power of attorney

As some of you may know, there has been some recent drama between my landlord and her daughter and my landlord and myself. Long story short: Ada (my 73 year old landlord) is fighting with her daughter Iris, who is the person I have dealt with since moving in, paying my rent to her, and who, in turn, pays the various bills that keep this building humming. A couple of months ago, Ada yelled at me for paying the rent to her daughter and turned off my hot water and so I called the police on her. She has ignored me since and I have continued paying the rent to her daughter.

Yesterday, she gave my roommate a letter written by someone with not only an English vocabulary (which she lacks) but also a legal one. The letter:

Attached herein is an [sic] copy of the formal letter that I have sent my daughter revoking my Power of Attorney, and that said power is hereby null and void and is therefore no longer in full force or effect.

Please note that all future rents, commencing with the September 2006 rent, must be paid directly to me. Any rental payments sent to my daughter or any other third party will result in my commencing an action for the non-payment of rent.

Very truly yours,
Ada Acosta

However, I mailed my rent earlier in the day before receiving this letter (which, I am pretty sure, actually needs to be drafted by a lawyer to have any force). So in a couple of days, I am anticipating another berating from Ada when she asks me where my rent is. I am not looking forward to that. I called Iris, the daughter, yesterday to talk to her about this and her advice, typically, was to ignore it. Another problem involved here, casting dark clouds, is that our lease was up yesterday. We are now no longer on a lease and thus lacking some of the securities that would make us more stable here should Ada decide to try to evict us. Iris told me, though, that her dad left his half of the building to her and that Ada couldn't do anything to us without first taking Iris to court. Ada asked Iris when our lease was up because she knows she can charge more and wants to. Iris, however, said that she wasn't going to raise our rent and did not tell Ada when our lease was up. To make our position even more precarious here, if this fight between them escalates to court, Iris said that she told Ada if she wants to control the building, she needs to sell it, and give Iris her half. So I don't know how long this can go on, my living here. I don't want to move. I can't really afford to move, and surely will not end up in as nice a location or as nice a room if I do move. I want Ada to take some tranquilizers and just chill out. I have no clue what is going to happen. At the least, I know that I have several months once Ada does decide to try to evict us. But hopefully that won't happen and I can stay for longer.

So I am caught between these two fighting family members and do not particularly like it.

There is that, and then there is the weather, which is lovely. Summer ended without warning a week ago and fall arrived. It has been dreary, rainy, and slightly chilly - and this weather is my favorite type, provoking feelings of nostalgia, melancholy, and somewhere in there, excitement and the feeling of potential. Things are good. I love you.