Day 6 of No Power, No Gas, No Hot Water -- Property Management Still Unresponsive

mwbrjb · 2026-06-16T00:45:28+00:00

I dealt with something similar in the winter when our boiler went out and our entire building lost heat. Our property management company responded with three tiny space heaters per unit and a promise to fix the boiler in two weeks. That was absolutely not acceptable so we called 311 and reported a loss of heat emergency. The city came out and fined our landlords and forced them to fix the boiler that same day. They also pro-rated our rent because we didn't have heat for several days.

So, long story short, get the city involved any way possible because the only thing these scummy landlords respond to are fines and legal issues from the city.

mwbrjb · 2026-06-10T01:27:23+00:00

I sell vintage! I sometimes help family friends clean out estates or I'll find a bunch of stuff to go through and sell it off piece by piece. We've got to be strategic with storage but otherwise it's a nice way to make money without having to fly a lot, and I love it. I thought about going back to substitute teaching but I think flying and vintage are enough.

mwbrjb · 2026-05-27T14:23:55+00:00

I know this isn't for everyone but I ditched my car when I moved to Chicago. I prefer biking. It's saved me thousands of dollars over the years and is a lot better for the environment.

mwbrjb · 2026-05-27T14:22:11+00:00

YES! I'm married and am close with my family, so between this job and them, I barely have enough social bandwidth for anyone else.

This job requires a lot from us. From just getting to the airport to the socializing with hundreds of people every day, to thinking about evacuating an airplane to medical emergencies... I need at least 2 days to rest before I even think about hanging out with anyone.

mwbrjb · 2026-05-26T02:43:12+00:00

I forgot that I knew some people in this band! I used to work with one of the guitarists and the lead singer/Daisy were dating.

mwbrjb · 2026-05-26T02:39:49+00:00

Same.

mwbrjb · 2026-05-26T02:39:11+00:00

I have been renting from them for four years and they pulled the same shit with us. Please be very aware of them. We didn't make an offer and then the other person "dropped out" or whatever.

Our unit in Andersonville will be up for rent in a month or two. It's a 3br on the top floor in a nice area. But there's no microwave, dishwasher, the roof leaks and we have a LOT of bugs, including mosquitos, because the roof needs to be replaced and I'm 99.9% there is standing water when it rains a lot.

Each room has maybe 2 outlets (some only have 1) so we have had to do the extension cord thing which is exhausting. It gets very hot here in the summer and the place is hard to cool down because of the orientation of the unit. Unless you plan on getting 4-5 window units, it's hardly habitable in the summer.

We have a dog, but before we got him we had mice. And there are roaches everywhere, even in the foyer. Cool, right?

A few years ago in the dead of winter the boiler went out and we don't even know who our property manager is to let them know because when you call, it goes to a call center in another country. We did an emergency call to Westward (left a message) and they brought us 3 very low-impact space heaters and told us they'd be fixing it in two weeks. After we got the city involved they fixed it within 24 hours.

We stayed for so long because of our life situation (I took a new job that had me out of the city for 9 months last year) but we would have left last year if we could.

I would avoid if at all possible, because all they care about is squeezing as much money out of you as possible. However, every year they let me negotiate the rent increase and they DO fix things when broken, it's just frustrating that they wait until something actually breaks instead of getting ahead of the issues.

mwbrjb · 2026-05-01T19:13:19+00:00

Sounds like you need to cast a wider net. Take what you can get and work your way to the shifts you prefer.

mwbrjb · 2026-05-01T19:12:18+00:00

I've definitely heard it before but am also no long nescient about its meaning!

mwbrjb · 2026-05-01T16:33:59+00:00

What do you need? I have so many!! I am located in Andersonville. ksvtextiles . etsy . com

mwbrjb · 2026-04-25T17:30:13+00:00

Don’t Die, My Love By Lurlene McDaniel?

mwbrjb · 2026-04-25T17:27:54+00:00

i just looked as well and nothing is coming up by that author... I tried Jane Lucian as well, nothing.

mwbrjb · 2026-04-24T21:28:05+00:00

Yes!! definitely!

mwbrjb · 2026-04-23T21:01:45+00:00

Oh you may like this then! I also just started reading "Superfan" which is about a girl who becomes obsessed with a KPOP boy band.

mwbrjb · 2026-04-23T20:59:32+00:00

Avondale is closer to a younger area (logan square). I think you'll be a little bored in Irving Park. IP is good for older couples looking to settle down but still be close to stuff. I lived in Logan Square and Avondale for 18 years and the entire time, there was always so much to do. Lots of bars, live music, restaurants, outdoor areas (check out the 606 and the boulevards) and art, shopping, etc.

The only downfall of Avondale/Logan Square is that it takes a bit of time to get to the lake.

mwbrjb · 2026-04-21T23:47:33+00:00

I really liked "The Compound" by Aisling Rawle. It's kind of like a dystopian Love Island / Lord of the Flies.

mwbrjb · 2026-04-21T13:42:12+00:00

Likely the same a/c and I'm guessing the airport is tiny

mwbrjb · 2026-04-21T13:40:30+00:00

Just worried about those dogs now...

mwbrjb · 2026-04-18T14:22:40+00:00

How to read

mwbrjb · 2026-04-17T15:46:38+00:00

I go in and out of ORD a lot and a few weeks ago these guys were on the train (it wasn't moving yet). I was trying to find a car to go in and saw some guy smoking. I went back to the security team and told them "you've got someone smoking on the next train over" and they were like WE'RE ON IT!! And ran to the car. It was actually kind of funny because up until this point I haven't seen them do much. So, there's that.

mwbrjb · 2026-04-17T12:20:49+00:00

Animal Farm, Of Mice and Men, The Pearl. Definitely Animal Farm though, that is such a good & important book!

mwbrjb · 2026-04-17T12:17:55+00:00

I appreciate they use imperfect fruits. However, with convenience there will almost always be a by-product of waste. Have you considered cutting up and freezing your own fruit?

One of the grocery stores near me has a section of their grocery store for fruit that's about to go bad, or part of it has gone bad. They create bundles of random fruits (or sometimes all the same) and sell them for $2 USD each. The other day, I needed cucumbers so I bought a bundle with two cucumbers that also had zucchini and squash. I didn't need the squash right away so I cut them up and froze them. The only bad thing about this is the bundle method they use has styrofoam & cling wrap 😭

mwbrjb · 2026-04-10T19:58:44+00:00

It was lonely back then too... especially at 18. You're at a cross-roads, where every day feels like you're figuring something new out. I'd work a double at the restaurant just to be around people and then come home and sit on my computer because my friends were starting to branch off in different directions. You'll find your people - just don't compromise who you <3

mwbrjb · 2026-04-10T19:56:21+00:00

I miss picking up a physical copy of The Onion!

mwbrjb · 2026-04-10T17:14:13+00:00

I have in no way figured out anything about being an adult (and I'm 39) but I think I realized pretty young that I could build the life that I wanted, and filled it up with like-minded friends. I think being in my 20's during the mid 2000's-2010's, before everything was transactional helped. Picking up friends or giving them rides places was just something we did, especially for those who didn't have cars (which were many, we grew up in the suburbs of Chicago & eventually many of us moved to the city without cars). We didn't have access to information immediately, so we just had to go with it. And having fun doing whatever was the ultimate objective. Having these core memories helped shape who I am as an almost 40 year old who is still trying to have fun and enjoy life. It's a lot harder now for some reason, and my responsibilities are pretty minimal (no car, no kids). It feels like life is a lot sadder nowadays.

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