Has it been THAT long?

I know, I know.... I haven't posted for a while, but I didn't realize that it's been over two weeks!

That's one of the things pain does to me..

A while ago I broke a molar, and being one to bitch about something and at the same time put off doing anything about it as long as possible, I've been dealing with the on again - off again pain.

You see, while the pain isn't constant, and over the counter meds can take care of it 95% of the time, the procrastinator in me (and my avoidance of doctors in general) dominates. The other 5% of the time when the pain feels like I've been shot in the face, I put my hand on that side of my face and moan like a wuss.... until I take more Ibuprofen than I probably should and contemplate taking one of the prescription pain meds I was prescribed. I've only done that once. (I don't want to get used to using them, and too many people get hooked on them)

I can hear those yelling "just get off yer butt and get it fixed!" (like my brother). I know they're right, and I have made an appointment with Dr. Binder (the dentist my father went to), but the memories I have of painful visits to the dentist in my youth, and the fact that I have no insurance and live on a small disability check each month, doesn't help!

So forgive me for the lack of posts lately. The times that I've been able to concentrate and get some writing done have been taken up by my BlogsNH blog "TechAlert". And even there I went a week between posts.

As for things here at the Endicott, I got a nice visit from our property manager Kathy who updated me on some issues I'd been wondering about, and we now have a new maintenance man Ray who promptly located and installed the window screen that I've been asking for!
He's going to be a great asset and hopefully MB Management will find more maintenance people just like him to take care of CATCH's properties!

My upstairs neighbor has been a bit quieter (except for playing the music a bit too loud a few nights ago around MIDNIGHT, and the next night starting around 11 PM!). The occasional thuds and 'heavy walking' that ~~shakes~~ my apartment is still going on, though less than before.
I think that he's making an attempt to be more respectful (most of the time), but I don't think he realizes how much it really shakes things down here!

Sometimes, when I'm writing or engrossed in a TV show, the [sometimes] sudden THUD makes my (already bad) heart skip a beat!

It's really a shame that due to the fact that this is such an old building without the sound barriers that new* construction incorporates, like poured cement floors, padded carpeting, and wall insulation and/or concrete firewall barriers between apartments, his just walking across the floor can create the effect of a train going by. Thank goodness it usually a short train!

On another note, I'm really starting to make use of the new parking garage next door, especially during snow storms. I've noticed others are too, and it's really nice to not have to scrape ice and snow off the car after a storm! They really should position a Pay Station down on the ground floor though. Having to drive up to the Pay Station before being able to leave doesn't seem to make much sense. Granted it's not a huge deal, but others have noted the lack of Pay Stations and commented on that issue in the paper. That issue aside, the Concord Parking Department is doing an excellent job attending to the garage and it's patrons!

And finally, I heard recently that our resident caretaker (and keeper of the keys) Bob recently suffered a broken hip. Let's all hope he has a quick and successful (oh, and relatively pain-free) recovery!

'till next time, be safe folks.


* Within the last 50 years or so.

They're still putting the finishing touches on the new parking garage and the other morning I enjoyed the protection from the rain while I got some fresh air and drank my coffee.

Today the workers from Galaxy Glass in Manchester are out there finishing up with the caulking in the sub-40s fall chill.




I for one will be glad when the project is done. Don't get me wrong, I think it's a beautiful building and it's a huge improvement over the vacant lot (although I had a nice bright apartment and a view before it went up. Not so now.).

The residents of the Endicott, especially the ones whose apartments face the construction site have put up with the noise that started daily at seven AM, and the fine dirt that clogged our air conditioners and covered our window sills with a fine powder. By the way, I had to buy a new air conditioner because the previous one which was only a couple of years old couldn't handle the dirt and died a squeaky death.

At the start of the construction when the piles were being driven to hold back the street, the vibration was so bad I had to open up all of my cupboards so that they wouldn't rattle all day long, and important pictures had to be taken off the walls for fear of them coming down. Even then it was like living inside an ultrasonic cleaner.
The construction company had seismic equipment to monitor the shaking and they had to inject some kind of material into the foundation of the Endicott to shore it up before starting.

Now all that disruption in our lives is over for the most part and all we're left with are memories, and speaking for myself a big crack in my bedroom wall next to the window. Prior to construction some people came in and videotaped the condition of the walls in our apartments. They said they'd be back to check things out after construction was done, but to date I haven't seen anyone.

So it's been a long noisy expensive experience for this resident.
At least the building didn't fall down. There were times when that seemed like a real possibility. Now lets hope some businesses fill the building and the theater is supported. It would certainly help the Red River Theaters if a successful restaurant moved into the space on the first floor next to their sign. There's plenty of parking now in the attached parking garage. Let's fill it up!