Game Picks, A Couple of Birds, More Condo Antics

So the first 48 games of the NCAA tournament are in the bag now.  Ryan, my youngest son, is leading our bracket with 34 wins and 364 points.  I too have 34 wins, but being more conservative, I did not pick very many long shots, and I only have 314 points.  Stephanie is in second, but her championship pick of Duke has already bitten the dust.  Michael is at the end, but still has the ability to score more points than the rest of us.  After the first night, he was looking real good…not so much now.

Next year I am going to figure out how I can have Skruffy pick some of the games….I figure she can probably pick some of them better than any of us if I can figure out how to get her to make a selection.

We can’t forget that Arkansas “was” in the NIT tournament …. until last night when UC Berkley knocked them out.  ESPN2 captured my oldest son (pictured above), a student at UC Berkley and graduate from Arkansas, showing his friends (and unbeknownst to him, anyone watching ESPN2) how high of an IQ they have, or, as they say, “giving them a double birdie”.  I could provide a link….but I will leave it to your imagination….3 seconds of fame saved on my hard drive.

Here he is, probably before the game, standing next to Corliss Williamson, who played on four NBA teams, and led the Arkansas Razorbacks to its only NCAA Championship in 1994.

Speaking of Skruffy earlier, on Friday we got our letter of notification that they recognize Marcia’s need for a service dog, and that Skruffy can fulfill that need.  HOWEVER, in a fashion that only this evil board could think of, they have decided that “we” need to sign a waiver….a policy they formed for any association member to use if they have a service dog.  But it has problems…..

• All service dogs have to be on a leash.  That will be fun for any “blind people” who have a “seeing eye dog”, they will be tripping over the dog leash with every other step.  Now we keep Skruffy on a leash, and intend to continue to do so…but these rules are for all, and they just aren’t thinking that way.

• They '”grant” permission for a dog, and if that dog has to be replaced, you have to go through the process all over again.  I can only hope that they don’t make the person get recertified too.

• The “animal” cannot make noise which disturbs the peace and tranquility of other residents.  It is so very quiet around here, we never hear any noise…except for the sometimes constant sirens, motorcycles off in the distance, and the Saturday music coming from the Moose Club next door.  Not to speak of the fact that our little Service Dog, Skruffy, is expected to bark if someone knocks at the front door, or the door bell rings so that Marcia can be alerted if I am not here.  Now we agree that loud, continuous barking is not acceptable….but “cannot make a noise” is not.

• Of course, there is the “clean up animal waste immediately …..to limit the odor thereof from creating an unreasonable nuisance.”  Of course, we do pick up after Skruffy…but what about the three garbage bin areas which seem to be so full many times that the lid won’t shut?  These are very close to some of the units, not ours thank goodness, and I am sure during the heat and humidity of the summer put off a very pleasant odor….way more than a little dog would do.

• Then there are the final two, which really got under our skin.  They expect us to “indemnify and hold the association harmless for any damages or personal injury caused by the “animal” and that “we” shall promptly reimburse the association for any cost incurred by the association to make repairs as a result of or arise out of the animal being on the premises. “  Lots of scenarios with this one, such as walking down to the swimming pool, with Skruffy on a leash, and have a car come around the corner real fast, see the dog, freak out and plow into the carport area.  They “can” say, “the wreck happened because of your dog, so pay for the repairs.” 

• Finally, in the event of any legal action, we would have to pay all attorney fees and costs incurred by the association.  Ya, right…..

So we have filed a HUD complaint.  This first step, which we hope is the only step we need to take, should produce a response from a housing specialist which will bring some common sense, and the law, back into the life of the Association Leaders.  Remember, I am a Librarian, retired.  I research EVERYTHING.  I found a HUD notice issued last year which pretty much says that this agreement they want us to sign is against the Fair Housing Act.

We feel that most of these items are in violation of HUD's Notice: FHEO-2013-01, especially where the notice states, in part:  “Conditions and restrictions that housing providers apply to pets may not be applied to assistance animals....” and “A request for a reasonable accommodation may not be unreasonably denied, or conditioned on payment of a fee or deposit or other terms and conditions ....”

A representative from HUD called me yesterday, and she said that a housing specialist should be in touch with us within 10 days.  Now the Association wants our signature within 15 days of last Friday…but the representative told me not to sign anything.

Thank you son, but that is twice the level of these Condo Association leaders  IQs.  PS:  You still look good in RED!  Go Hogs!!!