Skeeters and Glass Houses

You might remember the urban swamp I wrote about? And before that, the Idiots & Mice. Well, I will tell you: this is the same building. I called the city and I griped to the Store Manager. Underlying my words, of course, is the sense that this person doesn't even want to help himself . . .

I guess those in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.

Anyway, he is avoiding calling his home office Real Estate Hotline about his problems. As long as there is a bag of food trash down the stairwell, the rodents have something to eat. As long as the drains are clogged, the water won't leave. If the drain(s) have to be Roto-Rootered (what is the real verb for that?)  the landlord has to pay. Not the SM, so why is it so tough to make this call? I don't understand it at all.

So I complained to him again Wednesday. Actually pulled him from a meeting. I was told he was in conference with the District Manager--Hey! Golden Opportunity! But the DM wouldn't come out of the office, and so the Manager lied and said he wasn't there. If there is a species on earth that I don't care for? Besides mosquitoes and rats? The DM. Best buck-passers ever.

Anyway, to shut me up the SM agreed to clean it up. At his expense? I can't disagree--those months of trash could have been solved by one ten-minute pull of the can months ago. On the other hand, what is so bad about calling the landlord, or giving me the landlord's name?

I must be ferocious. Anyway, it does look better down there. My one concern is that the underlying problem, the rodents, have safe haven in the empty building. We still aren't calling the landlord. And wouldn't I just.

In the tranquil night scene you see above, it's clean. The bucket is gone, one major mosquito vector. If the drain was blocked only by leaves, then we're set. When it rains, though, the ash tray and can will fill with water and we will have some mosquito vector left. Not to the same threat though.

I did this for me. Mosquitoes love me far too much. A block or so away from my house? Trouble.

In the meantime, at home, I have a ton of stuff to do. If I can do as well as I expect from others, I will be in a better place. Of course, I have neither rats nor mosquitoes. The cats did chew a hole in my window screen Thursday night.

Behind, again! Best get to it.

Oh, and this Zemanta Thing? Sometimes it's silly, but here's a Science article saying 

Mosquitoes Should Die.

Something we non-scientists have suspected all along. Malaria, heartworms, bug bites! 

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• Ecology: A world without mosquitoes (nature.com)