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  • #16
    Quoth HotelMinion View Post
    I don't know how he got the lock off, maybe used a blowtorch?
    I'm guessing a hacksaw or bolt cutters. I've had to do that before.

    And if you're not using the space, might I suggest clearing out what's in there (or getting the building manager to), and locking the space yourself with your own lock?
    Skilled programmers aren't cheap. Cheap programmers aren't skilled.

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    • #17
      Quoth morgana View Post
      This can be acquired, with some practice. I am five feet two inches tall, 64 years old, considerably overweight, and have a bad back. And apparently, when I choose to, I can be terrifying.

      Find a mirror. Stand up straight, shoulders back, relaxed. Now tell the mirror, without speaking aloud, "I will skin you and eat you. I will make stew from your entrails. Nothing you can do to me will keep me from destroying you." Believe it. Make your eyes show it. When you scare yourself, try it on someone else.

      I agree with Morgana. It's not about having a scary face, it's about "I mean business" body language. I can't exactly describe what I do, but I've made grown men cry when I wasn't even directing my ire towards them (I was directing it towards some misbehaving pre-teens in Walmart, and never raised my voice, and apparently scared the shit out of an unrelated adult nearby, who finally figure out I wasn't fussing at him, and after I sent the kids on their way, approached me and asked me how I did it so he could use the same look/tone with his own kids. I shrugged and said "I don't know...years of teaching gangbangers, I suppose).
      At the conclusion of an Irish wedding, the priest said "Everybody please hug the person who has made your life worth living. The bartender was nearly crushed to death.

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      • #18
        Quoth mathnerd View Post
        I agree with Morgana. It's not about having a scary face, it's about "I mean business" body language. I can't exactly describe what I do, but I've made grown men cry when I wasn't even directing my ire towards them (I was directing it towards some misbehaving pre-teens in Walmart, and never raised my voice, and apparently scared the shit out of an unrelated adult nearby, who finally figure out I wasn't fussing at him, and after I sent the kids on their way, approached me and asked me how I did it so he could use the same look/tone with his own kids. I shrugged and said "I don't know...years of teaching gangbangers, I suppose).
        Very much this. I don't generally look very scary, inasmuch as a 6'2" near-300 pound bald schlub looks scary, but the kinds of people that are likely to try to make trouble don't give me any, because I carry myself in a way that says "I am not a victim."

        That may be a poor way to phrase it, but it's about body language and state of mind.
        PWNADE(TM) - Serve up a glass today! | PWNZER - An act of pwnage so awesome, it's like the victim got hit by a tank.

        There are only Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse because I choose to walk!

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        • #19
          You've got a lot of good suggestions on here, HotelMinion. If you're anything like me, though, you may not do well with confrontation. I tend to keep to myself. I'm perfectly capable of carrying on conversation with strangers--even if I need to be assertive--but I just don't like it and would rather not have to interact with people I don't know well.

          So, if you're not feeling up to getting the landlord and/or police involved, and if you can't quite get enough scary factor going to confront this guy, may I suggest going with crazy? An "If you can't beat 'im, confuse 'im" kind of approach?

          For example, you could inform the guy, in an urgent and slightly paranoid tone, that you need him to clear his stuff out so you can keep your "collection" in there. If he doesn't, you clear his stuff out for him, and then immediately FILL your storage compartment with odd stuff that he wouldn't necessarily want to touch. Like a bunch of empty feminine hygiene product boxes, a pile of those really bad "romance" novels from your local used books store (and I mean the ones that even most romance-fans would turn their noses up at), an armload of random rocks with a person's name shakily drawn on each one in red crayon, tracts from various religious groups, and a ratty old towel just for fun. In general, just try to weird him out enough that he wants to avoid you and your storage compartment.

          The concept has worked for me. There were bullies in high school who liked to make fun of the way I dressed. I got tired of it, so one day, in the middle of the busy hall, I responded to their taunts by singing the Into the Woods song "There Are Giants in the Sky" at them as loud as I could. They left me alone, not because they were intimidated, but because they were confused.

          Might be worth a shot.
          I suspect that... inside every adult (sometimes not very far inside) is a bratty kid who wants everything his own way.
          - Bill Watterson

          My co-workers: They're there when they need me.
          - IPF

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          • #20
            A friend of mine had a similar experience, years ago. She'd just moved into a small apartment building, where every apartment had one small storage unit in the basement - except for hers, which had two units, since her apartment had been combined from two smaller apartments.

            Since she didn't have that much stuff to store, she only used one of her units, and one day, she found the other one occupied by stuff she didn't know, and a lock put on the door. She went upstairs to her apartment and printed out a friendly note on her computer, to the tune of: Dear neighbors. This is my storage unit, and is not for rent. Please remove your items by [DATE], otherwise I will be forced to do it myself. Thank you for your cooperation.

            And a few days later, the stuff was gone. She put some boxes in the unit and a lock on the door, done.

            Maybe try that; it has the added charm that you don't need to seek a personal confrontation. Unless, of course, they refuse to comply with your request.
            You gotta polish a memory like a stone. Chip off the parts that remind you it was just a game. Work it until it's indistinguishable from any other memory.

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            • #21
              Quoth HawaiianShirts View Post
              For example, you could inform the guy, in an urgent and slightly paranoid tone, that you need him to clear his stuff out so you can keep your "collection" in there. If he doesn't, you clear his stuff out for him, and then immediately FILL your storage compartment with odd stuff that he wouldn't necessarily want to touch. Like a bunch of empty feminine hygiene product boxes, a pile of those really bad "romance" novels from your local used books store (and I mean the ones that even most romance-fans would turn their noses up at), an armload of random rocks with a person's name shakily drawn on each one in red crayon, tracts from various religious groups, and a ratty old towel just for fun.
              Now I wish I had someone I wanted to freak out . . . Such genius there is on this board.

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              • #22
                Quoth Gilhelmi View Post
                It is YOUR space, that you are being denied access to. YOUR rights are being violate. You have the right to use your space. Get the landlord involved.
                Yes. Don't be afraid to stand up for yourself and your rights. Go to the landlord and explain everything. Not an e-mail, speak to him/her face-to-face. Even if he/she has the personality of a viper, there's the legal obligation to the tenants.

                I know it can be scary to stand up for yourself, but if you don't, people will just walk all over you and you'll find your rights being eroded away. Best of luck.
                I don't have an attitude problem. You have a perception problem.
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