August 29, 2002
I knew when I moved in that the previous tenant owned a cat, and had lived here for something like five years. Or that's at least what the girl showing the apartment told me. I knew they were replacing the carpet, which is why I moved in a day late.
What I didn't know was, that to save money, the landlord has the carpet guy only replace the top layer of carpet. Whatever's underneath, be it an older carpet or a pad, is left. Seems shady, but in most circumstances it could probably work. After all, we ain't paying a shitload of money for these places.
Well, I moved in and noticed the cat-piss smell had diminished. The next morning I couldn't smell it. Great, I thought, the place aired out.
No. I just became accustomed to the smell. You may not know this, but nerves can get tired from constantly broadcasting the same information over and over, and the signal gets weaker. Eventually it peters out.
That's what happened here. My apartment still reeks, I just can't smell it. Everyone else can, though.
So they'll be fixing that next week. I'm told.
