why i hate engelhart reason 24597193

As some of you might know, I've had some considerable problems with my apartment. Here is a brief timeline of my troubles:

Winter:
- Toilet that constantly fails to flush. According to the guy in the office, it's a common problem--apparently, people in the building like to pour grease in the toilets, which stops up the floors below it. I have no idea why you'd pour grease into a toilet.
- Window frame won't close. This is a problem because Chicago is, on average, about negative 10 degrees in the winter.
- Faucet that explodes with water when you turn it on. Sink that fails to drain. Staff tells me it's not their problem, and I can go buy a new sink if I want. Eff that. I decided to just deal with it.

Spring/Summer:
- Window frame that refuses now to open.
- People continuing to pour grease into toilets
- AC won't work

Fall:
- Window opens, but no longer locks
- Grease continuing
- Sink/faucet continuing

The RA staff here know me pretty well, since they've had to handle numerous fix-it requests from me. The latest problem occurred earlier tonight, around 1 am as I was getting ready for bed. Two very loud, bone-permeating chirps emitting from my doorway area, with no apparent cause. I thought, "Well, that was random, but probably just a one-time thing" and proceed to get on with my bed-going.

False. Every half hour for the next 3 hours, the chirping went on. Just as I'd be drifting off to sleep, one or two quick blips would jolt me awake, the kind that says "THERE IS SOMETHING URGENTLY WRONG AND YOU NEED TO ATTEND TO IT. LIKE THERE IS A FIRE. OR SOMETHING."

Except...there was nothing the matter. I checked my oven (it was off), reset the outlets in the bathroom, and waved frantically at the smoke detector hoping that it would give me some clue as to why it might be beeping.

Finally, at 3:17 am, I could stand it no longer. I called the RA on duty, a very nice and tall guy named Alex. I wasn't sure if he'd actually pick up (my friend once got locked out of her room for a whole night b/c the RA didn't pick up), but he did. After I explained to him what the problem was, our conversation went something like this:

Alex: Okay, well the battery in the smoke alarm is probably low. Why don't you check it? I think it takes a 9-volt battery.
Vicky: A 9-volt battery?
A: Yeah. If you have one lying around.
V: No.
A: Okay, well test it out to see if the alarm is working.
V: [pushing random areas of the alarm] Okay I'm testing it--ARGHRGHGHGH [alarm goes off. V dashes across the living room in sheer terror]
A: Okay you need to turn it off! Press the button again!
V: BUTTON WHERE ARRRGHHHHH [manages to turn it off] Oh! Got it!
A: Ha! Bet you're wide awake now aren't you!
V: ...I've been wide awake.
A: Hmm. Okay, well let me call the campus police's non-emergency line and see if they can get someone out there to look at it for you. What's your name?
V: Victoria.
A: Oh! Hey! I know you. Hello!
V: ...Yes. Hello. How are you.
A: Ah. Right. Uh, I'll just call them now.

Campus police sent a very nice, potbellied man with a faint Irish-y accent who changed out the battery in the smoke alarm and told me to call him if it went off again.

I decided that the problem must be fixed, so I climbed back into bed. 15 minutes later...BLIP. BLIP. By this time, I am not even mad...I'm just so freaking tired. Called Alex again. Called the campus police. Guy came back. Told me he had no idea why it was doing what it was doing. Took apart the alarm, and blew on it like it was a video game cartridge, saying that he'd never heard of it doing the 30-minute blipping, and that maybe it was a piece of dust. Told me he'd be back in half an hour to check if it went off again.

And that is why I am still awake at 5 am. Waiting to see if the stupid alarm will go off, and if I can finally go to bed. And that is why I'm hating my apartment, just a little bit.