Poverty Is Not an Accident

Poverty Is Not an Accident
Nelson Mandela

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

You are reading http://livinginthehood.blogspot.com



HOUSING WANTED $500/mo. (+/-) by 09/08

This posting can be seen at http://albuquerque.craigslist.org/hou/679085643.html

1 person, 2 goats, 2 dogs, 4 cats, 2 ducks, 3 chix
(Los Lunas/Bosque Farms/S. Valley/N. Valley, etc.)


Telephone eight four two - eight one seven five and leave a message. I screen calls.

We need fenced property, safety and privacy. Can fence. Housing could be: mobile home, trailer, apartment, room in house, guest house, barn, etc. We're not fussy.


Work for some rent not necessary. Employed. Steady income. Great references.


No drugs; SELDOM use alcohol. Cigarette smoker, trying to quit.


Occasional commute by Railrunner, bus to Albq. Close to train depot, bus stop a plus.
Have truck; prefer not to drive unnecessarily.



________________________________________________________________


I'm just grateful I got out as soon as I did, alive

You are reading http://livinginthehood.blogspot.com

I answered a Craig's List ad, posted by a couple in Los Lunas, who needed a caretaker. I was thinkng it'd be a good place for my goats & dogs. I'd only work pt down there, and could afford a small place in town for my cats & birds. I'd give away the chickens and ducks, if I had to.

Well, you-know-who started dangling our deals over my head: I shop & cook in exchange for her keeping utils. in her name & paying them; letting me use the truck (in her name) and not start buying it from her 'til after I get out of this damn lease in Sept.

So, I asked Los Lunas if I could move all the animals in and just live there, so I could pay off the truck ASAP. They're on an acre of sand & weeds; I could easily fence off 1/3 with pallets, sheet metal, etc., to safely enclose my critters. The cats coud come & go through my bedroom window.

All I'd brought down so far was my basic needs  for my bed & bath + a load of about a dozen pallets.

Last time I was there, I asked wife to call me when she next needed me. Monday, at nearly 4pm, I got an angry, nasty call: why wasn't I there? A nurse from the VA would be coming the next day and THEY had to mop the kitchen, because I wasn't there.

I tried to explain our last agreement. The line went dead.

I called back, pretending we'd gotten disconnected (I knew she didn't DESERVE the benefit of the doubt, but I have standards.) She snarled and accused. I said, "I think it's best if I just come for my things..." The line went dead again.

S, I called the county sherrif's office & the city police, so they'd know to expct me. I called someone I know who both has a cell phone & martial arts training, to help me pack up down there. I printed copies of all emails & their ad, so the cops would know I wasn't robbing the place.

I had to ditch the pallets & the under-bed cabinets I'd brought (they had no accomodations for me to store personal items; the closet was FULL of junk; broken down furniture ate what little space was left; there were two 2'x HEAVY boxes of their crap I had to move into a spare room, which I had to clean up to make room for their crap in "my" room.)  

I handed stuff through the window to my helper who put it in the truck.

I walked through the house to the front door. By now, wife was out of bed, in the living room. Someone else was there, too, besides husband, but I didn't look. I heard her snarl, "Get over here and talk to us!" My pace quickened. I nearly fell, running down the rickety front steps. I didn't bother to latch the tricky, broken door.

I yelled at my helper: "Get in! Roll up your window and lock your door!"

I peeled out of there so fast (which is hard to do on sand,  littered with piles of trash, and thread my way through their narrow gate with the big assed truck) SO fast, my door wasn't completely shut; the dome light kept winking on. I didn't bother to shut the door until I'd made it to the main highway. I was REALLY scared!

I wrote this. I've edited her replies, as I haven't permission to publish them. The Ad was public; I have no qualms about publishing that, as a WARNING to other, potential victims.

Now that I know what kind of person you really are, I
don't expect you to do the right thing. I know it's
time and money I'll never get back.

Oh, they paid for the gas to drive THEM.  Was I supposed to ??? Well, my POINT is: it REALLY COST me to go down there and get treated like junk. And they paid for ONE meal, which I deducted from my bill. I paid for any others. She conveniently can't remember that, though.

You have had a stroke and freely admit you can't
remember things. You don't remember our last
conversation. So, instead of taking my word for it,
you are accusing me of neglecting you and my
responsibilities. Calling me to accuse me of actions
and motives that aren't mine and hanging up on me when
I try to address you is abusive.

She claims she tried to leave several messages on my phone machine (I screen calls; it's a business phone & I don't have time for BS), but never got a reply. Funny everybody ELSE who called hat weekend got through! She said I became "defensive" when she called Monday. If explaining myself is defensive, so what? Of course, she goes on to say my explanation was "bitching," that that's why she hung up, and that hanging up is not abusive! She has no ROOM in her life for that chip on her shoulder!

Your husband has PTSD and keeps a loaded gun in
the house.

She says hubby has it to protect them. Well, I'm not sure how they'd describe "protection." And hubby is NOT doing anything proactive to treat his PTSD; he's merely denying, ignoring and avoiding: a sure prescription for a violent outburst. I KNOW; I HAVE PTSD. AND he's so loyal to wife, who is VERY abusive, he'd shoot me if he perceived me as a threat to her.

I nearly didn't return for my things, until I'd called
the Valencia County Sheriff's Department and the Los
Lunas Police Department, to advise them I would be
coming, AND brought a friend with martial arts'
training and a cell phone to call authorities if
needed, for back up.

She CLAIMS she asked me "to please sit down with us to discuss the matter." But, instead, I ran out to my truck to get away from them as quickly as I could. Hell, yeah, I did: "GET over here and talk to us!"


I refuse to argue with you; you pick fights for
entertainment.

Of course, I'm wrong. I could cite 1/2 doz. examples, and I only worked for them about 4 days. She's a contrary know-it-all. She replied that I always had an opinion and voiced it without anyone asking what I thought. Silly me: thinking I'm an equal and not a slave.

This is what you've cost me. It doesn't include the
labor for acquiring materials to fence the yard. You
may burn the wood I left in your fireplace.

You violated our agreement:

She thinks we had none.

You were verbally abusive and/or argumentative, every
day that I worked for you.

She says I did not tell them I have a brain injury (I've never told ANYONE that, as I have no formal diagnosis, just the suspicions of a few psychotherapists) or that I'm "gay." Their NUDIST roommate seems to think he read that on my blog and told them. I don't identify as gay, as I'm not male; I don't identify as Lesbian, because I haven't been, exclusively, with women. A LOT  of creative misinterpretations going on here! What does ANY of it have to do with my abilities to perform the job, you ignrant rednecks? I didn't HAVE to tell them I have PTSD; it's illegal, under the ADA, for them to even ASK about disabilities. I thought hubby would like to know I understand HIS disability! I gave them links to EVERYTHING about me; how is that not telling them?? Jesus, I broadcast all KINDS of stuff about myself on the 'net and on radio; how is that not courageous, honest and a HELL of a lot more intgrity than all of them, put together?

She snarls that I was bringing more animals than I'd said at first. Well, I ASKED if I could change the arrangements, as I told you at the top of this. She acts like I was being sneaky or taking advantage of them! I was merely exploring my OPTIONS! NO animals of mine EVER lived on their property! My dogs visited once, and their dogs tried to kill my Weasel. I hadn't even had time to build the FENCE yet!

You didn't telephone, as we'd agreed when last we
spoke, to let me know when you would need me next,
until AFTER you'd needed me.

Your husband gave me ONE DAY to vacate the room,
which is illegal under New Mexico law; I had a right
to thirty days' notice.

She askes if THEY had a right to 30 days' notice. Nope. When somene is afraid for her life, her property, her safety, all bets are off. The abusive mouth is proof enough, but add to that the TOTAL disregard for my dignity, rights and safety...

Do not telephone, visit my property or email me again,
unless it is to apologize for your abusive and
deceptive behavior and to offer to compensate me. Do
not send representatives to do it, either.

I will not tolerate intimidation, threats, harassment,
verbal or physical abuse.

I've received hang-up calls, repeatedly, ever since. And she sent her "reply" email immediately. Brilliant.

She claims that they are not harassing me in any way and that I lied to them by omission.

?????????? 'cause they're too lazy, too self-absorbed to READ ABOUT ME???

EXPENSES:

GASOLINE:
27.2 mi/each way from Albq. to Los Lunas
X8
=217.6 miles total
/10 mi/gal.
=$21.76 gasoline
__________________
LABOR:

6 hours
B to Pres. Hospital & shopping Yes, I drove you to a store I'd suggested, AFTER you'd agreed you were interested. I didn't KIDNAP you, you self-pitying, professional victim!

2 hours
B to PT/Los Lunas, lunch YES, you paid for YOUR lunch! I DIDN'T EAT ANYTHING, GENIUS!

14 hours
B & S to hospitals, visit with J, lunch,
supper "Who paid for lunch and supper? Didn't we?" Nope; I paid for my own lunch; I deducted supper from this very bill. And I STILL spent 14 hours, dragging you around & sitting in waitng rooms for HOURS to "visit" J, whom you never even visited; you just sat in the waiting room, and made me do it, too! If you demand such, you're paying for it. I'm not a volunteer.

3 hours
B from hospital, breakfast

2 hours
Building shelving, Cleaning back bedrooms
She claims I "never cleaned," and that shelves were built already. How would SHE know? She spends all day, laying in bed, eating sugar, morbidly obese & diabetic!

29 hours/TOTAL

x$10/hour
=$290.00/Labor
_______________________
COSTS:

"Sam's Club" Sodas x 3 "We never went to Sam's Club with you." I KNOW that; you OFFERED me the sodas that were sitting on the kitchen table, Mind Like A Steel Collander!
$0.75

Water to flush toilet:
$00.00

Dinner at Denny's
$7.00

I WANTED to go to a fast food joint, next door. Denny's is GARBAGE and very expensive. Besides, I'd been saddled with that nasty woman for nearly 14 hrs. by then and needed to get AWAY from her toxins. As I told them I was going and started to leave, she SCREAMED, TWICE, "Rogi! Get back over here!" Everybody that restaurant stared at me. And I KNEW I'd have to go BACK there with them! I ordered the cheapest thing on the menu, no extras. It came to $6; I factored in an extra dollar for a tip I'll bet they didn't leave.

ROOM
$00.00

BOARD
$00.00

=$7.75 TOTAL
________________________

GRAND TOTAL:
$21.76 Gas

What about the use of S's truck for a whole week? Where did I drive it that I had not been given permission to? "PERMISSION???" WHAT????????? A Commie terrorist gay bar? I took it to an accessible technology conference, in the far, northeast heights, like I SAID I would! S OFFERED me his truck, as it gets MUCH better gas mileage than mine. I also replaced the gasoline I'd used, WASHED the TRUCK, and thanked him profusely, on several occassions! What the HELL??

+$290.00 Labor
=$311.76
- $7.75 Costs

=$304.01 GRAND TOTAL BILL FOR SERVICES

The curtain rod in "my" room was just fine when I started moving in. Now it is seperated and 1 side disconnected from the wall, NOT broken. She "can't" hang the sun rotted, threadbare, BLACK, too-long-for-the-window curtain back up, because she's too lazy, full of self pity and fat to get on a step ladder. She's sure that was just a mistake when I was moving out because I was "so mad," so she will not charge me for it. How WHITE of you, Ms. "African Engineered!" Racist! I wasn't mad; I was TERRIFIED!

__________________________________________
They did not ask for all my animals and all the items I expected them to provide (such as "half" of their back yard for my animals). I expected NOTHING beyond common respect, decent manners, privacy... you know, NORMAL human rights kind of luxuries.

Why did I feel the necessity to put another whole mattress on top of the mattress and box springs they provided that were completely clean? I didn't; there was no other mattress; explain how I managed to stuff a mattress through a small, bedroom window -- twice!

Why did I put the drawers under the mattress and box springs without their "permission or knowledge?" If it's "my" room, I'll furnish it as I see fit (just as they -- and their other roommate -- don't need MY "permission and knowledge"; I don't NEED anybody's "permision or knowledge." Besides, did THEY make provisions for a dresser or other place to store my personal items? No. In fact, they had the room piled up ith their OWN crap! Including a full closet!

I stated that I am an excellent cook. I never cooked anything for them, because there was AlWAYS an excuse for not going grocery shopping. One of the recurrant excuses was, "No money." Yet, they eat at Denny's ($8/serving, per person, average) 1x/day, often 2. She had a stroke, is diabetic and obese; his Dr. is worried because he's gained 25 lbs. in one month. The night we ate at Denny's, he ordered pancakes, breakfast meat of some sort -- probably pork -- and grits. She eats half; orders ice cream; takes the other half home to feed to the also-fat dogs.

Her foods list included mostly fruits & vegies they WON'T (not "can't") eat. Most people's food lists, esp. special diets, include what they CAN eat. But she DID include everybody's favorite soda pops on the list. She even made a list for the roommate, as though I was supposed to short order for him, too.

Screw you rednecks!