[TwoBrainedCylon]

Super-freakish update!

I'm not sure how to properly express in words the mania of the past few days.

On Sunday (yesterday), I drove over to my newly rented four bedroom house, with a mustang full of critical stuff, including pillows, blankets, and clothes. My new job started Monday (today) and so I had to come over to Tampa to start my new life out right. Since its the start of the new Chinese New Year, this seemed to be a good omen.

When I submitted the application for this house, I was asked whether I would like to negotiate for a higher rent in order to use the furniture that was there, because anyone who spent a year in Iraq can only possibly be moving around like John Rambo, with a small pack and worn out jeans. For a good price, I could rent a whole house full of furniture.

Sorry, not interested.

I got a call Friday asking if I'd like to buy some of the furniture.

Still not interested.

I got a call Saturday asking if it was alright if the landlords left a couple of pieces of furniture in the house for a week or so until they could make arrangements to move it.

I said "Sure, why not. If it helps them, no big deal to me." The house has a huge front living room and I figured it could all be shoved in there while I settled.

To my surprise, when I got here last night, the house was crammed full of furniture, ... and clothes, ... and books, ... and food, ... and every item that everyone else has in the house that they're living in. I was provided with the closet of the master bedroom, which was cleared out, and the master bath, which was also mostly cleared out. The rest of the house was crammed full.

At the same time, I was provided with a list of items that the owners made me swear I wouldn't use. The list was comprehensive and effectively covered the entirety of three of the four bedrooms, part of the living room, and most of the items in the kitchen. I was allowed to sit on the sofa. I signed the document, as the property manager demanded.

Then, as soon as she left, I took every item in the three bedrooms in question and piled it in the front room.

This morning, the property manager called me and told me that she could get some of the stuff moved within three to six weeks. I told her that was unaccepted and we had a fairly ugly discussion. She ended asking if I'd be "satisfied" if she could get a couple of the closets cleaned out and the stuff boxed up. I informed her that the closets were already cleaned out and that wasn't the issue.

She became quite angry and demanded that I didn't have a right to move the owner's stuff without first getting permission. She came over in something of a huff and showed me the paper I'd signed.

I pointed out that I'd agreed that I wouldn't use the items and I'm not using them. They're waiting to be shipped out.

She produced a paper with a long list of everything in the house which she then demanded I sign, promising that each item would be in the same condition as to when I moved in. I refused to sign it, citing that I was already offended that I'd been asked to do the owner a favor and store a couple of pieces of furniture and had since had that kindness totally reversed on me with absolutely no sign of gratitude. I certainly wasn't going to take responsibility for items that I didn't want here in the first place.

She demanded that I do so, claiming that the owner shouldn't have to take the risk since they don't know me.

I told her to get all the items out of the house tonight.

She responded that I shouldn't have rented a FURNISHED house. She contended that since the house had items in it when I saw it, I should have expected that it have items in it when I rented it.

I specifically asked if she was claiming that when I rented a house, I should have expected that the owner was going to leave all of their possessions inside.

Without blinking an eye, she said "yes" and since I didn't specifically request the house be emptied before I moved in, they are making arrangements to move the owner's stuff as a courtesy. However, its my responsibility because I didn't stress that I didn't want the owner's stuff in the home.

I clarified that in her and the owner's mind, when I rented a four bedroom house, that in fact, meant I was allowed to use a closet and allowed to sit on SOME of the furniture but couldn't use the rest of the house or any of the kitchen cabinets, etc.

She said yes. If I didn't want a furnished place, I should have said so.

I took out the listing that I had printed out that said it was unfurnished.

She said I had to deal with it.

I decided she was a woman in desperate need of my opinion.

I gave it to her.

She cried.

I made her cry more.

Those that know me should be proud that I never raised my voice once.

At present, she's calling the landlord to hire someone to come and move all of their items out of the house.

I'm trying to figure out how an ordinary looking Tampa home is actually located in The Twilight Zone.

All my best,


Russell