Gassy Ass!!

Okay, I know, we all fart. It's a fact. But why would you let one loose in the elevator? Knowing that other people may use it shortly after? I mean C Mon! You use the elevator to get to the first floor, to go outside, right? Or of course if you are coming back into the building, and do not want to use the stairs. But, chances are, you came from outside. So why not let the gas flow before you enter the building? It isn't right to force my nostrils to flair in such a closed no way out space. I have a really hard time dealing with gross things, like spit, old food, someone asking me for a sip of my milk (gross), smelling other people's farts in elevators, ect.  Just seems to me that if you cannot control your gassy ass functions, then you may need to to see a doctor. Just sayin.........

So please, whoever you are, just be mindful of other people and leave that gas outside. Thank you.

You Gotta Tell Me!!!!! When you see a bug.

This goes out to everyone who is renting an apartment. It is crucial that you tell the manager when you see a bug. I see one, and I freak. I don't understand how you can be so comfortable living with creepy crawlers!!

We had an inspection, sounds good right? Well it wasn't. I open a door to one unit, and it looks like the bugs were too comfortable. I saw them drinking a beer, sitting on the couch, flipping through channels. I'm kidding, but they may as well have!

I am a good person. I am, but when I see things like this, the first thing that comes to my mind is drop kicking someone until they admit they knew the creepy little suckas were there! Don't you want them OUT??? I'm scared.

On a better note, Things have been looking up in the building. People are nicer, cleaner, and we all get along. I don't want to end this blog with something negative, not my steeze.


With that said, have respect for your neighbors, and call the manager to they can call pest control! EVEN if you only see one!!!

Thanks!

Hi! I'm Calling to See an Apartment!

I have this conversation at least twice a week.

ME: Hello?

Hi there! I am looking for a one bedroom or a studio.

ME: okay, I have a one bedroom only.

okay, no studios?

ME: No, not right now.

okay, when?

ME: (omg)....not sure really, I do not have any coming up.

okay, so do you have a one bedroom?

ME: (omg....I said that already).....yes, I sure do! Would you like to take a look at it?

Sure! I am not there though, can I come by at 7pm?

ME: uhhhh...just call me. How many people is it for?

6.

ME: (what?????)..ohhh yeah, well we cannot have 6 people in a one bedroom. I'm sorry.

But they are kids! They dont take up space.

ME: (omg)....I'm sorry.

7pm Comes, my phone rings.
Hi! It is me from this morning! The one with the kids? I am here to see the apartment.

ME:

A key could have helped too you know....

Another day another adventure! This is for everyone in the world that is renting an apartment, that isn't yours to break. This could have been avoided with a drop of patience. The guys were on their way to fix your door, but you decided to "fix" it yourself. not cool....

Here's the thing. We heard you the first time you mentioned this issue about the door. Which was less then 12 hours ago, on a Sunday. Now we have a bigger issue, due to the "do-it-yourself-without-telling-anyone" mentality. It is fixed, but please, in the future, don't break it. It kinda pisses me off :)

Everyone Needs a Little Love!

There are funny stories, sad stories, unbelievable stories and also, we have heart felt stories.

This is one of them. It's amazing how when you think things are stressful and things hit you all at once, you kinda get a feeling of being lost. God provides rays of sunshine that come at the perfect time. In this case, they were two one day old kittens. These little babies came into all of our lives at the perfect time.

The first one we got is Tasu. He has grey stripes, and is very sweet. HE is bigger then his sister, and a lot more quieter! He loves to sleep, and as soon as I put him down, he passes out. Great kid. HEre is a picture of our new addition Tasu:

Our next little love is Chione. She is a LOUD little girl! She is amazing, sweet, and did I mention LOUD? (hehe). She is the tiny one. Very strong though. She was found under a stove in a vacant unit. Poor thing was cold as ice, but she is doing great now!

They wake up like newborn children every two hours at night, but they are so worth the tired days that follow. Being a woman, there are these needs to care for people and living things around me. These Kitties are definitely giving me that!

I am so happy to be able to help these little kitties. They are amazing. And have such cute little personalities! I will be posting updates and images on how these little kitties are doing throughout their stay here.

If anyone has some good advice or just wants to check in the babies, let me know! Anything will help get them big and strong! Especially Love!

-Gina

New Blinds are NOT an emergency!

I try to be helpful. I try to respond to all calls and emails as soon as I can. But sometimes, people do not understand that I have a life too. I specifically stated that my hours of manager operation, are from Monday-Friday, from 9-5pm, unless there is an emergency. This means, Saturday and Sunday do not apply. Maybe I was not very clear on what an emergency really means.

Let's make a list of what constitutes and emergency, shall we?

1. Leaks. If there is a leak in your apartment, please call me. This can potentially become a huge problem.
2. Break-Ins. This can speak for itself.
3. A dead Body in the hallway. Duh.
4. An alien invasion. Please let me know ASAP.



Now that we have those emergencies in order, lets discuss the "non-emergencies"-

1. People digging through the garbage. I know this can be annoying to hear the bottles dropping at 6am. I understand. But, tell them to leave. I do not need to be the only one, all the time, especially if you are capable of speaking.
2. New Blinds. We all need them eventually. This is not a catastrophic event. 
3. Outside noise. I am the manager of the building, not the city. This is completely out of my control.
4. A Roach. This one is a fine line, so I understand that it can be nerve racking. If you see a roach anywhere in the building, kill it and call me in the morning. This is the city after all, and there are bugs in LA. I can get that taken care of, no problem. But not at 3am.
5. A light bulb, really? I don't think I even have to get into this one.

Now that these examples are up, I hope sleep can come a little easier for me. Like I said, I really don't mind helping out. I will do as much as I can within my capabilities to make sure that everyone is happy here. But there are hours on my door for a reason. Thanks, and have a good day :)


This is NOT a picture of me by the way, but it does explain how I feel after being woken up for an "emergency"..hehe

The Soaked Singer

So we come to a situation that I have no control over. There is someone here that loves to sing. I don't mind actually, but the resident upstairs does. The singer sings, a lot, I mean...A LOT in the front of building. I personally like how he plays, but I don't hear him all day. The complaint is this: "Gina! He won't stop singing! It's the same song for the past ten years, and it's making me crazy!"

I figured something was going to happen between the singer and the complainer. I was right.

I get a phone call during my coffee date with my honey, and the singer says"Gina, I'm going to knock him out! He threw water on me!" oh boy, I say to myself. Here we go. I say, "listen, singer, there is not much I can do about this situation. You sing a lot, and it's annoying him now. If you guys cannot get along, then take it to the street, or discuss it like big boys". I'm sure my response was not very professional, but at the same time, what can I do? I am not a referee, or a mediator, or their mom. I can simply suggest that they come up with a solution where everyone is happy.

I see the water thrower in the hallway and ask him why he did that to the singer. His response, "Because he doesn't stop, and I hear him in my dreams"

Trying not to laugh, I say, "okay, so what is another solution to this situation?" He suggests, "throw more water?" I did chuckle inside, because I had a different idea.

Oh Man...This is not going to end friendly. But seriously, I cannot do anything about this. There is nothing I can say or do to either party to make them shakes hands and be friends. I can just hope that no one gets beat up in the hallway.

Super Hero Roaches

So the cat-man got kicked out yesterday. If you are wondering who is is..I'll tell ya. He is a very nice guy, who loves feral cats. And women...I was hurt, because he is a nice guy. But he never let us in. Now I know why. He had extra room mates that were not on the lease. They were bugs. Lots of bugs. I feel like they had it out for me. I mean, they grew bigger, and took over the front lobby, like the treatment we used gave them this amazing super hero power, and now...I'm scared. One thing I do know, is we pay the pest control people a lot of money to care for these situations. What are they feeding them???

Most residents of mine were apparently okay, they didn't have these mini super heroes chillin in their apartments previous to this situation.

I expected  a ton of emails and calls, saying..."Gina!!! Help us!!! They are killing our puppies, the roaches!! Is this a normal Roach....?"!!!"  And I will say, "huh?"

 A sudden pause comes from my end, and I say..."I will check it out". I go downstairs to the first floor and  realize its true. They ARE everywhere!!! I scream, run up the stairs and call the maintenance guy with fear exasperating out of my face. I tell him what's going on. He says..."HAHAHAHHHAHAHAAAA!!!!!" -sucka

Now I get it. You tell the roaches to leave, and they bulk up. They all want you dead. This is a true story...and I'm still scared :/

Laundry Room Agenda

So it's been about 2 months now that I have been trying to get the laundry room people to redo the floors and the walls. It look like a jail cell down there, but a fancy one because it has a washer and dryer. A few actually. But who wants to go into the dark basement with tiles missing on the floor, alone, to wash their clothes? I don't, but I have to. We have a great opportunity to make this building beautiful. But if I do not get the cooperation from the companies that have to do the job because WE HAVE A CONTRACT WITH THEM, and they have to do the job, we will have to continue to wash our clothes in a jail cell. I'm not okay with this.

I was thinking of doing the floors a solid color and the walls the opposite color. Something artsy, but not to insane. Something calm, but exciting. Orange and Blue perhaps? Any suggestions?

Let hope they get it together. I will post pictures when it gets done and give props to the person who gave me the color idea :)

Roof Top Madness

I would love to keep the door to the roof open of course! Who wouldn't want to have the luxury of going to the roof for a touch of Vitamin C while reading your favorite book?? Well, we tried. I specifically remember all of us agreeing that we wouldn't do anything that could kill potentially us on the roof, or anyone else for that matter. :( Not saying anyone died, Thank God..But it seemed pretty dangerous. I remember when I was a young lad, I loved exploring places that we were not aloud to touch. I remember doing stupid things just test the ability of survival. But I'm a big girl now, and I don't want to do anything that could potentially end up killing me and paralyzing me in any way. I am not aiming this blog to a specific person, It is for  few people. Just so you know.

I'm a little upset to say the least. We had that privilege for a week. What a grand week it was. But it's over now. And I cannot be liable for your actions..

Maybe next year. Your all punished. Sorry.

Eviction: The Saga Continues

I laughed, I cried, It was better than "Cats". So much emotion. I don know if I am built for this managing thing. The person who got evicted caused so much trouble! Bringing elements into the building that were scary, and sometimes quite entertaining for all the wrong reasons. I suppose its for the best...

It's 10:30am. The police come 30 minutes later then they were supposed to. Knock Knock!!! "yes?" says the evictee..."Your getting evicted and must leave the premises right this minute!!" The cop yells. "WHAT???" cries the evictee. "NOW!!!" yells the police. "OH MY GOD!!! OH MY GOD!!!!" Yells the evictee. 

It's strange because they knew for three months about this. If not more. Regardless if you say you did or didn't know, once those officers knock on your door, you gotsa go!!!

They yelled so loud I thought I was the one being evicted. It's a hard thing when you have to see someone go through something like that. Even knowing that they did it to themselves. Let's keep the lesson of the day simple. 

"If you pay your rent, your life will be better" -The Manager

This could be a touchy one, because I know that people go through things. So What I am going to do is this. IF you need assistance with paying your rent in Los Angeles, here is a link:

http://www.lafla.org/

OR

http://www.hudhre.info/HPRP/

I am not a lawyer, or anything like that. Just someone who is offering some advice. Take or leave it :)

Tribute to the Awesome Animals in Our Building!

I'm Sorry, Did you mean Saturday AM???

Phone- Ring Ring!

Me- :/

Phone- Ring Ring!!!!

Me-zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

It's really early, and the phone is ringing off the hook. I answer it, too late. Caller hung up. I tried calling back, no answer...go back to my couch and go back to sleep..

I wake up to 4 voice mails from one person. 

Person- "PLEASE call me back!"

Me-ok..

"Hi Person" I say, "Is everything okay? You blew up the phone this morning.."

"yes" Person says: "I needed to get into the basement..Don't worry though, I re-scheduled for 7:30 AM on Saturday. So you have to get up early and open the basement for the cable guy...Thanks" click........

 

HAHAHAHA!! right...right. On my door it says: 9-5pm Monday Through Friday. IF by some change I am awake at 7am on a Saturday, I MAY help you. MAY Help you...I'm not mean guys...I promise. But I am not a robot, I am a human just like you! I like to pretend I don't live at my job sometimes, just like you! It's hard, but so easy at the same time. I just ask for a little consideration of my time. 

Is that too much to ask????

The Raining Closet

It's raining in the storage closet! I should have the key to open it, because that would make sense. Surprise! The lock has been changed! Me and my son walk by today to go to the store. papers from the mail that no one wants or needs is scattered on the floor. colorful, but a mess! As I clean it up, I notice the noise of pouring "rain" coming out of the storage closet getting worse. That noise is usually one of comfort, but not when it's coming from the closet. This can't be good I tell myself. My son and I develop a story of us finally breaking the door open, and a wave of water comes out and we get soaked. My make up runs down my face, and have to run back upstairs to change our clothes. We crack up. We forget that the water may be a big issue. I am currently waiting for the maintenance man to come and check it out. I sometimes tell the kids that the trolls live there..maybe it's true. Maybe they are having bad weather in their world, and it's closer then I imagined. Gotta love imagination..

Work Order Madness

Every Monday, the maintenance crew is here to complete any service requests that were given to me throughout the week. So this means, during the week, people tell me their problems with the apartments they live in. Light out, toilet keeps running, I saw a spider and so on. If I say that the work orders must be in BEFORE MONDAY, then that means no later then Sunday, correct?? Why are you mad at me for not knowing about your light? I'm trying to understand. You repeated the before Monday statement this morning. It's Tuesday, the day AFTER Monday. I'm confused. After a very long conversation about the days of the week, and the order in which they come in, we came to the conclusion that before Monday means Sunday, really.

The Case of The Missing Hose

I had a hose. Now it's gone. Has anyone seen it? It's gray, skinny and sat perfectly in a circle on the side of the building.  It was happy there, it provided water for the flowers. Now the flowers are dying and whoever stole it is responsible for their deaths. I hope your happy. 

Plunging to New Depths... :/

Here is another example of the funny things we all run into here...Anyone need a plunger? Oh C'mon! It's FREE!!

Oh Crap!!!!

Who knew my new blog would be filled with so much action!! :/
I get the knock of the day on my door..I open the door to a man that lives here with his jaw practically on the floor. I mentioned in the previous blog that we are having an issue with someone peeing in the elevator. Well this knock topped it off! Someone took a dump in there today!!!! Here is the picture to prove it. Thank You to my lovely assistant, for opening the elevator door for me and allowing me to keep my breakfast in my stomach. Behind the camera, me, suited up with a white tee shirt wrapped around my face, and a bottle of awesome .99 cent cleaner. Oh man! This is too much! just too too much.......

Monday Funday

So it's Monday, and I woke up later then usual. I walk into a wall on my way to get the coffee. This coffee is crucial, very, very important.

Knock Knock!! "hold on, please!" says me. KNOOOOCK KNOOOCK! "HOLD ON ONE SECOND PLEASE!!!" Oh, it's the maintenance guy. Good morning, sir (in my best Spanish). Good Morning Gina! Busy Weekend? (In his best English)

me-yes, why?
him-your look tired
me-oh, well, that's because I am..
him-party? party?
me-no, kids kids....sir.
him-oh

I am starting to wonder if everyone here is assuming that I am a party animal, because I'm loud. I am starting to wonder if I am too now. Anyway, he gets the work orders that the residents wrote out for service requests. We discuss them, and come to the conclusion that our last word isn't even relevant. The Big Boss must decide if the work can be done. At least I can work on my Spanish.

Here's the problem: Some people are very lazy. The garbage is piling up sometimes on the side of the building, and only on one fire escape on the 2nd floor. I have a hunch who is leaving there garbage there, but no proof. I cannot sit outside for 24 hours with camera in hand, waiting for the Apartment Polluter to show their face. Ohhhh, I would love to catch them in the act!! THREE DAY NOTICE! STOP POLLUTING OR GET OUT! the notice reads.

There is also someone peeing in the elevator at least twice a day. My neighbor knocks almost once a day telling how he cleaned it up again. Once again, too bad I cant stay in the elevator all day to see who is peeing all over it. I believe it is down to two people. A man and a woman. That's all I can say without getting sued. But I will find out who it is soon enough! And then guess what? They are getting a THREE DAY NOTICE! STOP PEEING IN THE ELEVATOR OR GET OUT! notice.

Let's see, what's the good news? Oh! A new resident is moving in! She's very cool. Seems responsible and on point. We shall see! Maybe she will bring some more stories for Gina the Apartment Manager Blog!

Apartment Management Stories and Beyond

It's amazing how many stories I have with my title. Gina, The Apartment Manager. I have been doing this for about a year and a half and the things I see are hilarious, scary funny and just plain annoying.

Let me begin by saying that this job is not for everyone. It is a great opportunity to meet new people, have time with my children, get to know myself and what I am capable of with being alone and working from home. This type of job requires patience, people person personality and lots of minutes on my phone. In this blog, I will start telling my everyday stories, and what I learned from the people that cross my path, making sure they knock on my door for everything they can think of.

So join me in my adventures, as I learn to be patient and understanding because people do not all live the same lives, nor do they think the same, or have the same ideas on what it means to be residents of my building.

Hopefully with every blog I create, a lesson is learned, and valuable enough to share with all of you. Some days will be fun, other's will be boring, and hopefully most of them will be exciting!

Please feel free to ask questions, give advice or to just follow Gina, The Apartment Manager through my work and my life.