Toiletgate - Situation Resolved?

There have been some new developments in my on-going Toiletgate drama. I spoke with my landlord's son who assured me I would not be held responsible for the missing tiles in my bathroom and today I also received a letter from the landlord stating the same thing, so I feel better about the situation. I hope everything works out when I move. Fingers crossed!

Toiletgate - Day 2

So I'm still angry over my duct taped/cardboard covered bathroom wall and I fired off a certified letter to my landlord asking for written confirmation that I won't be penalized for the shoddy repair work done. I should have put a due date on that written confirmation, but if I don't get a response by next week, I'll be firing off yet another letter with a date attached. New York real estate is so shady. I just feel the need to cover my ass on all levels with these folks. Not that I've had any problems in the past with my landlord, but I'm not naïve enough to believe that money doesn't make their world go round. Shouldn't maintenance workers leave some kind of written receipt that states the work that was done in your apartment? I thought that was standard practice. Apparently it isn't in New York. When I lived in New Jersey, I always got a maintenance receipt whenever they did work in my apartment. It just makes sense so that everyone's on the same page. Once again, New York is different, I guess. The saga continues.

Duct Taped!

The apartment below mine has been leaking for a while and the super discovered that the cause was a leak in a pipe behind my toilet. So, maintenance was called to fix the problem today. Several wall tiles behind my toilet were removed to get to the leaking pipe. Unfortunately, those tiles were not replaced. Instead, a piece of cardboard was duct taped to the wall to cover the missing tiles. Because I'm moving next month, the landlord has decided to renovate my bathroom for the new tenant, so I'm forced to live with duct tape and cardboard until I move at the end of next month. Sad! I just want to make sure I'm not penalized for this shoddy repair job and I'm taking steps to try and make sure that doesn't happen. I just want everyone to be on the same page. Hey, I didn't knock tiles out and fail to replace them so I don't want to be responsible for the work (or lack thereof) that was done. I don't want my security deposit taken because of these repairs. Even though the super assured me I wouldn't be responsible, I want something in writing from the management company that states this.  I've got pictures and I'm documenting everything. I hate to be so paranoid, but I don't believe in being stupid either. Taking someone's word for something often won't stand up in court.

Collusion - Coming 11/17/13

I just got the cover for my forthcoming book Collusion that's scheduled to publish November 17.  I like it a lot and I'm hoping readers enjoy the book that picks up where my first novel Clean Hands leaves off.  Collusion can be purchased via the JMS website here: http://www.jms-books.com/

Gross

It amazes me how downright nasty some people can be. At work, some woman (or maybe it's more than one woman) simply refuses to flush the toilet behind her. You walk into an a stall, and there's a surprise waiting for you. Gross. None of the women I've seen in the office look nasty or like someone incapable of flushing the toilet behind them, yet this problem keeps happening. I don't get it but I really hope at my next place of employment, this whole lack of flushing thing isn't a problem. I sincerely believe the men's room is probably cleaner than the ladies' and that's saying something. I just wonder if the woman or women who refuse to flush do the same thing at their own homes. Probably not. It's probably some passive/aggressive move on the part of an unhappy employee. Must we all suffer because someone else has problems? Apparently.

This Seems Dangerous

Why does Channel 2 have reporters reporting on camera while driving? This seems dangerous. Not that you can't talk and drive at the same time, but the reporter can't exactly turn to speak into the camera for fear of taking his/her eyes off the road. What's the point of this? Do we really need to see reporters driving? Can't they just stand and report from some stationary location?

And, speaking of Channel 2, what's with the little talk by John Elliot about Superstorm Sandy "One Year Later"? He and every other weatherman in the area surely loved reporting during that time. Sandy was like a weatherman's wet dream. This doesn't mean the meteorologists weren't personally upset over the damage and loss of life that occurred as a result of the storm, but the storm was the kind of thing these folks live for.

One Hot Mess

So I finally bit the bullet and read Fifty Shades of Grey.  (I got it from the library, so at least I didn't spend any funds on it.  The NYPL has hundreds of e-copies available for checkout now, folks!) I doubt that I can say anything about the book that hasn't already been said. While it certainly wasn't the best book I've ever read, it wasn't the worst either. My main problem with the writing was the use of Britishisms throughout.  This book is supposed to be about Americans, but the words that came out of their mouths was often British. "Shall I show you?" "I haven't bothered with a suitcase, just a smart rucksack..." Who calls a backpack a rucksack?  British people, that's who!  Not Americans living in Seattle! And what's with Ana's constant use of "Holy cow!" or "Holy [insert word here]"? I'm not in my 20s, but I don't think most 20-year-olds use this expression or any expression that starts with the word holy.

The sad thing about Fifty is that I believe there is a story here (one that isn't told, unfortunately) and that story is about Christian Grey and the woman (referred to as Mrs. Robinson) who turned him into a sexual nutcase when he was a teenager. Now there's a story I would probably be interested in reading, not this hot mess about a college virgin with self-esteem issues who bites her lip and lets her beautiful, rich boyfriend tie her up, spank her ass, stalk her, and pull her tampons out (among other things).

Still, I say kudos to EL James because she clearly put out a product that people wanted.  As Stephen Colbert would say, "The market has spoken!"  Indeed. James has made a boatload of money on these Fifty Shades books and now a movie is in the works. She should squeeze every penny she can out of this franchise because fame is fleeting.

Fifty Shades of Nobody

Well, now that Charlie Hunnam has dropped out of Fifty Shades of Grey, the movie, who will step in to fill the shoes of Christian Grey? I think it's interesting that Hunnam cited a conflict with his television work schedule as his reason for dropping out. Clearly, he had to know what his work schedule for Sons of Anarchy would be like when he signed on for the movie. His excuse seems like a nice way to say "I changed my mind and I don't want to do this now."

Casting a movie version of popular book is proving to be more difficult these days because of the Internet. Legions of fans of books like the Twilight series and Harry Potter have such expectations when viewing their literary legends on screen that their opinions (expressed loudly and often online) are hard to ignore. There was such an uproar when Hunnam was cast as Grey that I fail to believe the outrage of the fans didn't influence his decision to drop out of the movie. I do think the Hollywood powers that be need to pay attention to the fan base for Fifty Shades because those are the people, I assume, they want to woo. If you want the same women who shelled out for the books to shell out for your movie, you'd better give them what they want or convince them to love what you're offering. I'm sure a lot of actors would run from Fifty Shades, thinking the material is beneath them, but I'm also sure there are a lot of hungry actors out there chomping at the bit for a chance to star in this movie. I doubt they'll have trouble snagging someone else to play Christian Grey.

A Little Dab Will Do Ya

During my subway ride home tonight, a woman reeking of really terrible smelling perfume sat next to me through many stops before finally getting off at Jay Street.  Oy!  Her perfume was so powerful and so awful. It smelled like baby powder and incense.  I hate the small of incense.  It makes me gag. The heavily-perfumed woman's smell continued even after she got off the train.  Unfortunately, it lingered. Some people just don't realize that a small amount of perfume or cologne goes a long way. As much as I largely enjoy public transportation because someone else does the driving while I can sit back and read, on days like today, I long for the days when I could drive to work solo in my own car with my own smells. 

Barry Gibb Talk Show

I was listening to the Bee Gees Greatest Hits on You Tube today at work and that prompted me to watch the SNL clip from a few years ago with Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon hosting the Barry Gibb Talk Show:
http://www.hulu.com/watch/274881
This skit made me laugh so hard I was crying. So funny. What really makes me laugh is watching Timberlake try to keep from laughing. He can't even look at Jimmy Fallon through most of the skit because he knows he'll laugh.

"Talkin' it up!  On the Barry Gibb Talk Show!"

What I didn't realize is that they're singing an actual Bee Gees song "Nights on Broadway" (albeit with the lyrics changed).

TGIF

After this week started on such a high note with the wonderful Michael Buble concert Sunday night, I'm glad to see it winding down after so much bad news. I blogged Wednesday about the series of incidents in New York with random people being attacked with scissors, bricks, and even a lead pipe by homeless guys and now a mentally ill woman was shot in a blaze of bullets in Washington. Mental illness is a serious problem and there are a lot of people out there who need help. Black people, in particular, need to recognize that mental illness isn't just something that happens to other (i.e. white) people. We have mental health issues also that need to be addressed. Too often blacks are encouraged to pray about any mental problems they're having or just buck up rather than being encouraged to seek professional help and that's a shame. Mental illness needs to be recognized and dealt with in all communities.

Full Moon?

What is wrong with people, particularly those in New York?  A gang of motorcyclists taunt and assault a guy in an SUV last weekend.  A crazy homeless dude stabbed a bunch of folks with scissors in Riverside Park. Another crazy dude hit a guy in the head with a pipe at a subway station and this same man supposedly hit another guy in the face with a brick a week or two ago. I don't know if it's a full moon out or if the wonderfully warm weather is encouraging this crazed behavior, but something needs to be done to clamp down on this madness. When the motorcycle gang rushed the SUV dude, I kept wondering where the cops were. This happened in the middle of the day on the West Side Highway.  Ray Kelly claims the police received over 200 calls about the motorcycle gang, yet no law enforcement was around to try and reign these folks in? I guess the NYPD was too busy stopping and frisking dudes in Brownsville and Harlem.