Saturday, September 29, 2007

Ontario's Electoral Referendum

If you live in Ontario, you are aware that there is going to be a referendum on the tenth of October. We are being asked if we want to change the way our votes are decided. A number of groups have felt that the way we currently elect our government is not fair. With more than three candidates to choose from in each constituency, the one elected need not necessarily by the one the majority have chosen.
The proposal is that our ballots should have two votes. One would be for the candidate of your choice for the riding, the other would be for the party to form the government. Each party would have a list of people who would sit in the legislature if their party is chosen, but has not won enough seats through election. In the event that the chosen party has, it isn't clear how those extra seat would be filled, presumably by percentage of the popular vote.
I cannot say that I am a fan of the proposed changes to our electoral system. I have a number of problems with them.
The biggest issue is that it results in people sitting in the legislature that the public has not approved. The parties will choose them, not us. You can be sure that seats will be given for favours, promises to vote on party lines at all times. That is not what a democracy is about. The people should choose those who represent them.
Another problem I see is that any government selected by this new method would have an artificial majority. This means that they can pass whatever legislation they want, without even the possibility of the wishes of the population being taken into account. True, this is tied to the first issue I raised, but that's the way party politics works.
The way I see it, the only way we could ever have a truly representative governing system is to eliminate party politics all together. Instead, each candidate would have to stand on his or her own. They would be responsible to the constituents alone, the people who chose him or her for the job. When they took their oath of office, he or she would know exactly who the boss was.
That is an idealized way of setting up a democracy. The party system evolved so that there would be less confusion in policy for the government, and those proposing laws would have to justify those bills to the opposition. It is the price we pay for trying to streamline getting things done.
There may or may not be a problem with the way we elect our members of the legislature. The proposed system, however, presents the larger problem of putting unelected people into positions that affect how we are governed. That is not democracy. If the proposal were changed, maybe I could get behind it. Until then, the current system of "first past the post" is the only fair way I can see to elect our government.

Thursday, September 27, 2007

Space for guests

We had a house full of people yesterday afternoon. It worked out pretty well actually. This apartment has plenty of space. I can actually see doing a little entertaining here. Granted, more than six or so guests is out of the question. Given enough chairs, we could sit and talk comfortably.
Since Sandra started getting some proper sleep, she has even started to feel more at home here. There is a way to go yet, of course. Change takes time to get used to.
Unless you happen to be one of our cats. Somehow, they adapted to the new place within a couple of days. They just needed to have their litter pointed out to them. The trains don't bother them. The dogs upstairs could run around to their hearts' content and they wouldn't notice. They have even staked out the best window seats.
Anyway, back to where I started.
Entertaining is going to be a bit of an issue this year. With my in-laws moving to new apartments, I suspect that we will probably be hosting Christmas Eve here this year. It just makes more sense for them to come here than for us to go to two places, or try to fit us into their new homes, given that we don't know exactly how much space they have to work with.
I would like to have a bit of a get-together for New Year's Eve. Not a full blown party mind you. There isn't that much space, and besides, there are neighbours to consider. It would be nice to have friends over for a while, and family after that. I could set up a little buffet on the table, and put some good movies into the DVD player.
It's just nice to have the option of having people in now and then.

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Inexpensive computers

Have you seen the little laptops that one of the major companies in the States has produced? It looks like it was put together by Fisher Price. It is durable, colourful and sized just right for young kids. That was the idea.
Whatt the producers want to happen is for those who can afford it to buy one for their own child, and by doing so, purchase one to be given to a third world or underprivileged child. The plan is that every child in the world should have the same advantages when getting an education.
Let me point out, these little laptops are no toys. They are Internet capable, work wireless, and have pretty good resolution on the screen. On a television news article, they showed one of these things playing streaming video. It's better than the first computer I ever learned to use. If things go the way they are meant to, we will have a very large computing world indeed.
I think they are serious about all of this. The tiny machines are running a simplified but very effective version of linux software as the operating system. They've avoided the whole Windows Vista thing. At least they got around that whole thing.
In case you haven't figured it out, I am an advocate for this program. The more companies we can get on board, the better. We made this a technical world, so we had better get our people on the ball. I'd like to see these machines made for use in Canadian schools, just as much as in the third world. These are computers made for kids the world over. It's a great start for the next generation. With the wireless abilities, each classroom could have a couple of printers, and kids could just print out their homework assignments.
If we insist on kids having computers to do everything, let's do the job right.

Sunday, September 23, 2007

Where Islam got it right

It isn't really politically correct to discuss religion these days. Still, I think I have to say something about the Muslim Faith, and believe me, it's positive.
In most interpretations of the Qua ran, it is forbidden for those of the Muslim faith to drink alcohol. It is considered a major sin, and a vice that can lead to even greater evil.
Last night, Sandra and I were disturbed by one of the neighbours fighting with another woman. There was an awful lot of shouting and banging. The last time I heard the "F" word shouted that loudly, there was sex involved. At any rate, we had to call the police. They came promptly and hauled one of the women away in cuffs. Unfortunately, we also had to wake the superintendent.
Now, I cannot prove the link, but I did see one of the involved parties come in by taxi with a bottle of booze. That was in the afternoon, so by two-thirty in the morning, there must have been SOME affect.
Now, putting two and two together, we come to the conclusion that, if Muslims are not permitted to drink, these things couldn't happen.
There are other things about the Islamic faith that I cannot get behind so easily. The idea that women are somehow inferior and the property of their family is just dumb to me for instance. At one time, it may have had social relevance, but in a modern age?
Before I become labeled a conservative Arab hater, I should point out here that the same sort of thing can be said for most every major religion. Every faith managed to get a little something right though.

Saturday, September 22, 2007

Confined pets, shameful owners

I am getting so sick of the dogs upstairs. They bang around as if they are trying to jump through the ceiling, and land on top of us down here.
It isn't the dogs' fault of course. After all, the one is just a puppy. Dogs need space, especially large breeds like the dogs upstairs. Once they grow older, they can live the quiet life. At this age, Labs, Huskies and Collies need to be able to run for a couple of hours each day.
No, the real problem is the owners. Maybe they don't have any real options about where to live, but that doesn't give them licence to let the dogs go nuts. They should take the dogs for regular exercise and tire them out a bit. All we have ever seen them do is take the dogs across the street so that they can "do their duty", and then take them right back upstairs.
We have complained to the superintendent of the building, of course. Since we haven't even been here a month though, I don't know how much weight our complaint carries.
Besides that, there is a limit to how much can actually be done by the landlord of any building. The tenant of an apartment has a lot of rights under the law, and doing anything about complaints is a lengthy process. The law says that you are permitted pets, to a limit of two dogs in an apartment. That law does not specify about breed.
I think the biggest losers in the whole deal is the dogs. They are cooped up in a place that doesn't allow them to exercise. When the owners are out, they are bored to tears, if dogs could cry. Is it any wonder that the poor animals go nuts when their mistress is home and awake? It just isn't fair to keep large dogs in an apartment building.
I've always dreamed of some land out in the countryside where I could have a dog. My dream home is a horse ranch where underprivileged kids can go to have some fun and experience a little peace. My wife wants a log house, and that fits in well with my dream. I picture a winter evening spent in front of the fireplace, with the dog, suitably exercised and content, lying by the hearth and a cat on my lap while I read.
Hey, if you're gonna dream, dream big!
I love animals, and they seem to love me. I just want to see the right thing done for them.

Friday, September 21, 2007

My buddy's new car

My best friend just bought a used car. With two growing children and a wife who works, the second vehicle was a necessity. Both of the kids are involved in sports, and Julie works some very unusual hours.
Now, Jeff is very particular when it comes to cars. For one thing, he does not get along with Fords. He likes them, and there are a number of models that he is very fond of, but the instant he get behind the wheel of one, it usually decides to die. He has always preferred Honda's or General Motor's.
Given that his son is in hockey, he needed something with a very large trunk. What he found was a Chevrolet Monte Carlo. It's twelve years old, but it was what he could afford. It needed some work to pass the safety, but Jeff is a very handy guy, mechanically speaking. Aside from the restrictions of equipment and his disability, he can fix just about anything on a car.
I hope that his luck holds with used cars as it does with new. Somehow, my friend gets in on the ground floor of every car deal. He once bought a small car for just over ten thousand dollars. Four years later, he sold that car, for just over seven thousand dollars. It only depreciated the amount, that any car does when it rolls off of the lot. I understand that the current vehicle is the same way. It would cost him seventy dollars more per month to lease the same vehicle now as it did four years ago.
I will be following the path this car takes Jeff on with interest. With his track record, it will last for more than five years, and it will be someone else who runs it into the ground.

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

We Support Our Troops

There has been a lot of talk about the "We Support Our Troops" decals that many communities have put on their vehicles here in Canada. The argument is that placing such a slogan on community property is the same as saying that we support the war in Afghanistan. Both sides of the debate over these decals are fighting over what they believe.
In fact, it can be argued that supporting our military could take the form of bringing them out of the war in Afghanistan.
The point is that we are showing concern for the men and women of the armed forces. You don't have to believe in all of the orders they are expected to follow. After all, they work for the government, and who ever said they knew what they were doing? Soldiers do what they are asked to do, protecting convoys, moving supplies or hunting down insurgents. They live in constant danger. Showing support for them is not supporting what they are doing, just being grateful they are willing to do it on our behalf, that they will walk into the risks so that we don't have to.
Maybe we should try thinking of the armed forces the way we think about fire fighters and police officers. Those are other people who do naturally dangerous jobs because they have to be done. Would any of us argue that supporting fire departments is wrong? Would there be a debate about naming a section of highway for fallen police officers who were just doing what the law required of them?
I have always been a pacifist, but when it comes down to it, the armed services are the only means we have of maintaining order in the world. Just as police are the only way to prevent lawlessness in our own communities. It's not pretty, but it is necessary.
If you feel that the war in Afghanistan is wrong, I'm in no position to argue with you. Showing the people who are being asked to fight it that we care, that is another story. Take the politics out of the debate over vehicle stickers. Remember the individuals that those decals represent.

Monday, September 17, 2007

More moves

My sister-in-law is moving next month. Just look at what Sandra and I have started! Next thing you know, my sister will be moving again. Or my brother will decide he needs a place of his own.
Actually, my sister-in-law has been living with Mom for a number of years. It was a convenient financial arrangement for the both of them, and Mary was going through some rough times when they got the apartment together. Now that Cathy is established in her job (she just got a promotion), she thinks it would be nice to have a place that is just hers.
Besides, the townhouse they share has gotten to be a bit much to keep up with for both of them. As soon as possible, Mary hopes to get a small apartment in the town that she raised my wife in. All of her friends are there, as is the church she attends, and the groups that she belongs to. Let's not forget the Tim Horton's too. Everyone gathers at Timmie's to get up to date on what's new.
Whereas Sandra and I had the fun job of combining two households, Mary and Cathy are in the process of dividing up one. The furniture isn't too much of a problem. Cathy says that she really only needs the stuff in the bedroom. The problem is kitchen stuff. She has some dishes, but flatware and knives come up short. Consider the appliances that will be needed too. Toasters, kettles, you name it.
It's fortunate that Cathy had to live away for a short time last year. She has an appreciation of just what she is going to need. She picked up a few odds and ends at the time.
I just wish I had the money to build a home of my own. I would build a small cottage on the property at the same time. That way I could have Mary close to us at all times. I'm going to worry enough about Cathy being on her own, but my mother-in-law too, that is scary. I want to know that she is happy and secure.
Well, here's hoping the moves go well, and that my sister puts a little thought into it before she moves again.

Sunday, September 16, 2007

Change

Well, I'm not entirely sure what to write about today.
There have been a few problems with the move, and they have been making things rather hard for my wife.
I can't really write about that too much though. I promised that this blog would not be a forum for my tendency to whine. Not that we don't all need to let out our frustrations now and then.
No, I think what I want to write about is the importance of consistency in our lives. Some people find it easy to deal with whatever comes along. The rest of us like to have set routines, and the less that those routines are interrupted, the better. Many of us are creatures of habit.
This often starts from birth. The goal of most parents is to get their baby to sleep the night through, starting at one hour and ending at some point in the morning. There is actually a lot of controversy about this. Some of the "experts" are saying that we should be teaching our children that things change early on. If somebody comes to visit while the baby is napping, don't be afraid to wake him or her up to see the guest.
On the other hand, as the child hits school age, we want them to be able to accept a more rigid routine. They have to know that they need to be up at certain times, be in places on schedule, things like that. As they get older, those schedules get tighter and tighter.
Still, those schedules are subject to change with little or no notice.
Then comes the needs of people with medical or emotional problems. (I tend to think of those two categories as one, since one usually results from the other.) Given the necessities of medication schedules and other treatment concerns, change is not a good thing. In fact, without the proper preparation, change can be very dangerous. A few missed doses of pills might not seem like much, but they can set back health care by weeks.
The only constant in the world is change. It would just be nice if the changes were a little easier to deal with.

Saturday, September 15, 2007

My mother-in-law

It's my mother-in-law's birthday today. She won't mind if I tell you that she is turning seventy-five this year. That's because she neither looks nor acts that age. Or at least, what being that age used to mean.
Mom is a very active woman, which is why she has been able to live such a long life to begin with. She has many activities that keep her not only physically active, but mentally alert as well. You just can't put one over on Mary Salmon. With the exception of her letting me into the family!
Mary is a very kind, generous woman. If you are straight and honest with her, she will always be the best of friends you can have. When Sandra and I got married, she knew that we would have some rough times, but she has always been there to help us through. She gives a lot of time to her church and community as well.
I like to say that when I got married to Sandra, I was forced to throw out all of my favourite mother-in-law jokes. None of them apply.
The only signs of aging my mother-in-law has shown is a problem with her hearing and cataracts that the eye doctor is procrastinating over. She is quick enough to admit to both problems, but her hearing aid hurts, so she can't wear it all of the time. This can make conversation a little difficult.
So, happy birthday, Mom. I look forward to seeing you actually get old, but I doubt I'll live that long!

Thursday, September 13, 2007

Still not there

I have been writing about the experiences that I have been having moving into the new apartment. At this point, we still aren't quite there. As usually happens, once you start getting into your old routines, you discover that something is not quite in the right place for convenience.
By way of example, last night I moved the coffee mugs and glasses, exchanging them with the other dishes. I was doing the supper dishes, when it occurred to me that if I put the plates in the cupboard nearer the stove, it would save time and energy when it comes time to serve meals. Sure, it sounds inane, until you consider that there will be a lot of time spent in the kitchen, with the goal of making as few moves as possible to achieve the desired result.
I have a condition that leaves me with tired spells. Every bit of saved effort is important.
This sort of thing is going to go on for at least a month, I expect.
As another example, I have a relatively small bedroom. Having mobility issues, I need the space to be maximized, from a usability point of view. Does that mean I should have space on either side of the bed, so that making it is easier, or should I have the bed against the wall, giving me more floor space. I've had to try it both ways to figure it out. Sometimes you just have to make a trial run at things.
At this point you are all probably questioning my sanity. "Is this guy for real?", you ask yourselves. The answer, of course, is yes, I am for real, an I am definitely not all sane. May the first sane person leave a comment.

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

On this day or remembrance

I am not going to preach about what happened six years ago today. Nor will I attempt to discuss the warfare that has resulted.
Today is for the memory of the three thousand souls lost to us. Today is the day that I want to be there, in a sense, for the families of the departed. For once, let's just concentrate on the ones left behind.
You have a profound sense of loss. A part of you feels like it has been taken. I understand that. As trite as it sounds, your loved ones are not totally lost. As long as we remember together, they will be a part of all of us. They go on in our hearts and yours, even if I did not know any of them personally.
To the families of the HEROES of 9-11, I just want to say, thank you. You and yours have given the most. The emergency workers of New York ran into buildings as they burned and collapsed. Each of you knew that the day might come when your loved one might not come home, and yet each day they put on that uniform and did what needed to be done.
I honor all of those who gave their lives to save their fellow man on September 11th of 2001. You gave your lives for what you knew to be right, and you will always be remembered.

Monday, September 10, 2007

Rant about letters

I spend a lot of time stuck in books. Reading has been my favourite means of escape for a very long time. I learned to read at the age of three. From there, it just kind of mushroomed.
When I was in grade six, my teachers were quite thrilled at the rate that I went through books. My classmates were not. I got a lot of teasing and threats on the playground, needless to say. If it was so hard being a book worm then, can you imagine what it's like now? Anyone who spends more than fifteen minutes a week with the printed page is instantly uncool. I think that's why reading comprehension scores have tanked over the last few years. No kid would be caught dead reading for fun when there are computer games to be played and texting to be done.
Maybe there is a way we could make real reading more cool. What if, instead of paper books, all of the classics were put into devices that could be stylized for today's youth? A kid gets on the bus in the morning, and instead of putting in a set of earphones, he pulls out a tiny little screen with words and pictures scrolling across it. Even if the old stories aren't considered cool, he could hit a panic button that makes it look like he's playing some kind of video game.
The sad thing is that it has come down to this. Reading has become so unpopular that we have to gadgetize
it. Education is at a standstill, with kids getting into high school with no clue how to read or write properly.
There are groups on Facebook that are all about the lousy grammar displayed by people these days. I am one of the self-proclaimed "grammar and spelling cops". I tend to cringe when I hear words mispronounced or misused.
One of the biggest culprits in the loss of the written word is text messaging. We spend so much time abbreviating the language that it gets mangled in the process. The latest generation does all of its communicating in this way. Sometimes I wonder if I have received an e-mail or the electronic equivalent of alphabet soup.
I worry that the art of story telling is going to be lost. It seems that most books are written with the plan of turning them into movies in the near future. That limits the amount that you can allow the imagination to wander. The technology hasn't gotten to the state yet where it can replace pure imagination. Besides, it is best when the story asks something from you, when you have to picture the places and people in your own way.
Maybe I am being an alarmist, but I think the schools should be spending more time teaching kids the joy of stories and reading. It doesn't have to be a chore.

Sunday, September 9, 2007

Danger to your pets

I just want to take a moment to remind all of you to be very cautious with your pets.
This morning, I was woken by a loud commotion outside of our apartment windows. One of the dogs upstairs had attempted to follow his mistress by jumping through the second floor window. He landed on his front legs, hurting them slightly. My wife, being a little quicker than I am, went out to see what was going on. She had me take out a blanket, thinking the animal was going into shock.
When I got there, the dog was doing okay. I don't think there was any permanent or severe damage. In fact, I was repeatedly licked in the eye as I tried to hold him still.
Please, make sure that your windows are secure if you live in an upper floor apartment. Just as you would with children, be careful how your pet sees an open window. Screens are only meant to keep insects out, they are not able to support any weight. If the windows must be open, make sure that your pet cannot access it. Preferably, only open the window as much as you need to let in fresh air, but not so much that the animal can get through.
I may have issues with larger dogs being kept in apartments, but I would never ask that one be injured to prove my point. As much as the noise of the young dogs upstairs has annoyed me, I was scared sick that he may have been severely hurt.
So there it is. If you must have pets in an apartment, make sure they are safe. Take them out on a leash. Make sure they understand the boundaries, and always watch them around the windows.

Thursday, September 6, 2007

Domestication of the feline

You can take the cat out of the jungle, but you can never entirely take the jungle out of the cat. In the thousands of years that we have been living with these animals, mankind has never really been able to understand all of her moods.
I say this because I spend a great deal of time watching our cats. They still walk very much like their wild ancestors. One minute, they aren't there, the next, you are pounced on. Now, they just lick you or demand attention. In the distant past, that pounce would have ended with teeth in your jugular. All you have to do is watch one of our babies stalking each other to get an idea of how far we have yet to go in taming them.
Of course, taming is useful only if we want the animals just as ornamental house pets. Many of us still need our cats to perform the function for which we brought them indoors. We need them to hunt, and for that, they need all of their instincts intact. Which would explain why even the most mild house cat is still a little fearsome sometimes.
There are some things you can do to help your cat adjust to life indoors.
Stimulation is the key. The last thing you want is for your friend to become lazy and overweight. My wife and I have a variety of toys which our girls like to play with. Their favourite, I am amazed to say, is a ball of yarn tied to the end of a stick. Anything that gets your cat to move is good. As I've said before, if you are thinking of getting a kitten, get two. They will naturally keep each other going.
The feline instinct involves constant use of the ears. This often causes a tense neck and muscles behind the ears. Every now and then, give your cat a gentle massage, as well as scratching. Very gently pull at your cat's neck, stretching just ever so slightly. If they squawk, let go. The goal is to relieve the tension that gets built up over the course of a day. Also, it is a good way to bond with your cat.
Just don't ever expect your cat to be totally yours. They will always be independent creatures with minds of their own. Let's be honest, would we want it any other way?

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Home, sweet home

There is nothing quite like putting up some window treatments to make a place feel more like home. Last night, I got to my wife's window. The curtains were something of a pain, but they were up so long at the other place, that was to be expected.
I really HAD to put up the blinds in the front rooms. We are in the basement, and low windows seem to just draw attention. I discovered that early on when I lived in Ottawa for a time. Children especially seem taken with low windows. My wife and I like to sit in our pyjamas for the better part of the day, and it's a little embarrassing to have people casually looking in on our lifestyle.
On the other hand, things are coming together. The table has been cleared and a nice cloth put on it. Sandra went through the pantry and the cupboards last night. Now there is space for everything we need, and then a little bit. We can see the floors and don't spend all of our time tripping over odds and ends.
The superintendent was in today to put up the towel racks and things like that. They were in a bit of a rush, getting this place together for us. He also lowered the medicine cabinet for us. When he installed it, he put it up for someone of his height, and he is a VERY tall man. He has been very accommodating for us, making sure that we are happy with everything.
The best part is that I now can sleep in a bed, rather than on the couch. That was the whole point of the move. It takes me a lot less time to fall asleep, so I'm not up so late. I don't mind getting up a little earlier in the morning, which will be a good thing, come winter.
I guess he's put the woman upstairs on notice about the dog issue. The super wasn't happy with the noise to begin with, and he lives upstairs from him, so as not to get the full effect. If she doesn't get it to settle down, there will be a written warning given. After that, action will be taken. That's the way the rules of Landlord/Tenant relations work.
Yep, eventually, this place is going to start feeling like a real home.

Tuesday, September 4, 2007

Facebook

Since you are reading this post, you obviously have the Internet. In which case, you MUST be familiar with that phenomenon known as Facebook. There has been a lot of hoopla about it in the news lately, from lawsuits over the source code, to the use of it in the workplace.
I have to admit that I am a fan of the site. One of my nieces sent me an invite to join as her "friend", and I did it just for fun. Since then, I have added a number of friends to my list, including cousins that I don't get to check in with that often. Distance can be a bit of a problem in my family. I have also discovered old friends that I went to school with. That is the whole point of a networking site.
Then there are the startling number of applications that you can put on your profile. Between the fun wall and "booze mail", there is no shortage of fun things to get each other's attention.
I see on the news where students are now using facebook as a means of finding roommates for college. Think about it for a moment, we most often find our roomies through friends of friends anyway. Facebook just allows you to expand the search, and saves the time of phoning around. There is also the advantage that a profile tells you a lot about the character of a potential housemate. If there are more than six tattoos visible on his/her photo, you might want to reconsider that person. More than half of the photos in the profile taken in bars? Maybe not somebody you want to live with.
I think the rules that apply to your personal information have to be used on Facebook. Make sure only the people you want to can see your stuff. Don't put up pictures that you don't want coming back to haunt you.
There was a case where students were suspended for posting comments about their teacher on the site. In my opinion, that was a little harsh. As long as the comments were not posted from a school computer, it is not a school issue. The teacher in question should have informed police and the Internet service provider. Let the proper authorities deal with any complaints stemming from the Internet. The fact that the target was a teacher is irrelevant.
As with most things to do with the computer age, Facebook has a lot of advantages and drawbacks. It will probably take a while to sort it all out. Projections are that almost the entire computing world will be on Facebook in a couple of years. Maybe the world is getting smaller after all.

Monday, September 3, 2007

The move, completion

Well, that's it, we're in!
It has been a long, hard process. We only had a little over a month's notice that we would be changing apartments, so everything kinda had to be compacted into that time frame.
Yesterday we went over to the old place for a bit. We picked up a few things that had been left behind, and that were needed here. It was rather hard on my wife. After five years of living in the place, it was sad for her to leave it, even for a more spacious home. She had a little bit of a cry while I was taking stuff to the car.
Actually, the move has been very hard on her. She has bad nerves to begin with, so the stress of moving, and now adapting to the sounds of a new place is hard. She has asked me to relate to all of you that she is both physically and emotionally exhausted.
You see, we have moved from an upstairs one bedroom to a basement, two bedroom. The person living above us has a very large dog apparently, and it takes to running around at night and first thing in the morning. Neither of us is what you would call a morning person. The building super has told us that he is aware of the situation and that steps are being taken.
We still have a lot of things in boxes yet, tucked into closets, and the storage room is a mess. As time goes along, I hope to get all of it straightened out so that I can get into the storage room and actually hope to find things. All of the key things are positioned now though. We can get our morning coffee, and the cats can get at the litter easily enough.
I suppose completion wasn't really an accurate description for the title of this post, but at least there is a light at the end of the tunnel. We have cleaned the old place (neither of us wants to leave a place so that it has to be sanitized) and can hand in the keys tomorrow. Now it's on to getting this to feel like "home".