I think I love my landlord.

Right after we moved in to the new house, we realized the washer was leaking water all over the basement. At first this was upsetting because I don't really want to pay for it to be fixed, or worse buy a new washer. But then I remembered the thing about how we don't own this house so we called our landlord and he called back and said, "A new washer is coming today."

And I decided right then I never want to own a house again, except for the tax issues involved. But otherwise, never again.

Then last night, I suddenly realized I was drowning in a pool of sweat. My mother is afraid of using the air conditioning in her house (and her car). In fact she often tells me all about her thermostat settings with great pride. "I set it at around, you know 88 degrees, just to cut the humidity."

When I didn't have central air in my living space I honestly had to chew on my arm to keep myself from slapping my mother. I had to change the subject before suggesting she just get it over with and go live on the surface of the sun or better yet, maybe she should trust the air conditioning and the fact that God invented it so she could be comfortable in her own home and car.

So last night when I discovered myself sitting in a pool of sweat I wondered why because I actually enjoy being comfortable in my own home and often set the thermostat at 70 degrees, or if I'm feeling especially hedonistic 68 degrees.

After setting the thermostat at 32 degrees and noting the temperature in the house was still 88 degrees, I figured out something was wrong with the air conditioning.

Instead of sobbing about money and trying to fit in all our expenses into our income and OH GOD WHY DID WE BUY A HOUSE!!!??? I called our landlord and he's sending someone over to take a look. Of course, this all hinges on a contractor making time for this job in his busy schedule and it's 88 degrees with a lot of humidity and unlike my mother I don't consider this very comfortable.

Madison is doing a little better at school, her teacher is giving her plenty of opportunities to meet people and there were far less tears at the end of the day. I don't think the girls in her class are particularly unkind, Maddie complained no one liked her last year even when each morning I'd watch a group of three girls run up to greet her excitedly at the door.

We'll get through this and I'm just going to have to hope I'm helping her as much as I can (without becoming a helicopter parent) so she can hate me for other reasons as an adult.

As God as my witness she won't hate me because I can't properly utilize air conditioning! I promise you that.

New post about Growth Charts at The Buzz Off and I'm organizing things over at Ordering Disorder as well.

Comments

[Vida]

For some reason, I first read the title as "I think I love my manlord." I don't know why, but "manlord" sounded hysterical to me.

Maybe this is the sort of thing I shouldn't share with other people because it makes me look nuts. Oh well.

[BOSSY]

Hmmm, Landlord. Where can Bossy purchase one of those?

[joanne]

I wanna landlord so someone else can pay for a dehumidifier for my AC unit.

[jkopftwins]

"As God as my witness she won't hate me because I can't properly utilize air conditioning! I promise you that."
Like my sisters and I still give my dad crap for his 1970s definition of "heating" a house.
Me, yesterday, when my daughter Lena was whining about some great injustice: "Oh Lena, just add it to the therapy list."
Lena: "Mom, I can't. It's already too long."
And she's only 6. I'm so proud.

[G]

We are so wishing for a landlord right now. We just moved into a new house last year - yes, one year ago - and now have to replace half of the basement due to leaks sprung in this last storm, and our a/c just went out so we need to replace that and the furnace, too. Yippee. Home Ownership Sucks. Pat your smart selves on the back for renting.

[Chicago Chick]

Yeah my mom's the same way about air conditioning. It's broken at my parents house and she wonders why we don't visit lately.

[SSFB]

Good Luck to Madison. I always felt the same way, even when I had friends. I think I'm mostly over that now, you know, as an adult ;)

[wwbd]

You make renting sound so wonderful that I think we too are going to sell our house. You know, the one we bought in the ghetto where a kid got shot in the head 2 streets away, and the neighbors store pile after pile of crap in their yards so that we get mice in our garage, and that has mysterious smells and leaks and that we paid $355K for, so that we can go rent in the nice part of town and not have to worry about any of those things any more!

[maiareads]

Yep, damn straight. There are times when renting has some pretty nice advantages. But the way housing prices are in our city the mortgage payment we now pay (just under $1,000) would get us a nice one, maybe two bedroom. Just not big enough dammit!

[Womanwithkids]

I went from renting to owning a two unit - a homeowner and landlord in one.

Shoot me. I love it, but holy cow! It's tempting to run away and rent again.

[Katie]

Renting is awesome like that! Our water heater started leaking last weekend and yay!, they had to pay for a new one.

Although it sucks not being able to paint the walls pretty colors (we can't, I've asked).

[PK]

Oy, my son does the same thing as your girl, makes me crazy. Because it makes me sad, which, you know, makes me crazy.
Yay renting!

[Tammytalksalot]

LOL!! I love renting for those very reasons as well. My hubby and I are over-finished-done with worrying about all that jazz. Thank goodness.