Ah, the Silicon Valley, or rather Baah! Silicon Valley and Yea, Dad!

Okay, I've had a pretty interesting week. I've been spending most of my time at the computer doing research and that's why I haven't posted this week. Our landlord is raising everyone's rents really high (or at least trying to), despite the fact that this is low-income housing. You have to make below 60% of the median income for the area to live here. Well, since this is silicon valley and our county includes areas like Palo Alto and Los Altos hills and all these high-tech jobs, the median income for the area is like $98,000. So, it's not hard to be "low income" in San Jose. Anyway, the whole foreclosure fiasco that is hitting the whole country (but is hitting here especially hard because of the totally inflated home prices in recent years) is driving all the former homeowners back into the rental market and rents are skyrocketing. We thought we were somewhat protected here, but apparently not really. They just can't raise our rent above $1432. Well they aren't trying to raise it that high just yet--only to $1378! This is for a 2 bedroom/ 1 bath 834 sq feet roach infested apartment! This roach thing has been on and off for over a year and is driving me crazy, but more about that another day. I'm venting about the rent right now. I know you people who live in other areas are thanking your lucky stars right now.

Anyway, the management here is terrible and you can't hardly get a hold of them anymore. It was not like this when we moved in. It was very nice and we had on site management and they were more careful in their screening and background checks of tenants. It's still the same mangement company, so I don't know what happened. Anyway, when we moved in the rent was $999 and it's been raised every year since then. We renewed our lease this summer for twelve months--I know you are asking why, but it made sense at the time--and they raised our rent to $1220 effective August 1. Okay. So, Sept. 2 I get a notice in the mail that they are raising the rent to $1378 effective Nov. 1. They claim the lease allows rent increases. Well, my reading of the lease was that rent increases were allowed in one specific circumstance. I did a LOT of research on the internet and discovered that that circumstance has not occured. First I had to find out what kind of rules and laws applied to this type of housing in order to figure this out.

Well, my dad is a lawyer. I took my lease to him and he understands it the same way I do. They cannot raise the rent during the term of my lease. He sent the managers a letter to that effect yesterday, so we'll see what happens. It's definitely nice to have an attorney in the family. The management is giving the same rent increases to everyone in the complex, though. It's totally insane.

Now that Ruby is in school, we have more to think about in deciding where to live. We want her at a good school. This complex happens to be at the edge of the area for a very good school, which Ruby attends. However, it is very difficult to find nicer rentals in the attendance area for that school. And the houses go for around $900, 000. There is a very nice low-income complex very nearby here that we are going to try to get on the waiting list for. They have 3 bedroom apartments for the same price they want for this apartment. And they are run by a non-profit agency that just develops affordable housing. The place we are at now is run by for-profit companies who just want the tax credits. Anyway, this other complex is just across the street from the attendance area for Ruby's current school, but is in the same school district. I'm going to contact the district and see about the possibility of keeping her at Trace if we do move into that other complex.

Well, there are good things going on lately, too. Several people have ordered from Ruby's fundraiser and she got a little prize in one of the daily drawings for reporting her sales. For the prize she really wants she needs to sell 34 items, though, and she's not there yet. For those of you who haven't ordered anything yet and want to, Ruby has to turn in orders and money by Friday. You can order on the website until the 19th, though. My mother-in-law ordered stuff through the website and has reported that she's very pleased with her transaction. She already received the stuff and is very pleased with it. And the order did note that credit was going to Ruby.

Each week the assistant principal at Ruby's school keeps track of which classes keep the cleanest tables at lunch/snack time and the cleanest class from each grade gets a popcorn party on Friday. Ruby's class won this week so they got to have a popcorn party yesterday. She also had her first drama class yesterday. She reported that it was very fun and they pretended to be animals and statues. When I ask her what her favorite part of school is, she says, "All of it."

Ruby got her first homework this week. The homework for the week gets sent home on Monday and is due on Friday. For this week (and the next few weeks) she will practice writing her name with only the first letter capitalized. She presently capitalizes the whole name. So, she had to trace her name six times and then write in on her own three times. Her other homework was practicing writing upper and lower case D's and then coloring uppercase D's one color and lowercase d's another color. Her teacher also sent home work that they did in class last week. It was mostly pretty similar. They had a page on which they had to color matching pictures and cross out the things that didn't match and there was one where the teacher had read a story and then the kids had to color pictures of things they remembered from the story. It's all very cute. Ruby's getting pretty good and staying mostly within the lines when she colors and her writing is improving.

Last night the school had an ice cream social. We took the kids and they ate ice cream and played on the playground and didn't want to leave. Ruby got to sleep on the couch last night. She considers this a great treat and got to do it because she went to bed and got up on time all week. We were going to let Russell do it, too, but he wouldn't lay down for more than 2 minutes at a time so he got sent to his room. When we went to let him out this morning, he had removed his diaper and thrown it across the room. As there was no mess and he had done it after waking up in the morning, I wasn't too mad and I just put a new diaper on him. Well, a little while later I went into their room where he was playing on Ruby's bed and it smelled rather unpleasant in there. And he didn't have a diaper on again. This time he had pooped in the diaper and then removed it and thrown it across the room and sat down on Ruby's bed. I was pretty mad. Luckily, the contents of the diaper remained inside when he threw it. But, there were some pretty nasty smears on Ruby's sheet so I had to remove that. Well, there's almost nothing Russell hates more than a shower. He thinks the bath is fun, but a shower is torture. So, I took off his shirt and stuck him in the shower. I was even nice enough to make the water a comfortable temperature, but he screamed and screamed. I told him that's what happens to boys who make messes with poop. This solution seemed to work when I had similar problems with him about 6 months ago, so hopefully he won't keep doing this. I think I may start trying the potty training again now.

Now for the really GOOD news: Charles is getting his cast off on Tuesday! Hooray! Let's all do a happy dance. For those of you who don't know, Charles chipped a bone in his hand during a church basketball game last month and has had it in a cast since Aug. 11. It's his left hand and he's a lefty, so it's been particularly bothersome. He hasn't been able to shave and I have to put his arm in a special bag before he showers. I love the look of the beard, but I'm not crazy about being poked by it when we kiss. I started trimming it with the hair clippers every few days so it still looks good but doesn't poke me as much. He doesn't like the beard at all, though. He says it itches him, so he's looking forward to shaving it off. Anyway, he hasn't been able to help with dishes and stuff and I have to drive all the time. He still has been driving for work stuff, although he shouldn't and he keeps trying to carry stuff with the fingers on that hand. I get mad at him every time I catch him doing it because I know it's slowing his healing. I also have to be careful at night because I sleep on the left side of the bed and I don't want to hit his cast when I roll over. I'm really looking forward to this thing coming off. He's going to get a week of dish duty! I guess he put up with a lot during all the months I was sick during pregnancy, though, so the month of him being in a cast isn't that bad in comparison.

By the way, we are selling Charles' car, so if you know someone in the area who wants a 1997 Geo Metro hatchback with 125,000 miles, let me know. We really only need one car and don't even need that a lot of the time. I'm walking Ruby to school and Charles only works a mile and a half from here, so he can walk or ride a bike. I've got a bike sitting unused in my sister's garage that I'm sure she'd love to get rid of. And think of all the gas money we'll save! Although the Metro does get excellent gas mileage, being only about the size of a postage stamp.

Well, That's all for now. I'll try not to wait a week before I post again so it won't be so long!