Of course, he also happens to be my husband, so that’s no big deal. [hijack]This arrangement did once lead to a neighbor across the street getting on his case for “kissing your girlfriend” on the job out front of our place; he calmly explained that he and I are married and both live across the street from the busybody, and that I was just giving him a smooch goodbye after happening to be leaving the house as he was coming up to deliver the mail.[/hijack]
Glad that it got worked out, and I’m sorry you had to deal with that time of confusion and worry.
Might as well tell the joke about the housewife, down in the basement doing laundry, wearing her son’s football helmet because her hair is in curlers and the pipes are leaking. She drops her housecoat in and starts the machine, then turns to see the meter reader, who exits saying, “I hope your team wins, lady.”
(This becomes a UL when presented as a true story. But it was only ever meant to be a joke. How would curlers fit under a football helmet? If the pipes were leaking, wouldn’t there be as much risk to the laundry as to her coiffure? Darn funny joke, though.)
ACK! Then let me join everyone else in saying get a chain for the door. And maybe a couple dozen deadbolts, too! If a repair guy walked into my house without me letting him in AFTER I’d already gotten a scare from someone who might have been an imposter, I would have had a heart attack on the spot. Please be careful - your apartment building sounds just a little dangerous.
That must have been a scary experience. If you are still nervous, and afraid in your own home, I might suggest you go to a local hardware store.
For a couple of dollars you can buy a device that you fit on the inside of the door, and it makes it unopenable from the outside even for someone with a key.
They’re good for hotels too, since they are portable.
It’s just a small device that fits into the doorjamb, and it might give you some piece of mind.
I’m surprised your building doesn’t have security chains on the inside of the doors. You might ask the Super if he will get you one.
Rilch, I don’t mean to sound preachy, but remember that story I told you about in the other thread - please please PLEASE take the extra security measures seriously. Maybe I’m an ultra paranoid, but I’m getting very concerned. Very.
The chain lock idea isn’t a real good one. Even if you can find one strong enough to keep out say a 220 pound guy that uses his full force against the door, if it isn’t installed right, the screws can come out of the door or the wall. Best bet is just don’t open the door unless you can confirm the identity through the spy eye. Make them show ID.
Missy, I don’t think you’re being preachy, and I am taking this very seriously.
cards, Mr. Rilch is a union electrician, and prior to that he was a grip. When he installs something, it stays installed. He’s responsible for several other modifications around here, none of which have been found faulty.
Rilch, it seems odd to me your apartment doesn’t have a secondary lock. All apartments here are required by law to have a second deadbolt that cannot be opened from the outside. So you just have to twirl the knob, and no one can enter even with the key. Well, barring a commando raid. While it would require you to manually lock the door after Mr. Rilch leaves, at least you have the option. Plus, you can walk around naked in your apartment and not worry about service people walking in.
Of course the rest of you puzzle me. I only have two windows to my place, and the blinds are perpetually closed. Who opens their blinds?
Me? Spotted naked by the police, the pizza boy, and my landlord (not all at the same time). I’m starting to think my name is written on a bathroom wall somewhere.:smack:
Huh. We have a lock and a deadbolt, but the deadbolt can be opened from outside. This is also a “security building”, with locked gates, but maintenance has the key for those as well.
I was passing out flyers for a political campaign with an older lady years ago. A woman answered the door completely naked, her hair in curlers, took a flyer, thanked me and said she’d consider the candidate. Speachless, I turned to the little old lady who was helping me, and she said “Well, I never! In my day we never would have answered the door with our hair in curlers!”
I’m not sure I’ve ever heard a more quick witted comment.
Heh…reminds me of the anecdote (possibly UL or apocryphal) about the girl getting out of the shower in a dorm. Somehow she was equipped only with a washcloth, but since the floor, though not the dorm, was all female, she thought she was good until she heard a male voice at the other end of the hallway. With a flash of inspiration, she used the washcloth to cover her face, preserving her anonymity if not her modesty.
[hijack]This arrangement did once lead to a neighbor across the street getting on his case for “kissing your girlfriend” on the job out front of our place; he calmly explained that he and I are married and both live across the street from the busybody, and that I was just giving him a smooch goodbye after happening to be leaving the house as he was coming up to deliver the mail.[/hijack]