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My morning was v. Life on Mars, but sort of an Annie-centric episode
This has been a Morning, y'all. A '5 police constables at my house' morning.
So it's 9:10ish, and self and roommate Panjai are eating breakfast, discussing the ridiculous amount of cookies I accidentally made last night (How does one accidentally make cookies? Another story.). Steve emerges from his den--
Steve, for all two of you who haven't been subjected to my bitching about him, is a horrible cave-troll we found on gumtree who wanted to cohabit. Fine, said we, for we are desperate and need a fourth roommate.
At first Steve was only a bit weird. Long rants on how he'd discovered flaws in Game Theory and bragging about how he'd shown up some lecturing professor in the middle of giving a talk by announcing his math was wrong, etc. I thought it was the typical lightly autistic behavior and exaggerated self-importance of semi-intelligent guys who fancy themselves intellectuals and feel the world regularly wrongs them by not recognizing their genius, and I brushed it off. He was annoying and a bit weird, that was all.
He said he had some form of freelance job in international shipping, but he never seemed to be working--he stayed home all day, every day, just playing his guitar, very VERY poorly, sunrise to late at night. The same first minute of Stairway to Heaven, the same three chords--I'd have paid good money for him to learn a fucking fourth. It was the repetition that drove me INSANE.
Steve didn't pay rent on time for his period in the house in March, or for the full month of April, and was belligerent about paying utilities. At the beginning of May Panjai asked him to leave by the end of the month--he'd given her six weeks deposit, and she'd use that for May's rent, and for taxes and utilities for April and May.
He didn't seem to make any gesture towards leaving--no going out to search for places, no packing. He accused Panjai and Issy's friends of stealing his passport, though I can't imagine the Asian students and one American guy the girls had over could have any use for it. Last week he rooted through Panjai's room while she was out and took out an ironing board to use it--that would have been nothing if they'd been friends, or even comfy acquaintances, but the idea of a hostile stranger in her room while she was out really bothered Panjai, and she shouted at him that he should have asked first.
So as I said, 9:10, and Panjai and I are foodening. Steve comes out, and Panjai asks him when he intends to be out (someone else has rented the room from the first of the month). He says he'll leave /tomorrow/, and that she owes him like £200 of the deposit back. She tries to show him the calculations for utilities and such, and to give him the £40 odd pounds he has coming to him, and he starts pushing and shoving her, threatening to push her off the balcony. Issy comes out of her room to drag him off her. He stalks off and I suggest we girls all go get coffee and call 999. He reemerges and threatens her some more, following us outside and sort of pushing her towards the balcony. Outside, I call 999, ask for and deal with the police, and then we walk to Starbucks (the only thing open on a bank holiday Monday) and get drinks.
VERY quickly, the police call back and say they're outside, and we head back to meet them. Two women, one with a very pronounced Polish accent--how AWESOME is it that the London Metropolitan Police is hiring from its marginalized immigrant populations, and sending women, including a non-UK born woman, to deal with foreign student females in distress? How tactful and effective!
They asked me to repeat the story (Panjai's English is good, but pretty non-native, and she was a bit shaken up and upset, anyone would be, and Issy struggles with hers sometimes), then went in with my keys, and at some point called 3 male officers in as back up, all of who asked if we were all right as they went up the stairs. One of them came back again to ask me what was going on--and I think that's fair, rather than unnecessarily repetitious, b/c it establishes whether we have a consistent story rather than just being annoyed roommates with a grudge?
The last guy asked if we wanted him arrested, and the girls and I thought no, just out, and to feel safe in the flat. He was given twenty minutes to pack what he needed immediately while the constables watched, and then the Polish woman told me he would have to call their non-emergency number when he wanted to come get the rest of his shit, and they'd call us and get the keys, and would be with him if he came back.
We thanked them profusely, they were all great.
The only remaining problem is whether he'll accomplish the clean-out by the third, which is when our new tenant moves in. A bridge to cross when we come to it.
Having kicked out my evol-step-dad really prepped me for this. Panjai thanked me for calling the police and taking care of it when she was shaken up, but really ANYONE would have been shaken up, and I just felt very proud for her having said that, I guess?
Perhaps Steve reacted so violently because hasn't anywhere else to GO (not that that's an adequate excuse for death threats, but maybe an explanation). True, we haven't seen him actively finding another place, or with any visible means of support, but he has enough money to take a brief vacation home to Italy to attend a friend's wedding, to buy himself new bedding and housewares, and to buy a LOT of expensive pre-prepared food? He lives very well, and though this is VERY cheap for being close to down town, there are cheaper places to live in London?
I'm really happy my girl friend had already left. x_x
So it's 9:10ish, and self and roommate Panjai are eating breakfast, discussing the ridiculous amount of cookies I accidentally made last night (How does one accidentally make cookies? Another story.). Steve emerges from his den--
Steve, for all two of you who haven't been subjected to my bitching about him, is a horrible cave-troll we found on gumtree who wanted to cohabit. Fine, said we, for we are desperate and need a fourth roommate.
At first Steve was only a bit weird. Long rants on how he'd discovered flaws in Game Theory and bragging about how he'd shown up some lecturing professor in the middle of giving a talk by announcing his math was wrong, etc. I thought it was the typical lightly autistic behavior and exaggerated self-importance of semi-intelligent guys who fancy themselves intellectuals and feel the world regularly wrongs them by not recognizing their genius, and I brushed it off. He was annoying and a bit weird, that was all.
He said he had some form of freelance job in international shipping, but he never seemed to be working--he stayed home all day, every day, just playing his guitar, very VERY poorly, sunrise to late at night. The same first minute of Stairway to Heaven, the same three chords--I'd have paid good money for him to learn a fucking fourth. It was the repetition that drove me INSANE.
Steve didn't pay rent on time for his period in the house in March, or for the full month of April, and was belligerent about paying utilities. At the beginning of May Panjai asked him to leave by the end of the month--he'd given her six weeks deposit, and she'd use that for May's rent, and for taxes and utilities for April and May.
He didn't seem to make any gesture towards leaving--no going out to search for places, no packing. He accused Panjai and Issy's friends of stealing his passport, though I can't imagine the Asian students and one American guy the girls had over could have any use for it. Last week he rooted through Panjai's room while she was out and took out an ironing board to use it--that would have been nothing if they'd been friends, or even comfy acquaintances, but the idea of a hostile stranger in her room while she was out really bothered Panjai, and she shouted at him that he should have asked first.
So as I said, 9:10, and Panjai and I are foodening. Steve comes out, and Panjai asks him when he intends to be out (someone else has rented the room from the first of the month). He says he'll leave /tomorrow/, and that she owes him like £200 of the deposit back. She tries to show him the calculations for utilities and such, and to give him the £40 odd pounds he has coming to him, and he starts pushing and shoving her, threatening to push her off the balcony. Issy comes out of her room to drag him off her. He stalks off and I suggest we girls all go get coffee and call 999. He reemerges and threatens her some more, following us outside and sort of pushing her towards the balcony. Outside, I call 999, ask for and deal with the police, and then we walk to Starbucks (the only thing open on a bank holiday Monday) and get drinks.
VERY quickly, the police call back and say they're outside, and we head back to meet them. Two women, one with a very pronounced Polish accent--how AWESOME is it that the London Metropolitan Police is hiring from its marginalized immigrant populations, and sending women, including a non-UK born woman, to deal with foreign student females in distress? How tactful and effective!
They asked me to repeat the story (Panjai's English is good, but pretty non-native, and she was a bit shaken up and upset, anyone would be, and Issy struggles with hers sometimes), then went in with my keys, and at some point called 3 male officers in as back up, all of who asked if we were all right as they went up the stairs. One of them came back again to ask me what was going on--and I think that's fair, rather than unnecessarily repetitious, b/c it establishes whether we have a consistent story rather than just being annoyed roommates with a grudge?
The last guy asked if we wanted him arrested, and the girls and I thought no, just out, and to feel safe in the flat. He was given twenty minutes to pack what he needed immediately while the constables watched, and then the Polish woman told me he would have to call their non-emergency number when he wanted to come get the rest of his shit, and they'd call us and get the keys, and would be with him if he came back.
We thanked them profusely, they were all great.
The only remaining problem is whether he'll accomplish the clean-out by the third, which is when our new tenant moves in. A bridge to cross when we come to it.
Having kicked out my evol-step-dad really prepped me for this. Panjai thanked me for calling the police and taking care of it when she was shaken up, but really ANYONE would have been shaken up, and I just felt very proud for her having said that, I guess?
Perhaps Steve reacted so violently because hasn't anywhere else to GO (not that that's an adequate excuse for death threats, but maybe an explanation). True, we haven't seen him actively finding another place, or with any visible means of support, but he has enough money to take a brief vacation home to Italy to attend a friend's wedding, to buy himself new bedding and housewares, and to buy a LOT of expensive pre-prepared food? He lives very well, and though this is VERY cheap for being close to down town, there are cheaper places to live in London?
I'm really happy my girl friend had already left. x_x
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Perhaps Steve reacted so violently because hasn't anywhere else to GO.
Or perhaps he's just living proof that fucking lunatics with "independent" bank rolls (i.e., parents and/or other family members who pay for them to stay away) can be found everywhere.
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(Also, I hope you don't mind me adding your lj--you seem really awesome)
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As for the cleaning-out... I know it's a PITA, but you're probably better off putting his things on the pavement yourselves rather than waiting for him to come for them in the time allotted. Keep that last 40 pounds as a cleaning fee; you know damned well a service would charge more.
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Glad to hear it all ended well. It sounds like you handled a pretty scary situation not only with competence, but panache.
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Thanks. He comes back to get stuff today--I'm been on Texting Steve And Police re: the rest of his shit for the past two days. x_x
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Is it only some of us who're born with the crazymagnet, or do all women have it? Surely some men must have it also...
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Nice icon!
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On the contrary, am delighted!!
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Er, I guess? I mean I'd pay for Steve to live Somewhere that's Else were I his kith and kin x_x.
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Ta! I decided I needed an Eleven icon a few eps in... This is from the end of The Beast Below when they're hugging in front of the whacking-huge viewing window.
It works for both an Eleven icon and a "comfort" icon; I refuse to give LJ any money so whenever I can get an icon to do double-duty, it's FTW.
!
Re: !