This is in the area of alternative medicine or “folk remedy,” but I humbly think it works: When I feel like I’m just starting to come down with a cold, I’ll put a few drops of ordinary, over the counter hydrogen peroxide (3% solution, h2o2) solution in my ears. This is on the theory that cold and flu viruses primarily enter the system through the ears more than eyes, nose, or mouth. My experience is that if I do this when first feeling symptoms, it can knock down the viral bug or even stop in it’s tracks. Just 3 or 4 drops in each ear, and plug them with cotton for maybe 10 minutes to 1/2 an hour. Lay on one side and do in one ear, then roll over on the other side and do it in the other ear. The hydrogen peroxide solution won’t hurt anything, so long as it’s not swallowed, and at minimum, it’ll clean out your ears. While some people may talk or write about taking hydrogen peroxide internally for certain things, you don’t take the 3% solution sold in over-the-counter in drugstores internally because it contains stabilizers that shouldn’t be ingested. There’s a 35% food grade solution used primarily in food industry applications but it has to be diluted to a less than 10% solution before it can safely be ingested by itself. Then there’s a 90% solution that’s basically used as the oxygen source in rocket fuel. Probably best to stay away from that stuff. But the plain old 3% drug store solution that sells for a couple bucks a bottle is fine to put in your ears. Once it’s in the ear it tickles, but we find it kind of entertaining listening to it fizz. Once a cold or flu bug gets set in, it may not prevent it but doing this 3 or 4 times a day seems to help speed up recovery. My wife, who helps run a daycare, came down with a nasty cold about a month ago. She didn’t get a chance to do it until the cold had already built up some steam, later in the day, but she thinks it helped her get over it quicker; in a few days vs. a couple of weeks, maybe? For any questions it might be worth while to check with a physician familiar with alternative approaches to treatment.

On the other thing: Holy canolies! $4k to $5k a month for an apartment!

From time to time I’ve been known to emit rumblings to the effect that we should relocate to some area where the market for what I do is a little more robust. We’ve talked about Chicago, NYC, and Minneapolis. But all in all, it’s not so bad sitting out here on the frozen midwestern prairies. For $400/month, we get a 2 story, 3 bedroom house with with 2 1/2 baths, a first floor office/study/parlor, in addition to the living, kitchen, and dining room, plus attic and cellar, detached garage, and a back yard about the size of a football field. We have natural gas heat and central air which we only use for maybe a month, total, in the summer because the house is well shaded by big trees. We have a decent sized super market around the corner and about 2 blocks away. And a nice little library about a block up the street the other way. Three blocks away are open fields. About a half mile to the east is an extensive marsh and wildlife area. It’s not unusual to see deer cutting through the back yard.

I think I’ll stay here.

How do you know that? Have you every owned rental property?

Also, technically the tenants paying $4-$5,000 per month are also on rent stabilization. It’s just at a higher level than you, because they moved in later. The landlord has to put away money to make up for the shortfall he will experience in the future as these people stick around and overall costs rise at a faster rate than the rent can rise. Or to think of it another way, these other tenants are partially subsidizing your unit.

Actually it does prove Daniel’s point about Rent Control; few of the tenants are willing to move and give up the low rent, therefore the landlords have no reason to fix things, even if they do have the money.

I’m just going to say once more: most people in the building pay $4,000 to $5,000 a month. That’s not low rent, and it’s not causing the landlord any hardship. At 10 units per floor, that’s $50,000 gross per floor per month. And there are 21 floors.

Sure, the building has taxes and staff to pay, but the owners are still raking it in.

The managing agent didn’t mistreat and thereby alienate a competent plumber because of “rent control” or because rents are low (they are high) or because the building doesn’t make enough profit (it makes a sickening obscenity of profit every day). The managing agent mistreated a competent plumber because the managing agent is a jerk. Period.

I often miss the city (Philly that is) and nevermcould justisfy NYC enough to live there but I am more excited to be out of the rat race and still doing what I love for a decent dollar.

Good luck, and I wish your family well.

Most people in this building pay $4000 to $5000 a month for a “luxury rental” the size of a working-class Hoosier’s garage.

Yipes. And I thought living in Santa Monica was pricey.

… I don’t understand the point about rent control though. It seems to me that you successfully made the argument against it. When a land-lord is forced, by law, to reduce rents, they have to find a way to pay the bills with less revenue. If they can charge whatever the market prices are for each apartment, they are more likely to have enough to support the best service vendors available. Right? (assuming we’re not talking about scum-bags)

Daniel, you are right, you do not understand rent control or rent stabilization. You also are not privy to the the financial *health* of new york city landlords. Landlords behavior is terms of providing basic services to their tenants is irrespective of having rent stabilized tenants or not.

pay the bills with less revenue

I just have to laugh at this one. You have no idea.

Many of these landlords bought buildings in New York City when the city was giving them away in the ’70s. In the course of the past decade each and everyone of these landlords have won the lottery thanks to a global credit bubble which has in turn inflated real estate values in NYC.

These landlords are cash rich. Literally. Again, you have no idea. I can go on and on. And the reason landlords can charge $4,000-5,000 monthly rent is because there are young proffesional willing to pay that much. Simple as that.

Jeffrey,

Sorry to hear about your situation. All the best with respect to your family’s health.

NYC, how I miss thee? :)

I love New York. But I love paying reasonable rent for quiet, comfy, and appropriately sized living space. You don’t have to be anywhere (except online) to make it here (the internet) – some may disagree.

I wrote the biggest check I have ever written in my life

for?

Our dog is also sick, although his problems at least were not exacerbated by the lack of services over the weekend. Rough day.

While I feel bad for you, it’s hard to muster up much sympathy for anyone who can afford to spend $5,000 dollars a month for rent.

Well, I don’t pay anything like that.

But rents of $4000 to $5000 are quite common in this building and this city, for ordinary one- and two-bedroom apartments. You think the people who live in them must be rich, but they’re not.

To afford the high rents, two or three or four young professionals move in together into an apartment that’s meant to serve one or two. Put four or five people in an apartment that’s built for one or two and multiply it by most of the units in a building. That’s a lot of unanticipated wear and tear the building wasn’t designed to handle and isn’t ready for. Elevators break down more frequently, water goes out, heat goes out. High prices lead to more bodies in every apartment, which accelerates the breakdown of basic services.

It is one of the pleasures of living in a mostly owner occupied co-op/condo that you’ll soon be enjoying. When everyone living there has a stake in the building it is managed to a MUCH higher level. Rather than worrying about squeezing out the last penny of profit, the board looks to make it a great place to live.

Yes, I am looking forward to that! We would have moved already, if not for the unexpected closing date delay.