Nutcase

According to the Urban dictionary 'nutcase' is “A term describing a person who has totally lost their grip on reality. Such people are mainly from the right wing of the political spectrum, and are often politicians and religious extremists.” Don't believe that? Then have a look in Merriam-Webster dictionary (“a crazy or very strange person”) or the Cambridge English dictionary (“someone who behaves in an extremely silly way or an offensive term for someone who is mentally ill”) or Oxford dictionary (“a mad or foolish person”) – all excellent dictionaries, all available online.

Macmillan dictionary said this is “an insulting word for someone who [s/he] think[s] is crazy”. Macmillan's meaning actually said “you” where I have replaced it with “s/he”, because I didn't say it. I was walking my dog this morning when I overheard the manager of this retirement village (to be mentioned later) say “Oh here she comes. She's a nutcase...” She turned around and walked away, leaving the tenant she had said that to looking pretty embarrassed.

Me? A 'nutcase'? Have I 'totally lost my grip on reality'? Am I 'crazy', a 'strange person', a 'mad or foolish person'? Do I 'behave in an extremely silly way'?

Am I 'mentally ill'?

That is possibly the closest that 'nutcase' would mean when talking about me. I have ABI (sometimes called TBI) from my brain aneurysm. I have aphasia from my stroke. I haven't been able to work for the last 2.5 years. I won my QIRC case but I lost the decision because of the ridiculous section 32(5) of the Workers Compensation act. I live very close to poverty (I feel so sad/angry/upset that unemployed Australians are chucked onto the dole without the government thinking about how they can live... another matter for me to talk about). And yet I work on my computer every day, doing work that the woman who called me a 'nutcase' probably knows nothing about.

I have two websites, four blogs, study and research. I didn't complain to her about all this. Most days I'm quietly shut in my own unit, working.

Why does she dislike me? Because I gave up their food. Legal short-story: this unit is not a 'room'. This area of units is not a 'retirement village' (even though their sign still says that at the gate). This is a 'senior living' area. My unit is not a 'room'. Unfortunately I accepted this unit on the phone when I was still up in Noosa. The rent was confirmed, my dog was accepted, and within one week I moved in. During the next week we – she and I – had a disagreement about what I was signing. She had added in $100 per week for food. I didn't want to pay that much. Okay, she said, so you want to leave? I sighed. I signed. No choice, I thought.

She didn't even met my dog, Jordie, for around 4 weeks after moving in. Oh, she said, that's a big dog! She'd thought that Jordie was a stafford. I never said that. I had told her on the phone that my dog is an American bulldog. It is not my problem if anyone thinks differently.

I didn't have an induction meeting until I'd been here for around 2 months. Quite a few of us were called to it; I thought that the induction was ridiculous because holding people up for 2 months was silly. A person I know, who had only moved in the week before and should have been included, wasn't invited. Strange? Yes, I thought so. During that meeting another chap and I asked questions about the fire safety plan. This area was separated into two groups, red and blue, which are marked on the fire evacuation plan in beside the dining room, yet there were no 'Emergency Assembly Area' signs in the two spots where either red or blue would go to. There was a gate on the west side of the fence which was very hard to open or close, and there was no 'Fire Exit' sign on it – even though it was right behind the alleged unsigned emergency assembly area. I also asked about the visitor's carpark and other signs which were/are covered by bushes and weeds. Apparently, since then, I'm the 'bad' woman. I should never have asked questions, I should never have explained that I had worked through fire safety for years.

From that meeting, it seems that I'd walked into the bad book of the man who held it. I was never supposed to have asked any questions! It's another 2 months since that meeting. Still no emergency exit sign on the gate, still no bushes cut away from at least two principle signs, still no 'assembly area' sign. Oh, and that gate is now permanently locked – we can't get out that way. Very stupid!

So, up to about a week ago. I hadn't eaten their food for a week before that when I'd made up my mind to save money. I now bought my own food and filled in my diary every day. This woman, who is the manager here, came up to talk to me, asking me if I was okay. That same day I had paid the new fortnightly rent, less the cost of their food. That's when she hit the roof. I would need to eat there, she said. I couldn't not pay that, she said. If I wanted to eat my own food I should move out, she said. I felt pretty good about being so calm. The next day she left a copy of my agreement in my mailbox, but that gave me reasons to respond. I sent this information on to her:

Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Act 2008

This premise is named as a “retirement village” on the sign at the gate.

The Retirement Village Act 1999 says:

• “A scheme operator may enter into a residence contract for the retirement village with someone else only if the scheme is registered under this Act.” (Part 3, Division 2, Section 43(1) )
• It is not registered with the Residential Services Unit as at 31 July 2016.

The Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Act 2008 says:

• I am a tenant of a residence (Section 11)
• I am not a “rooming resident” (Chapter 4, Part 1)
• I have the right to quiet enjoyment of the premises (Section 183(1) )
• My unit is self-supporting (Section 183(2) )
• My residential tenant agreement “purports to exclude, change or restrict the application or operation of a provision of this Act about the terms of a residential tenancy agreement” (Section 53(1) ) by adding in “food”
• There is no mention of an “oven” or a “stove” within the act
• The only mention about “cooking” is under repairs and maintenance (Section 214(i) ) and will refer to the microwave in my unit which can be used for “cooking”

I pay the full rent every fortnight, without “food”. I have not broken my tenancy agreement.

I hadn't heard from her until this morning, when, walking my dog, I overheard the manager of this retirement/senior village say “Oh here she comes. She's a nutcase...” She turned around and walked away, and that has inspired me to blog about that. For me, that is an issue. Regardless what she meant by calling me a 'nutcase', she is the manager of this residence area and must have respect for the tenants. This 'village' is a very bad area where good people like me live, yet we can't expect to be treated decently. The manager is paid. We are not. The manager should not ever called anyone names.

And no manager should threaten you if you won't eat their food.