brunobaby

I re-read my lease this weekend and it says that before I can make changes to the walls, floors, etc., I have to get written permission from the landlord.

Now, not everyone in this city would bother getting their landlord's permission to do a lot of things, and if it's just a case of putting up shelves or something, people usually don't bother. But if my neighbors see three or four guys in masks chiseling the walls, word might get around.

So I left him a voice mail and made sure I emphasized the "at my own expense" part, and also the fact that these chips with an amazing spectrum of colors, some possibly lead paint-based, have been cracking and crumbling off a couple of my walls for the past year at the slightest provocation.

And by provoking them, I mean I took a sponge to them and tried to wipe away some of the grime that's accumulated in the 11 years since the last time I had the place painted, 11 years that included 8 1/2 years of cigarette smoking.

Considering the long history these walls have had--my building was built in 1870--if the landlord doesn't call back, I could interest The Tenement Museum instead.