Lovin and Laughin: the Apartment Life

hello comrades! i am having quite a day. on tuesday, i received notice from my building that there would be some contractors coming into the building on wednesday and thursday of this week to do some cleaning and modifications to our baseboard heaters. always nice to hear that we are slowly, ever slowly bringing the antiquated building into the 21st century.
anyway, i have no problem with this sort of thing, as some people do, except if at all possible, i like to be home. this isnt really a privacy issue or a personal space issue or a "dont steal my stuff" issue (i really dont think i have a single possesion that anyone could possibly want), its a "one of my cats has some psychological issues and gets very upset and stressed about stuff like this so i want to be here for her" issue. of course im talking about carmela, that former alley cat that a roomate rescued so many moons ago.
so yesterday morning before hitting the y, (for those following my swimlog, this is the reason i was late to the pool and didnt get to finish my workout) i went down to the office to talk to the super to see if there was any possible way he could give me an approximate time to be home for the contractors. when i got there, the custodian was puttering around so i told her i was looking for mike (the super) and she said, "oh you didnt hear? he quit. he gave his two weeks notice." and i said, "oh really? no i didnt know that."
now, i dont really care one way or the other, but i think that the owner of the building should have at least informed us that there is no longer a super in the building. according to the custodian, we are getting a new one soon. i had my suspicions that mike had left, because there was a note posted on the office door like a week and a half ago with a phone number to call in case of emergency and no further information. it really floors me how many superintendents these giant corporate building managment companies go through. they should really treat their staff better. (although i am pretty sure mike was having an affair with a tenant, who i also havent seen around, so maybe they moved in together and thats why he left).
anyway so i gave the guy who is helping with the maintenance at the moment a couple of different time spans that i could be home for the contractors and he was very friendly and nice about it, and away i went.
fast forward to this morning when i was trying unsuccessfully to sleep in when i get a knock at the door. realising that i was naked i yelled "hang on! im coming!" only to be answered with more knocking. for those of you who have never been in my presence first thing in the morning, i have issues with brushing my teeth. i am generally a morning person, but i am NOT a happy camper until i have spent a few moments with my toothbrush. anyway, so someone keeps knocking and im trying to find some clothes to put on and im like "I SAID IM COMING" and i finally get to the door and its the friendly and nice maintenance guy with the contractors and hes like "sorry i didnt hear you." no kidding.
so then the leader of the contractors, lets call him the contractor captain, starts giving me guff about not having moved my stuff away from the heaters yet. remember: chloé still hasnt brushed her teeth. i make a point of keeping my apartment sparse, i like the feeling of open space, so the only things i had to move were my desk and my bed, i was like "that will only take two minutes to do" but i was REALLY snarky and pissed. so the contractor captain was like ok well be back in five minutes then. and im like fine, WHATEVER.
so he leaves and i go brush my teeth and move the furniture and sweep. i dont think the area under my desk has seen a broom since i moved in three years ago. it was pretty gross. by this time carmela was already upset because i moved the bed, which is where she likes to hide when there are strange people in the house. so she was hiding under the pipes behind the toilet in the bathroom and i felt bad for her.
anyway, the contractors came in, and i must say they had an impressively smooth operation. even more impressive is that i mopped under the desk before i put it back in its place. i gave the cats some treats and that was that. another day in the life of an apartment dweller.