land line phone/answering machine garbles every message and there is no manual left behind that I can find. This is bad news as that is the number advertised on the building to call for rental information. I’m thinking I should just buy a whole new phone.

I have no idea when the recycling and the trash pick ups are. Both dumpsters are nearing capacity. I fear an overflow situation if pick up is not in the next 24 hours. Overflow would be bad. Very, very bad.

“Moving round in the morning/Drink my coffee and tea/I remember how I thought it would be/A life for you and me/If I can have anything I want/If I can have it all/Then I can take/Knowing the way things are/Can’t you see/The money’s gone. . .” -The Money’s Gone, Coyote Grace

31 Comments »

RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI

This sounds like a full time gig! I think I’d already be hiding under the covers, but I guess that’s why they call YOU the Super!!!!

When you are used to this and in prime Super form, you could kick Schneider’s ass!!

Comment by Michael C — February 27, 2008 #
Wow. What a mess. But that’s the fun part!

RE: keys. There are several color rings you can use. Or you can organize them on separate rings. Personally, I hate too many keys, so I have a couple of sets that I use as necessary. Keys get dirty.

RE: maintenance room. Sounds like a great reason to go to Organized Living! That might me my favorite store. I like identical resin containers with good labels on the outside. My secret organization tip is large freezer zip lock baggies.

Writing about it is enough to make me want to come help.

Comment by Tom Reeves — February 27, 2008 #
I will come and help you. I love organzing, or maybe I hate disorganization so much more.

Comment by Melissa — February 27, 2008 #
I just pictured you dressed like Schneider!

I was going to say the same thing about color coding the keys. Also, have you seen those vacuums that are tiny canisters you can wear like a back pack? Lastly, you can probably call the city or whatever waste management is in Seattle and ask them about your pickup day!

Comment by Hilly — February 27, 2008 #
Sooooo….it’s going well then?!
Guess we should call you Super Sizzle from now on? :o)

Comment by Penelope — February 27, 2008 #
People lose all sense of normalcy in communal laundry rooms.

Comment by Pants — February 27, 2008 #
sounds like it’s keeping you busy ;) i say: clean out that cupboard! get it in order. it would be fun and rewarding. or is it just me who likes cleaning?

Comment by Ys — February 27, 2008 #
I’m on the Board to my condo association and sometimes feel compelled to address some of the issues that are part of your job. My favorite is when stupid people leave their bagged-up trash in the stairwell. Thinking no one will see it. I kindly pick it up and put it in the hallway. Next to the elevator. Maybe the person will feel a little shame knowing his/her neighbors are aware of the trash now. Grrrr.

Didn’t your friends leave you all the important information about trash pick-up and whether people are lazy or charitable? There really should be a manual on that stuff. If you find it, can I borrow it?

Comment by Nilsa S. — February 27, 2008 #
I bet you will get that place in tip top shape very soon! Sounds like a challenge! Just keep remembering that you don’t have to pay rent every month anymore!!

Comment by theresalevenson — February 27, 2008 #
Soooo not jealous of you. Not even your free rent right now.

Comment by TC — February 27, 2008 #
Maybe it was left a mess but you can turn it around… ibelive in you girl!

Comment by Princess Extraordinaire — February 27, 2008 #
oops I believe!!

Comment by Princess Extraordinaire — February 27, 2008 #
you need to get those little rubber key itentifiers that come in a variety of colors. then you can “mark” the keys you need to use all the time.

Comment by dcchick — February 27, 2008 #
As much as I hate cleaning, I do love to vaccuum. So you can add me to the list of people who would happy to be out there helping. :)

Comment by diane — February 27, 2008 #
Wow! You poor thing. This is indeed no easy job.

Comment by The Diva's Thoughts — February 27, 2008 #
When I first moved into my house 4.5 years ago, one of the first phone calls I made was to the local garbage company. “Um, no one told me when the pick up day is for my area. When is it, please?” They told me it was Friday. Cool.

Then, about 8 months later, they just stopped picking up my trash. I called them again. They said that my neighborhood association was supposed to pay for it. Well, I’d never received any info from my HOA, and hadn’t a clue what I owed for the trash pickup, or even who my street rep was! It was a mess that got sorted out pretty quickly, but still…amazing how important a little thing like trask pickup can become when it isn’t getting done. :)

Sounds like you’re doing a great job so far. Can’t wait to hear more stories!

Comment by Faith — February 27, 2008 #
Look at you, all Super you!

Comment by Jen — February 27, 2008 #
Wow, girl, that is a lot to get the hang of. But you will, I know you will.

Comment by justrun — February 27, 2008 #
Ugh. The laundry-room trash drop-off would piss me off… But look at you, all Super Sizzle!!! ;)

Comment by Z — February 27, 2008 #
Sounds like a cool new gig. I could never do something like that. I don’t like people enough to pick up after them.

Good luck.

Comment by Mad WIlliam — February 27, 2008 #
I’m cracking up that you found a dented wok in the laundry!

I told you my mother was a super, right? For a 64-unit complex. Wait ’til somebody moves. They will leave entire apartments full of dented woks behind. Trust me.

On the other hand, we sometimes got some really cool stuff that people left behind. Like the bedroom suite that’s now in my spare bedroom and the antique mirror in my son’s bedroom. I’m not sh*tting you.

Here’s hoping you get some cool stuff in return for all that vacuuming!

Mayberry Magpie
http://www.mayberrymagpie.com

Comment by Mayberry Magpie — February 27, 2008 #
The laundry room alone would make me nuts!

Comment by Stacey — February 27, 2008 #
Dude, a label-maker will quickly become one of your best friends – it is one of mine! Also, if you can swing it, backpack vacuum cleaners are great investments.

Comment by Bre — February 27, 2008 #
I’ve used nail polish to help me distinguish between different keys. Think of how many colors you can choose from!! ;-)

Comment by LA Blogger Gal — February 27, 2008 #
I’m getting all kinds of anxious reading this. I know you can organize all this mess in no time.

Comment by gorillabuns — February 27, 2008 #
Ok, I think I know the answer to this, but I’m gonna ask anyway. Please don’t tell me you’re gonna be the sort of person who keeps like 100 keys on a key ring and attaches them to you belt buckle, right? ;-)

Comment by Diane Mandy — February 28, 2008 #
Pretty soon, you’ll get to a point where you just buy a vacuum cleaner and store it on each floor or you kick out some residents and put in an elevator where their apartments used to be. ;-)

And if you do what Diane Mandy hopes you don’t, I want pictures. Actually, even better, you need to dress as Schneider from One Day at a Time for Halloween.

Comment by kapgar — February 28, 2008 #
I have a confession to make. I felt even more guilty than normal for calling my landlady and complaining. And that extra feeling of guilt is because of you! I thought, “What would Sizzle think?” But, I knew you’d understand my desire to park in my own garage and have heat and a working washer and dryer! Hopefully you can break your residents of their habit of dropping off unwanted goods in the laundry room. That’s super strange.

:-)

Comment by Beth — February 28, 2008 #
Maybe invest in a good, sturdy robe?
I hope you get to take a nap today!

Comment by Jen — February 28, 2008 #
OK, if you need us to come help out, let me know. WB and I could use a wknd away and he’s young and strong.
Hope it gets better hon – and I have no doubt you can whip the place into ship.
I think a bubble bath is in order. Pronto.

Comment by Josie — February 28, 2008 #
[...] March 4, 2008 Filed under: drivel, everyday frustrations, the super — sizzlesays @ 6:51 am I told you it was going to be a problem. The overflow [...]

Pingback by This an Inconvenient Truth « Sizzle Says — March 4, 2008 #