Sara vs. The Apartment Building

There are so many thing that I didn't expect when I moved into a building... first of all calling my new home a building. I am used to a house. My house. With one key to let me in. Thats it. Here I have a key which I must use to get me through two sets of doors... then another to let me into my apartment... plus a mail key. I can handle a separate mail key... But the other two I had some trouble differentiating between at first. Also I found myself looking like the Farside Cartoon of the kid pushing the door at the School for the Gifted when the sign says "pull" because you have to push our doors when unlocked...and clearly I tried pulling... everytime.
Next obstacle: the radiator. I grew up with central air and heat, so when that thing started hissing it just about scared the crap out of me. Then I was constantly worried about anything touching it or within close proximity catching on fire... ya'll know how much I like fire! So yes, it took some time for me to trust this loud hot thing and not peek out of my room every 15 minutes during the night to see if any of our possessions were up in flames.
Along with the radiator comes the poles that run through the kitchen and bathroom transporting boiling hot water. Yeah- step out the the shower, reach for a towel and touch one of those bad boys with bare skin... you'll only make that mistake once.
The day the guy came to fix the dishwasher made me feel like an idiot all over again. There was an obnoxious buzz so I spring to my feet and jetted to our door. The annoying buzzing did not cease and Buddy yells from his room for me to let the guy in! I yell back that there is nobody in the hall... I'm thinking more doorbell than outside buzzer. Duh- people buzz from outside... not just anyone can walk in... that's why I have so many damn keys... Ugh. I felt pretty special, I mean, I've seen Seinfeld... I should have known what was up. All in all it was a success because Bob made it indoors and the dishwasher cleans like never before. Also, any time that deafening tone plagues my ears now I can take immediate action!
Our building was advertised as having laundry available. Two tiny washers and two non-drying dryers don't cut it. They also steal your money. I prefer my corner laundromat. It has black lights. I thought that was a nice touch. I haul my bag in, load up 2 washers, snag a prime spot behind the folding station, and read. You see some pretty interesting things at the laundromat. I had a toddler try to steal my detergent and my book. Then I watched a mom strip her kids and throw all of their clothes in the machines. I also had to move a sleeping baby in a stroller to get my clothes out. I looked around to try to find the parents of this kid but I had no idea who or where they were. So I just stood there wandering whether or not I should alert anyone to my relocating the baby. Nobody seemed to give a crap so I just sent him flying down the aisle. He didn't wake. :)