Common Sense Flu

Why yes, I'm still sick! I'm so glad you asked. I've been analyzing why it is that when I'm sick I want to explain how sick I am. How badly I want everyone to know how terrible it is. How they couldn't possibly have ever been this sick because, this is the sickest anyone has ever been in the history of illness. More or less.

I think there is only one conclusion to draw, one I think we all already knew. I am a huge baby.

Three tiles fell off the bathroom wall recently. When we let the landlord know about this issue and asked how he'd like to address it we received a pleasant email in return. This email stated that we needed to use "Common Sense" and that we should dry the tiles around the bathtub after we shower.

You all do this right? Take a shower, and then promptly dry the tile so the tile doesn't fall off the wall?

"Common Sense"

He went on to explain how this same "Common Sense" could be applied to the 2-3 inches of water we get in the basement off and on from February to April. You see, according to our landlord, this flooding is caused by snow piled up against the house. If there is snow against the house, you have to get it away from the house.

You all do this right? Shovel the grass surrounding the foundation of your home?

"Common Sense"

Logan has forbid me from responding to the landlord and has requested I keep my contact with this person limited to signing our rent checks. (Without any helpful "Common Sense!" tips written into the Memo section).

I'm good at a few things. I'm good at keeping things organized. I'm good at cutting clutter. I'm really good at empathizing. I am very not good at keeping my mouth shut.

It's probably the thing I'm worst at.

So it's a good thing I don't talk to the landlord about his idea of Common Sense, because that's a conversation that can't end well.

Still last night my fever came back and I slept for 10 hours.

I've got a Politeness Infection.

Comments

[Nicole]

I'm so sorry you are still sick, and also that your landlord is a complete jerk!

He sounds like my last landladies. When our basement apartment, which we were living in, flooded they sent a "repair man" with a space heater in to dry the rugs before laying them back down and calling it a day. If the rent wasn't so cheap I would have left that apartment long before I did. Goodluck

[Middle-Aged-Woman]

Hmmm. And all this time I though the grout was supposed to keep moisture out. Like basement walls are supposed to do. What was I thinking?

[Robin]

Yeah, that kind of Common Sense comments make me want to hurt someone. Good luck with the landlord.

[die Frau]

I hate to ask, but would he have given the same "Common Sense" tips to Logan?

"Common Sense" might tell one to kindly and gently communicate with renters so they remain renters.... And now I'll shut my big fat cybermouth. I'm not so good at the mouth-shutting, either.

[Courtney]

That's good stuff. It's like telling someone the brakes on their car are worn out, and they should really stop braking.

Or the toilet clogs, so everyone should stop pooping.

[Lauren]

Hope you feel better soon.
Your landlord sucks, are you still considering buying the house? I guess after the flooding basement not.

[nicole]

I can *kind of* side with him on the basement issue, because shoveling snow really is easier than repairing basement wall cracks, especially when you don't know exactly where the crack is. Basements leak. It's just a crappy fact.

But the tile issue? TOTALLY ABSURD.

[kate]

I wonder if the "common sense" excuse works the other way, like: "Well, gas and grocery prices are out of this world, my daughter got braces and our car broke down. Common sense says that we can't afford to pay all of the rent this month!"

Hey, it's worth a try.

(Sorry, Logan)

[anna]

lol @ Common Sense--does he capitalize it like that, also? What an ass.

[melissaS]

Shoveling more than the driveway, walkway and sidewalk is, just silly.

All the houses on this street have flooding basements. Unless they've had them waterproofed.

If you put drywall and tile in your basement, you're going to want to waterproof the basement because wet drywall leads to mold.

It's fine if he doesn't want to fix it. We've got our stuff up off the ground now after lots of trial and error. But if he tries to sell it, he'll have to tell the new people he's got a serious water issue on his hand.

I'm sure buyers would love to hear about how they have to shovel the entire foundation of the home.

If you want people (us) to pay top dollar for your home, you're going to want to, you know, not have a flooding basement.

[midwestgrrl]

I just got over being sick for a month. It was pneumonia. I say this not as assvice or as a scary you-better-watch-out! type comment, but just to say that yes, it sucks when you think you will never be well again. Take care of yourself and feel better soon!

[melissaS]

I do think it's pneumonia! I'm on antibiotics but I'm waiting for them to work.

[BOSSY]

You had Bossy at Ten Hours.

[Sue]

"I've been analyzing why it is that when I'm sick I want to explain how sick I am."

I blame years of faking sick from school. And work. Also, husbands who think we must be milking it.

[Elle]

That would really tick me off. "Common Sense" I know I would go aroud the house annoying my husband with "Common Sense" comments all day. Then again maybe I'd be too busy drying off the tiles and in a couple months shoveling around the house.

[zandor]

I'm sorry about your being sick and the common sense thing.

[Laurie]

When I was growing up my parents actually expected me to wipe off the walls in the shower after I was finished. I had never heard of anyone else doing this until now. They just ended up replacing the tile with a tub enclosure anyway.

[amy]

wow. i actually have a girlfriend who grew up with a mom that made her wipe down the whole bathtub and tiles after every shower. there is another person on earth who advocates for this? spooky.

[jiru]

Uh, I have never ever wiped down my tiles after showering and yep, the tiles are staying put. Maybe he should have used TrafficMaster Stainproof Grout? Because I hear that stuff's the bomb.

[melissa s]

seriously, what is God trying to teach me about grout?

[getsheila]

CLEARLY you are sick because you did not use Common Sense. Also, that water in the basement is your imagination. And the tile falling off the wall? A hallucination brought on by your illness which was brought on by not using Common Sense.

It is a vicious circle.

Get well soon.

[Astrogirl426]

What. A. Dumbass.

A. You're absolutely right, of COURSE (not that you need to know, you already knew that). Tiles should not be falling off your shower wall. Duh. Common Sense might indicate that he should think about fixing this issue, because the next time one falls and shatters and you step on it and have to go to the hospital with an infected cut etc. etc. you will be sending HIM the bill.

B. Yes, it is a sucky fact of life that basements tend to leak. I grew up in a hundred-year old house that got wet every time it rained hard. We don't have that problem now, because we (1) have all gravel around the basement of this house, and (2) it's well-drained. But we're the exception :). And, the non-asshole-y thing to do would have been for the landlord to just admit he wasn't going to be able to waterproof the basement (it can be quite expensive), and work with you to keep your stuff from getting wet.

[Michele]

It seems to me that your Lovely Landlord has read your blog, knows how much your love your house & neighborhood, and has decided he can wait you out. We had some serious water in the basement issues in our last house. At our first viewing, I asked about the water on the floor in the basement, and was told that the laundry sink had overflowed. LIE! Unfortunately, I don't think shoveling a moat around your house is going to work. But maybe if you line your bathtub/shower with heavy duty plastic, the tiles won't get wet.

[Mary Anne]

Towel the shower dry...COME ON. Who does that? Maybe I'm crazy here but it was my understanding that showers should be constructed with the notion that they would be wet a lot of the time. Or do I just have no common sense?
Get better...you being sick may have saved the landlords life!

[madge]

Maybe you actually caught a Man Cold. Those are the worst!

Common Sense, huh. The only people who wipe down the tiles after every shower are CRAZY and ANAL (sorry, Amy!).

[RockyCat]

Seeing as how it is your landlord who actually OWNS the property and is the one ultimately responsible for its upkeep, "Common Sense" would dictate that HE towel off the walls after you shower and that HE shovel around the house when neccesary.

Next time you get out of the shower, give him a call .........

[Saple]

Maybe not towel the shower dry but I know alot of crazy people that squeegee their shower when they are done.. As I looked at them crazily....

Aren't you glad that you rent this house rather than bought this house...

PS.. be careful of the dropping tile. If it's due to water getting into the backing if its not cement. it could lead to nasty mildew and mold...

[melissaS]

Michele: Well if he does read, I hope he'll also read that we're waiting for a price from him and the price should maybe reflect the comparable sales in the neighborhood (and entire area)....rather than, you know, the Common Sense approach where what you "want" determines the actual "value" of the house.

Yes, we are SO glad we didn't buy without knowing the true value of this house. He did some great improvements for sure, but there are some very important things he didn't do.

Now that we have a clear view of the property, we're still willing to invest in it....at the right price.

[Julie]

So you want a house for free like everyone else? Excuse me I'm bitter. My house has been on the market with no luck. I'm not giving it away, so will ride this market out like most sellers.

[melissaS]

No, I want a house at the current market value.

Why would I pay more than market value?

I sold a house at market value last year, I know how painful it is.

[bridget in oregon]

My inlaws are so anal they have a 'sqweegee' in their shower. And it's fiberglass. They also live in Michigan so maybe it's a regional thing that has now fallen under some Common Sense edict. ;-) And I'm sure I drive them nuts because I refuse to sqweegee when I visit.

[MomZombie]

The tile line is classic. I suppose it would follow that you should towel off your house every time it rains or snows, otherwise you may experience falling brick.

[Emily]

I dry the tile completely after showering. Less cleaning in the long run.

[jen]

Sigh. I think your landlord must be BFF!!!! with my old landlord who; when informed that the roof was leaking in seven places; proceeded to tell me that this was normal, it has to do with the water table; I should pick up a Farmer's Almanac and read up on it. You see, in the Pacific Northwest, the water table rises in October.

...

Sigh. I chose to move.

[Sumo]

Your landlord is full of shit. Of course, I'm sure you have enough common sense to know that.

[lousoz]

i had a whole thing typed out, but didn't like how I sounded so I'm just going to say:
whatadouche!

[Jennifer]

I'm sorry, but I live in the Frozen Tundra known as Minnesota, and not once have we ever shoveled around our house in order to keep a basement from flooding. That's ridiculous. So when it rains, are you supposed to use "common sense" and hold an umbrella over your house? Sheesh, what an idiot!

[cecilia]

If you ever need a complete market analysis on what comparable house have sold for let me know and I could easily put one together for you before you negotiate.I'm pretty familiar with Birmingham, Royal Oak.
Tile should never fall off the wall, whether you dry it or not. I squegee mine because I'm an obsessive cleaner.

[Lena]

Wipe the tiles down so they don't fall off? That's the most absurd thing I've ever heard!

No, wait. The most absurd thing I've ever heard is MY landlord telling me "it simple fix, no rent credit" after I found BLACK MOLD last week in our bathroom. When I got home he left a note "TOILET FIX. USE ANYTIME". The black mold had been wiped off with my Windex and paper towels. It grew back in one day.

I guess renters don't deserve luxuries like attached tile and spore-less lungs.

[Jeanne]

you and I are good and not so good at the same things.....your landlord is an imbecile. I had one of those landlords once...my jaw still hurts from clenching it tight to keep my mouth quiet. Feel better.

[Amy]

I don't know what the layout of your lots are like... around here, one side of the house is the driveway, and the other side is the neighbor's driveway. I can't imagine moving all of the snow from the driveway to the front or backyard instead of piling it along one side of the driveway!

[Sandie]

Not your problem. His. You could, however, mention that you should never, ever have to shovel around the house. The landscaping (HIS problem) should be as such to have the melting snow go the other way! Surprise! Common sense!

That's the perk to renting.. it's not really your problem!

[m]

Is this same landlord as this?

If so, maybe he was having a rough day.

[melissaS]

I know, he's upset that we won't buy the house at his (unrealistic) asking price.