i was actually surprised by how interesting toronto's instrumental rock scene seemed all of a sudden, but it rather seems like it was just a few weeks in april, and things are slowing down.

i'm making progress.

but, it doesn't make sense to start writing documents until i can set some timelines arond them.

i'll call some people in the morning, as well.

as for the air quality in here, i'm slowly ruling out the heaters: the guy upstairs is smoking both cigarettes and marijuana. and, i'm going to need to think carefully about what to do about it.

there don't appear to be butts outside, and i can't smell it outside. he seems to be careful to smoke inside with the windows closed, eliminating any kind of evidence for me to work with. worse, this is going to be the third time in two years that i'm at the tenant board complaining about second-hand smoke. yes, i did my due diligence. yes, i signed a non-smoking lease. but, if the board decides i'm a whiner then i'm going to lose the case.

what i've been doing instead is running the shower whenever the smell gets out of control, and it works for a while. i have not made a complaint, and i'm not going to until i can get some kind of actual evidence. in theory, the easiest thing to do would be to ask, but my perception is essentially that if he's going to sign a non-smoking lease and then smoke inside then any kind of conversation with him is just a waste of time. if i end up carrying through with some kind of legal action, i'm just going to jump directly to it. there's no use in negotiating with a dishonest actor.

legally, i can't tell him not to smoke, and i can't ask him to evict himself. what i can do is ask for an end to the lease, and for financial compensation for the suffering i've endured while living here. but, i learned last year that finding a way out isn't as easy as it might seem.

the best way for me to get to a non-smoking building is through subsidized housing, but there's an absurd wait.

in the mean time, if he thinks smoking inside the house is worth a $300/month water bill, that's his prerogative.