Crime Rises in Mount Vernon

Today, I was the victim of theft. UPS had dropped off my sister's Christmas gift and left it at my front door; this is pretty standard for most packages except those of high value. When I came home, I checked the tracking number and was suprised that the package was delivered earlier that morning. I asked my neighbor if they had seen my package; two of them said yes. I then reported the incident to my landlord. She didn't remember seeing any package while she was changing out my furnace filter and changing the battery in my smoke detector. I also file a police report for whatever that's worth. When the officer came to get my testimony, he can't remember hearing of such a case. Yeah, crime in Mount Vernon just doesn't happen. Actually, I think my older neighbors were more pissed than I was. Okay, I can't say that I was happy but it's better than getting robbed at gun point for a gift. So, I'll spend again and purchase the same gift again.

However, it does seem a little ironic of all the gifts I've purchased online, this is the first time this incident has occured. Hell, I lived in Norristown and nothing was ever taken. Peope were getting stabbed, bludgeoned to death, arrested for being suspected terrorist and drug dealers and a city major indicted for fraud, but nobody took your UPS package.

Winterized Apartment

To take my mind off the crime I went to Walmart and got some items to winterize my apartment. While my landlord is good about changing the furnace filter and changing batteries and light bulbs, she doesn't really care about insulation quality of the apartment. In my previous apartments, they were heated by boiler heat and I didn't have to pay for that service, but this apartment I have to pay for heat, so, having a stake in the insulation quality, I purchased some caulk, expandable foam insulation, and a plastic film indoor storm window package. I had a serious gaping hole in the room where my furnace is located. Yes, it is well ventilated, but there was this random hole that was open to the outside wall, plus some poor dry wall installation didn't help either. The heat shrink storm windows were kinda frustrating to put on because my windows are so friggin big, but I was able to get it done. I must say it does help quite a bit; while it won't replace a good argon filled double pane window, it should help reduce the heat loss. Oh, how much did I spend? Less than $20 for a chaulk gun, 1 bottle of chaulk, 1 can of foam insulation, and 1 package for the heat shrink plastic for the windows. I think that's a bargain.