indeed. But it needed to be done; and now it has been done.
Yow!
I would have yelled too. I probably would have screamed when I saw it. I can see missing the doormat – I don’t expect to have to read doormats – but the sign on the door should have done it.
The cats are still inside, I gather? I expect you’d have said if not.
Can you tape the door shut when you leave, with “do not open” and/or “do not enter” on the tape?
– I’m glad that lunch was good!
Well, that was a thoroughly horrible day. You had every right to be upset and sad at part one, and every right to be afraid and angry with part two, but overall, you handled it like an adult. We’re proud of you. As for the landlord, I’m glad you kept it to an email, because speaking to someone when you’re upset, especially if they’re a large part of the emotion, is never a good idea. I get all close-throated choked when I have to. Thank god for emails and texts. And let’s hope they’re as on-the-ball as you are about taking care of their responsibilities towards you as you’ve been about dealing with this whole -thing-.
As for the housekeeping, I also don’t want them to get fired for what appears to be a one-time thing (or three-peat if it’s literacy/awareness testing) but… you should probably contact the building and mention that they did come in and clean even though you requested that not happen: not to get them in trouble, but make sure the top knows it’s supposed to be off limits. It’s one thing if they’re moving from unit to unit in auto mode, but another if despite your requests, it never got written down.
As you say, any day with pie, especially KEY LIME, is at least not a total loss.
The tape is a pretty good idea. But will people read what I have written on the tape? Maybe a chain of tarantulas or scorpions… 
Yes, the cats were both inside. I don’t expect EC to be hovering next to the door, but the maid propped the door open and then went to clean the bathroom. The unguarded open door would definitely have interested EC if I hadn’t come home right away and started raising hell.
Correct. The administrator did not write it down and notify housekeeping even though I had told her and even texted her about the fact that I didn’t want the maid service. I’m not going to blame the maid. I texted the admin again without mentioning the incident today, and she replied that she would notify housekeeping.
Let’s face it, competence is very hard to come by in this world. That’s one of the things that makes Saint Mike all the more remarkable. You have to follow up with people constantly. (SOOOO glad I’m retired and don’t have to worry about that stuff at work any more.)
Still have four big MF pictures to hang. And my bedroom. And unpacking the kitchen… It’s okay. Getting the house cleared out was The Big Accomplishment of the Day.
The movers broke my gooseneck desk lamp (similar to this one) and they’re going to bring me a new one tomorrow.
It was a really good key lime pie, and a generous piece.
Going to take it easy this evening.
Could you maybe put a picture of a cat or cats on your signs? It might draw more attention, and if someone knows why the door needs to be closed, they might (I said might) be more likely to close it?
This is the floor mat. I’m afraid there is no fix for inattention.
Dang, there goes my “good” idea. If someone doesn’t notice that…I don’t know what to say.
Tarantulas…that’s the answer.
We could make the tarantulas BETTER though. For example, a plastic tarantula on a string that swings forward into the face of anyone opening the door, with a sign saying DON’T LET THE CATS OUT hanging beneath.
Nothing like a face-full of spider to get the blood pumping and attention going.
Plastic snake on the ground also has possibilities, along with fake vomit.
Things people don’t want to look at, but find themselves staring at in horror (even if sneks are cute!) despite themselves.
The hard answer is a deadbolt that they don’t have the key to. Which you lock when you leave.
But not while you’re home so if they need to do a wellness check they won’t need a fireman and a big axe to get in.
I have no doubt they’ll go apeshit when you install that. But if that’s what it takes to give you peace f mind about the cats … well that’s what it takes.
I would NOT do this immediately. But if a maid or staff intrusion happens again, just do it.
Other than tarantulas, you could consider setting up a Ring Doorbell or the like - so you get a phone alert if someone is trying to enter your apartment, and generally (I’m a bit busy so can’t double check) do two way communication between the Ring and the Ring App on your phone.
So you could see someone trying to get in (the Saint of Repairs or anyone else) and tell them to mind the cats!
I was thinking about something over-the-top silly, like … buy two ridiculously big stuffed cats and hang them (via a hook and some string) on the door so that you have to move them in order to put the key in the lock.
It won’t become a hazard in an emergency, but it might make somebody take just enough of a paws [sic] to … figure it out.
Update:
My cleaning lady for the last 10+ years, Mary Lou, came today. She is a willing, nurturing, hard-working, organizational genius! She unpacked and put away my kitchen. The boxes of groceries and spices that have sat on the kitchen floor since the move (Was it only two weeks ago??) are now gone, the empty boxes in the dumpster, and the contents arranged tidily and logically on shelves. We even came out with a drawer left over.
Mary Lou knows about the kitties and knows not to leave any doors open! When we were done, I made some coffee and we sat in the living room and chatted (which we usually don’t do). She loves the place and said the minute she walked in, she knew it was right for me. She endorsed the comment I made back when I visited the empty apartment, that it has a very serene feeling.
I got the bedroom mostly in shape yesterday. All I have left to do is hang pictures. Then I will be well and truly moved in.
I gotta say that I am absolutely exhausted in body, soul, heart, and mind. I’m not sleeping past 5 am, and my stomach is queasy and in knots a lot of the time (like now). I have all MY tasks behind me, so maybe I can unwind and relax.
But now off to lunch. 
May there be pie. Amen.
Note to self: Opening in the religious / quasi-religious world for the God of Pie. Reference FSM for tongue-in-cheek, but with a slightly more positive attitude. Will need to research for lower sugar or savory pie options for the diabetic crowd. Apply for grant for research and secure near unlimited number of unpaid college interns for research with offer of unlimited sweet and savory pies.
Profit!
[to the tune of “Hello Mary Lou” from Ricky Nelson]
Hello Mary Lou
Goodbye clutter
Sweet Mary Lou
I’m so grateful for you
I knew Mary Lou
You’d do your part
So hello Mary Lou
Goodbye clutter
You helped me out one sunny day
You helped me put my shit away
And ooh I wanted you forever more
Now I’m not living on the ground
But I might like this new place I found
And I appreciate you like never before
I can’t top that!
But I’m really glad Mary Lou came, that your kitchen’s all arranged, and that you got to sit and talk with an old friend.
May all of your knotted muscles relax themselves and allow you to get some sleep. With one cat curled next to you and the other comfortably and safely asleep in a cat cubby.
Ah… that is a picture of heaven…
@DavidNRockies Cute! 
Today I declined the lunch special (chicken tamales) and opted for a grilled cheese sandwich and fries. Perfect comfort food. There was pie but I didn’t get any. I’m limiting myself to one dessert a week, and every day there is a gorgeous one (or several)! Today it was lemon bars. They will be back.
I’m really glad that it sounds like you’re about halfway to feeling “at home.”
And the food sounds great!
All good!
yum, lemon bars!
hopefully, you are feeling more like it is your home, and will get more comfortable.
Yes, today I am! Thanks for your comment. Managed to sleep in all the way to 5:30!
On Fridays we have a cooked breakfast buffet (just coffee and rolls the rest of the week). Pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon, juice, coffee. I haven’t had a pancake since I can’t remember when. Good company to chat with then back to my LAST unpacking job: the pictures and wall art.
I gotta say, for all the overkill with packing my spice cupboard (each little tin or plastic bottle of whatever in its own ginormous sheet of newsprint) that overkill has paid off WRT to the pictures. The Mona Lisa could not have been more secure in her transatlantic voyage than my humble paintings and prints. It’s a big nuisance getting into them, but that’s a Good Thing. I’m also generating yet another pile of cardboard and wrapping paper out in the hall, which I have to schlepp to the dumpster. But then I do claim to be independent, n’est-ce pas?
Okay, I’ll say it: I am loving it here! Seeing people casually throughout the day, or staying in if I feel like it, great food, laundry mere steps from my front door (at the house, my laundry room was at the back of the yard, not heated or air-conditioned, and full of mosquitoes during that season), incredibly friendly and interesting people. (One of the women had a career in the Army and after she retired from that, she went into a contemplative Catholic religious order! 
I have to get the back story on that.)
More later…
