Finally.

In a previous post, I think I mentioned a huge ridiculous hole in the middle of my couch.  Well, I have officially - after many emails and many weeks - received a new couch...finally.  I can't tell you how incredible it feels to just lounge on the couch without worrying that the middle would open up and swallow me or that I would be pierced by an errant spring or perhaps suffer some varying degree of tetanus.  

The couch, though, is just another small victory in a long line of classic north nonsense. According to my neighbour, the gaping hole was well known to housing for over a year and she couldn't possibly understand how after I re-notified them on July 30th I could still have the thing in my house.  Turns out to get anything done housing related you either have to bribe or cause some serious shit.  I chose the latter... is anyone surprised?

I started out with a CC'd email to everyone in the housing echelon including the big wigs in Cambridge Bay asking nicely about my new couch's status.  That got the ball rolling with a lot of promises and official dates being thrown around for when I would be able to relax on a whole hole-less couch.  Those deadlines came and went and when I followed up with a phone call there was some confusion as to what exactly I wanted and when - it was like I hadn't even called, miraculous! The guy on the other end said he'd get to it by Friday but he couldn't guarantee the state of the couch I would be getting to replace my old one... nor would he have time to build me new chairs so he'd drop off a box and I could do it myself.

That stuck with me: he couldn't guarantee and didn't have time.  One of my co-workers asked if I was getting a discount on my rent since I was paying for a furnished unit and only part of the furniture was safe/functional.  It was that exact moment when I lost it and CC'd a far less friendly email to everyone in the housing department. 

I seem to use this blog as a place to rant and rage but really in real life I'm only this angry sometimes.  So please, when you read the list of - shall we say - requests that I made, somewhat sarcastically, don't pity me for having so much anger in my heart.  And just know how satisfied I am to have a real hole-free couch.

Request 1
Since no one had any time to help, I asked for wood glue and permission to fix my old chairs, as well as a time sheet for me and the shop teacher to fill out so that my and his time could be credited against my rent.

Request 2
A new couch, or a couch that was in SIGNIFICANTLY better condition than my old one.  OR permission to buy my own couch and submit my receipts to be deducted from my rent.

Request 3
A break down of the cost per unit of furniture that my "furnished apartment rent" covers.  I offered to use my own time to calculate all the rent money I should be credited for the 6 weeks I went without a couch and chairs.

I followed these three little requests up with a gentle suggestion that I would be seeing them in small claims court should the results not be to my satisfaction... a bit heavy, I know, but much needed.

The CC'd email was followed by radio silence on their end... AND I even had to call on Friday to remind them that they had promised me a new couch BUT it did the trick and I came out of it up one comfy chair, too!  I still don't have any safe kitchen chairs, they will be the focus of my next CC'd email :)

Behold!

The new couch.  It's cheap as hell, and came with a rip on the left side but it's better than the other one.

Juxtaposition of the old chair (front) and the new chair (profile)  I made them leave the old one. 

My living space.  Complete with ridiculous Ikea curtains to jazz up the place.

Wall art in keeping with Nunavut McThompson Northern Tradition.