Drama!

One of our concierges (consieri?) has been fired! No one is sure why... but we all got a kind of cryptic note informing us of her dismissal and assuring us that a new person would be hired post haste. I really liked the woman. She always had a smile, remembered my name LONG before I knew hers, kept on top of issues and questions I had. Thing is, a lot of us here LIKED the fired concierge and this has caused a bit of a ruckus.

We don't have a homeowner's association yet, but we do have a Yahoo! Group on which some owners post about issues and questions. I'm not sure what the timeline is on forming an official HOA, but for now, a series of contractors have formed a loose alliance to work in the background and keep things running till we take over. The builder, a condominium management company, and a third company who's role I am not entirely clear on have been running the place since I moved here in late September.

That last company (lets call it Halliburton) is the one behind the firing of the concierge that we all liked. According to the posts I have been reading in the Yahoo! Group she "made friends" with some of the owners, which is not allowed. Hunh?

So the Yahoo! Group is all abuzz about this. The email addresses of several muckitymucks at all the aforementioned companies are being posted, and we are being encouraged to email them and demand our old concierge back. I'd resisted the urge to put in my two cents because I don't like politics and complaining... but then I got a call from the potential replacement concierge.

I feel I need to - just quickly - say that I'm not a xenophobe and I embrace all cultures. I have a stance on immigration and border control and english as the official language and all that, but this is not the place for such discussion. My opinions on those matters and other matters of cultural harmony are in no way related to what I am about to say.

The replacement concierge called. The guy introduced himself, but all I could understand was the word "concierge." I cannot tell you from where his accent originates, it was a new one for me. Kind of like Balki on Perfect Strangers, but with some Hindi and Faroese mixed in. "Morng Misses. In the hall, asmell smoke in 317?" Apparently one of my neighbors smelled smoke and he was calling to ask if I did too. I did not. I also did not like being called Misses... which he CONTINUED to do for the minute and a half we were on the phone.

My email in support of the fired concierge was transmitted 5 minutes later.

It appears that enough of us emailed and called that it made a difference and last night a hastily planned meeting was held in the common area room where the pool table is... I could not attend, I was celebrating Dad's 68th. So I don't know what was discussed. I'm certain our old concierge won't be coming back, but I do hope that the companies that are supporting us in this interim period until the HOA is formed now understand that we have loud voices.

By the way... I feel a little self conscious taking about my "concierge." It reminds me of that Seinfeld episode "The Stranded" where they are all at a party and that Sigourny Weaver lookin lady has been separated from her fiancé:

Woman: I wonder what happened to my fiancé. I know he's here somewhere. Ellen? Have you seen my fiancé?

Ellen: He's upstairs.

Woman: Are you going upstairs? Tell my fiancé I'm looking for him. I have lost my fiancé, the poor baby.

Elaine: Maybe the dingo ate your baby. -**-

Anyway, I'm not trying to be posh... I am many things, but POSH ain't one of em. Concierge is just the job title, and frankly it's easier to type than: person at the front desk.