Friday, April 23, 2004

So a lot of people have been very concerned about me and now that I have a spare moment I'll try to fill you in a little bit. If you've read my last post, you know that there's been an issue with the Red House, where I live at. It's not a fraternity or sorority, or really anything of the sort. It's always just been this house on campus where people from all walks of life have banded together over the years to live. It's a 4 story house, situated between two sororities, and it's actually on the street called "Frat Row." That's where the irony ends. I've lived there the past 2 years, and looking back I would not have lived ANYWHERE else on campus. Not off-campus, not in a dorm, not on South. Hell I wouldn't even live at the Sheraton penthouse if I could have. I love that house to death for everything it stands for.

So Wednesday night we find out our landord, the royal fuck Roy Pinsky, has gone behind our backs and has leased the house to the frat TKE, who's slogan is aptly "If you can't Go Greek, go TKE!" (Yeah-exactly...) They've been talking shit for years now about how they're going to get a house again etc etc. other fraternities have been after the house but our landlord has turned all their offers down in the past. Now he has gone behind our backs and leased to them, without ever telling us. We find out 3 weeks before we have to be out. 3 weeks is not reasonable notice, ESPECIALLY during FINALS. Pinsky is a shady lawyer, and many of the things he's trying to do are illegal. I know this for legal fact. So the past 3 days I have been meeting with lawyers, legal research teams, tenant advocates and similar resources to try and find out our legal rights. Now yes, I am graduating in May and will not be here come the next lease session. Although I had planned on living part of May at the house while I was here for Maymester. While I'm still mostly unaffected by this, (friends have been amazing in their offers to let me crash at their apartments for the 2-3 weeks of Maymester) I have never been a person to leave my friends hanging high and dry. 6 of the current housemates would have remained through the fall, and there were about 5 other people who were new move-ins. One was my friend Zach, who I feel the worst about. He was going to live in a single apartment next year by himself off campus. I helped partly to convince him to live at the Red House next year, and he was really getting excited to live there. He cancelled his housing, signed a lease, and put his deposit down. And now he's got to find housing. I feel like an absolute asshole, regardless of the fact that it really isn't my fault.

I feel like I've let people down, and I hate that feeling.

Anyways so we find out on Wednesday, and have a house meeting that night to tell everyone. We had the president of TKE over to tell us what the hell was going on, because we were all in the dark about this. Now I'm not mad at TKE, they didn't directly try to steal our house, and they didn't seem to know we weren't in the know. So that night house members painted the front of the house with skull and crossbones. The words NO FUTURE, and other obscenities to Roy. Which was f'ing stupid in my opinion. They started doing shit like that inside too, which is REALLY stupid. We could all be held liable for vandalism, and it's grounds for immediate eviction. Some of my housemates are irresponsible and are just showing that they don't care about the houes at all. Yeah we're gonna lose our house, so let's vandalize it and make a stupid statement. The good thing we did was have a DO reporter come over and make a statement. You can read our official house statement in the link in the former post.

But I know what Roy is doing is illegal on many counts. And I'm willing to fight fort the house, but only if the house is going to fight too. Roy came yesterday to talk to the house members and spouted a lot of BS. I asked him some important Q's and he squirmed like a little maggot. I know he's lying about some things, and I want to fight this. So I'm left with something that doesn't concern me, but I care nontheless. I've bled red the past 2 years, and my roots will always stay red. When I think of SU, I will always think of the Red House first. And I'll be damned if I let Roy swindle it away from my friends without a fight. So I'm going to do what I've always done. The right thing.

Thanks everyone for your continued support, and don't worry about me. Those of you who know me best know I will never give up on my friends, and in the end I'm always just fine.

Thursday, April 22, 2004

I can't believe this has happened. After 35 years The Red House is disbanding, but not by choice. Our asshole of a landlord has sold the house out behind our backs to TKE, and as of May 10, the Red House will come to an end. Read the article in the DO today (if you're on campus), or check out our official statement here.

Tuesday, April 20, 2004

Ok no I haven't died. I've been mad busy. I've got officially 2 days of class left and more crap to take care of than Mr. Septic. Last day of class is Tuesday, and henceforth the majority of my final projects and the like are due on that day. Only one thing is due on May 7, the last day of finals. Ok so maybe I don't have ANY finals this semester, but this still sucks. 2 presentations to do, and one of them is GIGANTOR. Really serious deal in front of a city mayor, town board and stockholders. One of the biggest presentations in my life thus forth, if I don't count the AIG one on Wall St. last summer...

So tons to do, and this weekend is our last Red House party...not to mention the SU Block Party on Sunday. Not to mention ahhhhhhh!
Too much to do. Gotta get back to it.

BTW go see Kill Bill Volume 2. Bad ass.