the Asherah Prole
@asherahprole.bsky.social
fat hairy gay Gen-X atheist exvangelical socialist neurodivergent vegetarian linguist gamer Whovian in the Bay Area (Earth Eight)
And not be damp or cold or sticky or masking.
January 2, 2026 at 7:55 AM
And not be damp or cold or sticky or masking.
I want to prepare and eat the food that's in my fridge before it spoils. I don't want to maneuver around boxes full of my possessions just to get to the next room. I want to get EPICALLY high, and not put on pants, and play Diablo for an ungodly amount of time.
January 2, 2026 at 7:53 AM
I want to prepare and eat the food that's in my fridge before it spoils. I don't want to maneuver around boxes full of my possessions just to get to the next room. I want to get EPICALLY high, and not put on pants, and play Diablo for an ungodly amount of time.
I just want a day where I can do what I want, when I want, without having to involve other people. I don't want to be on tenterhooks all day, waiting for a stranger to show up and make a mess in my home. I don't want to have to schedule baths, and then travel to them and socialize around them.
January 2, 2026 at 7:51 AM
I just want a day where I can do what I want, when I want, without having to involve other people. I don't want to be on tenterhooks all day, waiting for a stranger to show up and make a mess in my home. I don't want to have to schedule baths, and then travel to them and socialize around them.
PG&E comes back out, finds the leak was never fixed—gas is shut off yet again. And that's where we are.
January 2, 2026 at 7:37 AM
PG&E comes back out, finds the leak was never fixed—gas is shut off yet again. And that's where we are.
I had shut my bedroom up, as the tech recommended (just in case). When I got home about six hours later, I open it up… and immediately smell gas. I contact everyone.
January 2, 2026 at 7:36 AM
I had shut my bedroom up, as the tech recommended (just in case). When I got home about six hours later, I open it up… and immediately smell gas. I contact everyone.
Turns out the plumber couldn't find the ACTUAL leak, because the gas was turned off at the source. And that the tech had returned to fix my stove while I was returning the car, but the landlord never contacted me.
January 2, 2026 at 7:13 AM
Turns out the plumber couldn't find the ACTUAL leak, because the gas was turned off at the source. And that the tech had returned to fix my stove while I was returning the car, but the landlord never contacted me.
I get home about six hours later, open the bedroom, and immediately smell gas. I text my neighbor and the landlord, and call PG&E. Everybody shows up. The tech finds the leak wasn't fixed (gasp! shock!) AND the line was properly tested. Gas is shut off again.
January 2, 2026 at 7:11 AM
I get home about six hours later, open the bedroom, and immediately smell gas. I text my neighbor and the landlord, and call PG&E. Everybody shows up. The tech finds the leak wasn't fixed (gasp! shock!) AND the line was properly tested. Gas is shut off again.
I say I have to return the car, but call or text me if I'm needed again, and I can be back in about five minutes. I shut up my bedroom, and leave.
January 2, 2026 at 7:09 AM
I say I have to return the car, but call or text me if I'm needed again, and I can be back in about five minutes. I shut up my bedroom, and leave.
Almost immediately, I hear someone banging around on the meter. I go check, and it's the tech from Saturday. He says the house line is holding, and he can turn the gas back on. I let the landlord know, then head out to return the car.
January 2, 2026 at 7:07 AM
Almost immediately, I hear someone banging around on the meter. I go check, and it's the tech from Saturday. He says the house line is holding, and he can turn the gas back on. I let the landlord know, then head out to return the car.
Today, as I'm about to return my friends' car so they can drop their kid off at their music lessons, the landlord tells me PG&E is going to come turn the gas back on at some point between right that minute and seven hours later.
January 2, 2026 at 7:06 AM
Today, as I'm about to return my friends' car so they can drop their kid off at their music lessons, the landlord tells me PG&E is going to come turn the gas back on at some point between right that minute and seven hours later.
The plumber showed up a couple hours later… and replaced the fixture. You know, the one that wasn't leaking. The one that had been repaired 8 months ago. But he'd been fixated on it since he saw it, because it was over a century old.
January 2, 2026 at 7:04 AM
The plumber showed up a couple hours later… and replaced the fixture. You know, the one that wasn't leaking. The one that had been repaired 8 months ago. But he'd been fixated on it since he saw it, because it was over a century old.
Wednesday, the gardener showed up (the first time in at least six months, although I pay a gardening fee every month), and HE cut a shoebox-sized hole in the drywall.
January 2, 2026 at 7:03 AM
Wednesday, the gardener showed up (the first time in at least six months, although I pay a gardening fee every month), and HE cut a shoebox-sized hole in the drywall.
I don't remember any progress being made on Tuesday.
January 2, 2026 at 7:02 AM
I don't remember any progress being made on Tuesday.
Monday, a plumber finally showed up, took a look, and said he couldn't give an estimate until someone cut a hole in the drywall.
January 2, 2026 at 6:55 AM
Monday, a plumber finally showed up, took a look, and said he couldn't give an estimate until someone cut a hole in the drywall.
I woke up the next morning to a message that a contractor would be coming by in five minutes. No one ever did.
January 2, 2026 at 6:49 AM
I woke up the next morning to a message that a contractor would be coming by in five minutes. No one ever did.
The hazards were now 1) the main line leaked, 2) my neighbor's wall heater wasn't vented, 3) my wall heater wasn't venter, 3) the water heater wasn't vented, 4) the water heater was missing a grommet, and 5) my exterior dryer wasn't properly connected to my interior stove.
January 2, 2026 at 6:48 AM
The hazards were now 1) the main line leaked, 2) my neighbor's wall heater wasn't vented, 3) my wall heater wasn't venter, 3) the water heater wasn't vented, 4) the water heater was missing a grommet, and 5) my exterior dryer wasn't properly connected to my interior stove.
Just before 5pm, the tech showed up (no call), apologizing because he had JUST THEN been assigned the job. Anyway, he red-tagged five additional hazards in the two units—gas had to stay off.
January 2, 2026 at 6:44 AM
Just before 5pm, the tech showed up (no call), apologizing because he had JUST THEN been assigned the job. Anyway, he red-tagged five additional hazards in the two units—gas had to stay off.
At 2pm, I called again—and after another three agents, was told a technician had been assigned, and would be there today, but there was no ETA at all. But they promised to call me when they were on their way.
January 2, 2026 at 6:43 AM
At 2pm, I called again—and after another three agents, was told a technician had been assigned, and would be there today, but there was no ETA at all. But they promised to call me when they were on their way.
The tech said someone would be back the next morning, between 8 and 10 am. Between the landlord and I, we arranged for my neighbor to be home. Around 10am, I called PG&E back to confirm the appointment—and after three agents, was told the window had been 8am to noon.
January 2, 2026 at 6:42 AM
The tech said someone would be back the next morning, between 8 and 10 am. Between the landlord and I, we arranged for my neighbor to be home. Around 10am, I called PG&E back to confirm the appointment—and after three agents, was told the window had been 8am to noon.
PG&E found a leak, further up inside the wall this time—NOT at the fixture. He shut the gas off, but couldn't complete his investigation, because my neighbor wasn't responding to his phone or bangs on the door. Although he was definitely home, and the lights were on.
January 2, 2026 at 6:40 AM
PG&E found a leak, further up inside the wall this time—NOT at the fixture. He shut the gas off, but couldn't complete his investigation, because my neighbor wasn't responding to his phone or bangs on the door. Although he was definitely home, and the lights were on.
Cut to last Friday. I was house-sitting for some friends, and their basement flooded during the Christmas storm. After dealing with that emergency, I came home… to smell gas again.
January 2, 2026 at 6:38 AM
Cut to last Friday. I was house-sitting for some friends, and their basement flooded during the Christmas storm. After dealing with that emergency, I came home… to smell gas again.
The tech also discovered that my wall heater wasn't vented, and red-tagged it. I let the landlord know—but it was spring. It wasn't urgent, but it never got fixed. When things got cold this winter, I pulled out my portable oil heater, & moved it between the office and the bedroom as needed.
January 2, 2026 at 6:37 AM
The tech also discovered that my wall heater wasn't vented, and red-tagged it. I let the landlord know—but it was spring. It wasn't urgent, but it never got fixed. When things got cold this winter, I pulled out my portable oil heater, & moved it between the office and the bedroom as needed.
In April of '24, I smelled a leak in my bedroom, and called PG&E. They found that the fixture hadn't been properly sealed when it was abandoned, so the tech sealed it. And replaced the meter. The squeaking stopped.
January 2, 2026 at 6:33 AM
In April of '24, I smelled a leak in my bedroom, and called PG&E. They found that the fixture hadn't been properly sealed when it was abandoned, so the tech sealed it. And replaced the meter. The squeaking stopped.
There was also a pipe and a fixture sticking into my bedroom, through the wall.
January 2, 2026 at 6:32 AM
There was also a pipe and a fixture sticking into my bedroom, through the wall.
It started back in November of '24, when I moved into this duplex. The gas meter, which is on the other side of the wall from my bedroom, squeaked and squealed loud enough to keep me awake whenever anyone in the house used natural gas.
January 2, 2026 at 6:31 AM
It started back in November of '24, when I moved into this duplex. The gas meter, which is on the other side of the wall from my bedroom, squeaked and squealed loud enough to keep me awake whenever anyone in the house used natural gas.