This time it's personal

I submitted two more written complaints about noise and smoking in halls today. One was from back in February, the one I was about to file when asked to meet with halls management. I hadn't forgotten about that one; I merely let it lie, foolishly thinking my meeting would result in affirmative action. The other was from last night, when Stumpy across the hall -- who, I now have reason to believe (judging by the number and duration of his late-night visits), is dealing drugs from his flat and not just smoking them there -- kept up the parade of slamming doors well after hours.

Oh, I have no illusions that anything is going to be done about it. Despite there being clearly identifiable parties at fault here, about whom many complaints have been filed (and not just by me), the inept halls management utterly refuse to act in any meaningful and appropriate manner, preferring as always to blame the victim. I filed the report for appearance's sake more than anything. If this whole stupid situation goes as far as legal action, which it might well, then I will need a paper trail to help demonstrate their utter incompetence and negligence in dealing with a persistent problem.

Having been stymied at every turn in my attempts to seek justice -- or at least the right to enjoy my place of residence in the relative peace that is theoretically due to me according to the terms of my lease -- it has now become personal.

Although I am still going ahead with a visit to the Citizens Advice Bureau, my legal research to date has left me feeling deflated, defeated, utterly powerless. The cards, as you would imagine, are stacked against the tenant at all times. (Apparently I was sunk from the moment I foolishly signed my lease, naively believing that things would be as advertised. Ha ha ha!) But as any student of psychology knows, it's a dangerous thing when a desperate person -- who has been suffering the debilitating effects of chronic sleep deprivation -- begins to feel powerless.

Not a good combination at all.