The original maintenance request that included repairing the ceiling and putting up my handicap sign was entered in the system on October 12th (I saved the email confirmation). I'm still waiting for both things to be done.

Last week I was told that the ceiling was going to be repaired sometime this week, but here it is Friday, nothing's been done, and I have no expectation of when it will be. My instinct is to send the assistant property manager an email asking for an update so I will have a paper trail.

I don't know why I really need a paper trail anymore, aside from having more proof that this place sucks, because my husband is intensely unhappy here and has decided he wants to move when we can.

My appointment with my neurologist isn't until December 21st, but I also have an appointment for a physical with my PCP on the 28th of this month, and I'm sure he will do his best to help me with this situation, as he has with others in the past. Of course two letters would be better than one.

Whenever I decide to approach our "landlord", I think I have to give them 60 days notice. We need to use the time between NOW and the end of that period to do some accounting and get on a budget. We will have to at least pay first, security, and moving expenses without exhausting what little is left of our savings. I think it's conceivable that we can put some money away during this time, and every little bit helps.

I've been searching apartment complexes for our criteria, and looking at external shots of the buildings so I can see what the access would be like (most places are simply out of the question), but I'm not making any phone calls or checking out individual listings now because we don't have a move-in date.

Believe it or not, after everything we've been through, I think my husband would accept an offer of a different apartment from this property management company if it was in excellent shape and in the right price range. I may be a pain in the ***, but we've never been late with the rent in 7 years.