Trouble in paradise?

         Perhaps it was a bit naive for me to move here and think I would find nothing but smiling faces, eagerly awaiting my fascinating stories of life from Texas.... I am a sort of celebrity here, well rather, a novelty. Not many of my kind grace this fantastic continent and far less fall into the bowels of Townsville in North Queensland but here I am, in all my starry-eyed stubborn glory. I've mentioned before that the people here are far from idyllic yet I find them charming in their odd red-neckary because in the end they mean well. This may apply to everyone here as far as I can tell but I do know one thing, there is one horribly rotten apple; my landlord.

       Adam Jeremiah, an oddly Christian name, is an awful and perceivably insane man. He owns the property at 4 Sixth Avenue, South Townsville and has run off countless tenants with his aggressive, childish and ultimately violating approach. I should go on to note that he has even failed to properly maintain the property due to his lazy attitude towards even the smallest maintenance; taking four days to perform a simple repair on a aircon unit, prioritizing a swim in the pool over the security of his tenants whose pool he swam in. His laziness can be seen in the inactive smoke alarms, the very active roach population of various species and his slaughter of the beautiful palms, ferns and frangipani trees that once used to grace the property before he took ownership.


      Adam asked a real estate agency to ask me to vacate the property within 24 hours while I was at work. Anyone reading this will know that this is not something you can ask someone to do without due cause. To what do I owe this honour? I harbored ducks for all of an instance for they are no longer here and did not stay long either but a breach it was as no pets are allowed on the property. He might have never known had I not left a dog cage downstairs in the run-down semi-functional bathroom outside. I didn't have a truck to haul it until the following day so it stayed there and Adam saw it when he came over unannounced. What then followed was a very bizarre and unnerving encounter with a man that needs a psychiatrist and a heavy dose of Xanax. Either way, I made a mistake and understandably he was upset, it was his demeanor that was unnerving and his response even more so. I won't bore you with legal talk but suffice it to say that if I were to breach he is to notify my lessor, and she is to notify me with 48 hours to remedy. Since the breach had already been remedied, no further action needed to be taken yet this is Adam we are talking about.... He "Big Brothered" me with the help of another flatmate. Her help was and still is a mystery to me in its nature as I have been nothing but kind to her but I suppose being pestered by someone of his level of madness would motivate, I can only try to understand. 


       In the end, it has been a small annoyance at the bottom of a pile of bigger concerns. He has no leg to stand on and I have been in contact with the more than reasonable real-estate agency that has the unfortunate task of managing his property. I leave, of my own volition, at the natural termination of my sub-let on Monday and move into a wonderful granny flat/shack where I can have reptiles, birds, and even my ever-so-handsom and greatly missed cat. The landlady there is a yoga instructor and full of good energy so I'm pretty stoked! 


      What have I learned?? That one bad man can bring about 7 great people. These people all existed beforehand but this ordeal (if you want to give it that dignity) has brought them to the forefront as wonderful, supportive friends. I would like to thank Robbie for his prompt and devoted attention to the legality of this matter and his kind shoulder to lay my head on. I'd like to thank Sandy for the offer of her home and boat and her advice and support emotionally, reminding to take the good in life instead of focusing on the bad. I would also like to thank Carly, my flatmate who is also undergoing an eviction without due cause whose sisterhood in this matter has been of great moral strength to me. I would like to thank Chantal for listening and making the best mojito in Townsville. I would like to thank Maurry, Julie, and Kiri at work for being at my side, giving me advice and offering me their shoulders to lean on.
Lastly and never the least I thank God for making me so strong and reminding where I came from. 


     The moral of the story kids: Don't Mess With Texas!!! 


I would also like to thank this frog for making another day in Australia Ozsome: