Birthday Blues

So as I’m laying in bed, exhausted and sick, I am turning another year older. To me, birthdays are too stressful, which is the same feeling I get for most holidays. There is so much pressure to have more fun on that particular day than you normally would. My friend and I have the same birthday, but I am a year older than her, which is the good old age of 23. Since our birthday is on a Tuesday, we decided to celebrate our birthday the Sunday before with a nice Sunday Funday cookout. While planning it was fun at first, I always get nervous when I throw a party. I let her do most of the planning and just wasn’t really into when it got time to start inviting people. I didn’t want the stress of inviting lots of people and hoping that all my different groups of friends show up and have a good time. Instead, I did the opposite. I just invited like four of my closest friends and let the rest of her friends show up. It ended up being a great time and we played lots of cornhole all day and night!

I also got a short visit from my mom, sister, and niece for a birthday dinner this past Saturday night. I had to work all day at the apartments (which was a disaster day), but I met up with them after I got off at Osteria Cicchetti. I had never been there before and it was so good! Afterwards, they left and I went to see the fireworks downtown with one of my roommates. After hours of bright pink and green light saber duels at the festival, it turned out to be a pretty good weekend. I like this no planning thing. It tends to work out better.

So since I only have a few minutes left of typing until I turn 23, I feel kind of lame admitting that I am doing absolutely nothing on my actual birthday. I have to work both of my jobs tomorrow and I have a huge test on Wednesday and an even bigger project/presentation due on Friday. So, for the rest of the week, I will be in the dreadful place I like to call Club Randall. If anyone needs a study partner for COM 341, I’ll be there! haha

This upcoming weekend should be fun though. I am driving to Charlotte on Friday night after work to visit some of my best friends. We will be going to a really chill bar in Ballantyne on Friday night then going uptown for a post-birthday celebration for me on Saturday night. Then on Sunday I get to go try on Bridesmaid dresses! I was going to be looking at places to live in Charlotte while I was there, but I just made the decision to stay in Wilmington until I graduate next May. I have found a new love for Wilmington, which I think came back when the weather became beautiful again!

"Craziest Resident of My Career" Award Goes To...

Okay, it’s time to get back on track to my original topic of crazy stories while working in apartment complexes. By far, the worst experience that I had with a resident happened a few years ago. There was this resident that moved in right before I became one of the managers. He moved into the building across from mine. He seemed pretty friendly at first, even though I knew he ran an escort service. He always made small talk when he saw me around the property and in the office, very pleasant guy. At least I thought he was.

One day, he requested a new front door. Since I was unable to just order a door for him, I had to rely on my property manager to do so. Well, since the front door was still usable and lockable, my manager basically took her time looking for a new door to match the other doors on the property. After repeatedly explaining to this resident that I was not the one to speak to about this and that all I could do was forward his concerns to my manager, he still decided to take his anger out on me.

I had already moved to another apartment on the other side of the property by this time so I was no longer living across from him. However, I did have to walk by his apartment on a daily basis to give tours to prospective residents. Well, on a daily basis I had to put up with the crazy resident shouting crude comments to me. At first, it was just embarrassing since I was trying to lease apartments while this guy was saying disrespectful things. Soon, he started coming into the office and yelling at me on a daily basis. Then, he started threatening me. One day, my friend was working in the office and I was not there since it was a weekend. He told her that he was going to come back in and kill me. She got scared and called me so I told her to close the office and go home. Enough was enough. Not only was he making me feel uncomfortable at work, he now was making my employees feel uncomfortable. I wish my boss would have thought the same way I did and just ordered that front door!

After addressing my concerns with my boss, she told him that he is no longer allowed to come into the office. This was not enough. For days I had to deal with him calling the office and screaming at me since we did not have Caller ID. Finally, my boss called the police and the officer went over to his apartment to tell him that he is not allowed to call my office or come into my office. He would have to go to our other office across the street if he has any concerns. I thought this would solve the problem! Well, this only angered him more.

I went to my friend’s apartment one night because he was having a small party. My friend lived in the building next to mine and I was having a good time… until the crazy resident showed up! He saw that I was there and he freaked out! He had threatened to do horrible things to me and kill me in the past, but this time he described it in such detail in front of everyone, so I was mortified. I tried to walk away from him and leave, but I was afraid to go home because I didn’t want him to see which apartment was mine. It’s still kind of a blur how it got to this point, but he ended up pushing me down the stairs. One of my friends quickly came to pick me up since I was afraid to go home. I don’t remember even saying anything to the crazy resident and standing up for myself. I really wish I did.

By this point, I was done. I went to the courthouse and filed for a no-contact order, which is a restraining order. I left town for a few days for a family vacation so it was perfect timing. My boss also sent him a 24 hour notice to move out. What I didn’t know about filing for a restraining order is that I had to face him in court. I had to get on the stand and testify in front of everyone and admit that I was scared of him. I had to tell everyone about how he threatened to rape me and that he described where he would and how long it would take. I had to tell everyone the type of gun he told me he would kill me with. I had to tell everyone, while looking at him, and he just smiled at me the whole time. No one told me that his lawyer was going to ask me questions either. Well, it worked out for me and the judge decided to issue the restraining order for one year. But that wasn’t the end. Charges were also filed for communicating threats.

After he moved out, we had to do the normal move out inspection. Like a lot of people do, he left some things in the apartment, normal things like a lamp, some trash, the usual… until I found a box in his closet. There was a box of pictures of me: pictures of me standing on my balcony, pictures of me at El Cerro with my friends, pictures of me at the pool, pictures of me taking residents on tours. I didn’t know any of these pictures were taken. I was disgusted.

A few months later, the next court date came. I did not want to get up on the stand again. His lawyer requested for a mediation to be done. I didn’t care. I just wanted it to be over with. I had to sit at a table in a small room with him, his lawyer, and the mediator. I reached an agreement as quickly as possible so I could get out of that room. I was able to get the restraining order extended for an extra year in exchange that the charges were dropped. If he violates that, then we would have to go back to court for the original charges.

Well, as I’m glad that is over with, I sometimes still can’t believe how quickly things can escalate. I did not know this person besides him being just another resident. He is a creep and I know he will become a dangerous person to someone some day. During this process, I had found out he had multiple charges of communicating threats and assault on females that he was never convicted of. The reason I’m telling this story is because I want everyone to be careful with people you meet, whether you meet them in your personal life or in a work setting. I can laugh about this experience now, but the truth is some people are CRAZY!!! haha

Overworked and Stressed to the Max

Warning: This blog is going to be a big rant about how over it I am. I have been in and out of school since January 2005. Why am I not close to graduating yet, you may be wondering. I feel as though I am not really a student. I sometimes even forget that I am enrolled in school. Yes, I do my assignments and attend my classes, most of the time. I just can’t say no to work that pays me. While I quit one of my jobs recently so that I can have one day off per week, another job is starting soon in a few weeks. Instead of working the 50 hours per week that I do now, I will soon be working 60 – 70 hours per week, on top of a full course load of classes. I wish I could turn back time and just have decided to be a “normal” college student years ago. Instead, I quit school and decided to work full time. Once you do that, there is no turning back. I have accumulated so many bills that I am now forced to work full time and go to school full time, which of course I don’t get any benefits since my full time hours are a result of working multiple part time jobs.

Honestly, I am jealous of most people’s spring breaks. My bosses found out that last week was spring break so they just decided that I would like more hours at work without even asking me. To make it worse, I mentioned to one of my jobs today that I would need a day off in May to attend my sister’s graduation and they got so aggravated with me. To top it off, my boss was having a bad day so she decided to take the rest of the week off and told me she needed me to work extra hours to cover the office while she wasn’t there. The past month has just been so rough and they wouldn’t even let me take a day off to attend a friend’s funeral. They told me that too many people I know die, since two people died within two weeks of each other and two people died last summer. I think it’s ridiculous. I have been in my boss’s shoes since I used to be a manager of an apartment complex. I was much more flexible with student’s schedules. They even get annoyed when I say I can’t stay late at work because I need to go to class.

Enough about work, roommates are another issue that I just can’t stand right now. Neither of my roommates work and neither of them clean up after themselves. When I get home from work and want to start on schoolwork, the last thing I want to do is clean their dishes and take out the trash. Talking to them doesn’t work either because when I tell them what’s bugging me they just promise that they will clean more often but it doesn’t ever change. I even asked them for a simple favor to pick me up from the car dealership while I get my car fixed and they said that they can’t. Are they forgetting that they haven’t paid any utilities in the past two months because their check is “in the mail” from their parents and I have had to cover their portions of it all?

I know that complaining about it isn’t going to get me anywhere. Last week, I finally decided to make a change in my life. I applied to UNC Charlotte to hopefully transfer there this upcoming fall. I know that by transferring I may have to stay in school a little longer, but I feel that at the moment, this is what I need. I think a change in location may excite me enough to feel reenergized about school. It may help me become a little more motivated to finish school. Also, since tuition is less expensive and rent is cheaper there too, I may only have to work one or two jobs while I am there! Anyway, I am so excited and hope that I get accepted! I now feel like I have something to look forward to in the near future and hopefully all my hard work will help me later on in life! I just can't wait to have a fresh start!

Expressing Sympathies via Facebook?

The theme for my blogs was going to be all about the crazy things I’ve seen in apartment complexes through working with each of them. However, this week I will put that on hold. I have too many other things on my mind to try to remember a random story to try to entertain everyone.

I don’t know if it is just me, but have you ever noticed that the only time you get to see a majority of your friends are at times of grievance or times of extreme happiness? I feel like the only time I see a lot of my friends are when we are attending either a wedding or a funeral. I have only been to one friend’s wedding so far, so every year it’s just been attending friends’ funerals. Every time, I tell myself that I will make more of an effort to keep in touch with friends, not just those that are convenient to hang out with. We all get so wrapped up in school and work to not take a day and go visit friends that you don’t see on a regular basis.

This brings me to my next point. Do people honestly think that expressing sympathies on your Facebook status really helps? The heartfelt statuses don’t get to me as much. It’s the statuses like the following that really irk me: “RIP Ben. Kele, the kids, and The Meadow's family my heart goes out to you all. Taking my littlest love to IHOP. :-). “

Really? You couldn’t break it up into two statuses? One to express your sympathy and another status to talk about the happy day you will be having. I don’t see how that can make anyone feel better about losing a loved one. Also, if someone puts a status up like a RIP one, do others really feel it is appropriate to comment on it with comments like “What happened?” Describing one’s death via Facebook does not seem like the right thing to do to me. Also, to leave a comment on an RIP status that says “You want to go get lunch later?” Or “I haven’t seen you in forever! Let’s go out!” does not seem like the appropriate comment to write either, at least not in my opinion. It bugs me that all this is on my news feed and I want to just scream at people to be more tactful and more respectful.

I’m not saying at all that these people are not truly sympathetic. What I am saying is that the way technology is, is this really what our society has become? I truly do not agree with this. I understand that life must go on and we should always remember the ones that have passed on, but to me it seems disrespectful on quite a few levels. May those that have passed rest in peace, and may those that are still living be more tactful in the way they express their sympathies.

Looks Can Be Deceiving

Okay, is everyone ready for another bizarre story? I realize most of these stories, like most things in my life, will be thought of as odd. Well, working at an apartment complex is truly an odd job. There are so many things that we find out because we are dealing with people’s lives, their homes, and every aspect of it. Sure, there are residents that I could only tell you the basics, like whether they are students or professionals, whether they have kids or their significant others living with them, or if they just live by themselves. I can pick out the partiers from the non-partiers. However, when I find out something completely off the wall about them, they truly stand out in my mind.

This situation happened a few years ago, when I had recently become the Leasing Manager. There was a woman, she was very sweet, had a three year old son, and enjoyed hanging out at the pool with him. She had even taken a ten year old boy under her wing. This young boy was always left alone by his mother since she worked all the time, so this lady volunteered to babysit him for free after school since she was just hanging out with her son anyway. She actually lived in the building next to me, and everything was going well… until the day she decided to renew her lease.

She signed her new lease agreement one day, and then a few hours later came into the office to see if she could get a letter written from me saying how much her rent is each month in order to show it to the daycare her son would be starting soon. The problem with this was, she gave me a different name. I noticed the difference and she admitted that the girl that had applied for the apartment over the internet had to move into a halfway house before her lease started, so they had an agreement that she would just move in for her, with the lease still in her name so she didn’t have to pay extra to re-lease the apartment to her. I informed her that this was against our rules and that she would need to apply to be on a lease by herself. She completed the application, and what I found out horrified me.

While I won’t go into specifics on what the background check pulled up, I will say that I believed she was supposed to notify the public of her address because she had been convicted of sex offenses. I quickly notified my property manager of the situation and her response was that she needed to move out within twenty four hours. I pleaded that we notify the police since she had committed forgery and just in case she was back to her old ways, in terms of the crimes she had committed. My boss decided it was best for everyone if she were to just leave quietly.

To this day, I still wonder what became of this resident. I wonder if she had, in fact, committed more crimes while living there. I sometimes feel guilty because if she did harm anyone, maybe it could have been prevented if we had just checked her ID on the day she moved in. I guess it was just a lesson that I need to be more suspicious of people and that not everyone is as good as they claim to be. So everyone, don’t judge a book by its cover. Oh yeah, I’ll leave it like I left the last blog. Be nice to your landlords, you never know what is on their minds and what they are dealing with “behind the scenes.”

Be Nice to Your Landlords

When thinking back on my life, my mind usually jumps to the extreme stories I have accumulated. I have come in contact with so many crazy people throughout the years and have been put in odd situations. While my personal life has been what I would consider a unique culmination of outrageous experiences, I feel that my professional life has followed somewhat of the same pattern. I have multiple jobs. I work at an apartment complex, an after school program, I babysit, and I sell Mary Kay (sometimes). I have always been hard-working at jobs and definitely appreciate the value of a paycheck. I love being able to say that I am fully independent and have been for years, even though at times it is terribly hard. Some days, I definitely day dream about being able to relax, go to the beach during the summertime with friends, and go on Spring Break trips. I have never been able to do any of this. Because of my bills, I have to work as much as possible. So when I do not have school, I am working, which brings me to my blog topic.


I have worked in the apartment industry for about four years now. When I started working, I had no clue what it meant to be a leasing consultant. I just thought I was supposed to wait around to see if anyone wanted to tour an apartment, give them an application, and the job would be cake! WRONG! I started working at a college-based property and was quickly promoted to Leasing Manager within five months since I had quit school to pursue this career. (Please note that none of these stories are based on the property that I currently work for and that I will not give the name of the company because I do not want to talk bad about any job).
So, if working at an apartment complex isn’t as easy as people think, you might be wondering what it entails. Well, this series of blogs will go over some of the most extreme people/situations I have dealt with.


There was one resident that started out as such a nice guy. He quickly was surrounded by trouble and we were trying to figure out what he was up to. His neighbor’s apartment was broken into and robbed. Days later, his front door was beat down with a hammer. He got into a fight in the middle of the day with his neighbor. When he came to the office to complain about the fight, I had to talk to him about it. I told him I would get paperwork together and bring it to his door for him to fill out a complaint. This is a trick I was getting good at. The trick is to not let yourself into their apartment, try to get them to invite you in so you can sort of snoop around and see what is really going on.


I went over to deliver the paperwork as promised and he invited me in, just as I thought he would. Since I was a 19 year old and most of my residents were around the same age, they thought of me as a friend and usually told me more than they should. What happened next, I wish I did not have to see.


I was sitting on his couch, wondering where all of his electronics went. He used to have a huge flat screen TV on his living room wall. He usually walked around the property in a huge sweatshirt, which I found odd because it was summer time. When I went to his apartment he had on a t-shirt, which made his track marks on his arms very visible. While in the middle of filling out his complaint, his eyes rolled back and he passed out. It was at this time, that a needle fell out of his pocket. I didn’t know what to do, but I was able to wake him up. He just started talking to me like nothing happened. Minutes later, it happened again, but this time he was having a seizure. I was able to call an ambulance and it turns out he had overdosed on heroin. He ended up being okay, but it was definitely scary to be put in that situation. I later talked to my boss about not feeling comfortable being in resident’s homes. Luckily, I was there, but I did not like being put into that situation.


The point that I want to end with is for all of you that live in an apartment complex, be nice to your landlords. You never know what they have had to deal with that day.