Roland Burris = Eddie Foss? The ED-iot Strikes (#0cv) & Fox Management Group (#189)

Is Board Member Eddie Foss another Roland Burris?
Well, Burris' defense is basically "Well, you didn't ask me that, so I didn't tell you about it!"
Honest people call that "lying by omission".
Does art therapist Edward Foss do that?
Judge for yourself...

In the most recent Board meeting minutes, Eddie (as secretary) writes...
"VII. Foundation leaks-Mara to talk to Mark about doing preliminary work-Carol to talk to Neighbors for approval."
What he doesn't tell us is...
The only foundation section butting against a neighbor's property (and thus accessible via a neighbor's property) is the foundation under Eddie's $10 a month living space in the basement of '58!
Any other location in the foundation is accessible on our own property!
So, we're to spend hundreds, if not a thousand dollars or so, to keep Eddie Foss' space dry, a 200-square foot space that he pays only $10 a month for!
(And whether the $10 a month is funneled back to him via other means, thus making the space FREE, is another question! Note that the Misc. Income is $120 a year, exactly the amount Eddie "pays".
Plus, the Misc. Expenses are EXACTLY $120 a year!
$120 = $120!
Money In equals (exactly) Money Out!
AND, curiously, for the FIRST time, we weren't provided with the spreadsheet showing who the checks were written to!
Coincidence? What do YOU think)

In the same minutes we have...
X. An owner has made us aware that there may be a crack in a window frame on the exterior of the building. This will need follow up-Mara to contact Paul or Mark.
Curiously, the front window of Eddie's $10 a month living space is leaking!
Note that the "owner" and the window's location in the building are (curiously) missing...
Interpret as you will...

In the usual news...
I believe the ED-iot is becoming desperate.
The fact that he's been unable to remove the posters has generated buzz within the condo that claims by the Board about my being wrong might not be true!
Add to that, with Spring arriving, several unit owners are putting their homes up for sale, and they'll have to explain my signs (which are at ground level, and thus the first things you see when you enter in front or back) to any prospective buyers.
More as it develops...
and...
Friday's total for Fox Management Group's still-unpaid bill from July, 2008...$522.36, from an original $75!
Note; now that the 1% per workday cumulative late fee is over $5, it's really starting to mount up, at a rate of $25+ a week!

The ED-iot Strikes (#0cu) & Fox Management Group (#188)

In the usual news...
I believe the ED-iot is becoming desperate.
The fact that he's been unable to remove the posters has generated buzz within the condo that claims by the Board about my being wrong might not be true!
Add to that, with Spring arriving, several unit owners are putting their homes up for sale, and they'll have to explain my signs (which are at ground level, and thus the first things you see when you enter in front or back) to any prospective buyers.
More as it develops...
and...
Thursday's total for Fox Management Group's still-unpaid bill from July, 2008...$517.19, from an original $75!
Note; now that the 1% per workday cumulative late fee is over $5, it's really starting to mount up, at a rate of $25+ a week!

The ED-iot Strikes (#0ct) & Fox Management Group (#187)

In the usual news...
I believe the ED-iot is becoming desperate.
The fact that he's been unable to remove the posters has generated buzz within the condo that claims by the Board about my being wrong might not be true!
Add to that, with Spring arriving, several unit owners are putting their homes up for sale, and they'll have to explain my signs (which are at ground level, and thus the first things you see when you enter in front or back) to any prospective buyers.
More as it develops...
and...
Wednesday's total for Fox Management Group's still-unpaid bill from July, 2008...$512.07, from an original $75! (Monday was a holiday, so no late fee charge.)
Note; now that the 1% per workday cumulative late fee is over $5, it's really starting to mount up, at a rate of $25+ a week!

The ED-iot Strikes (#0cs) & Fox Management Group (#186)

In the usual news...
I believe the ED-iot is becoming desperate.
The fact that he's been unable to remove the posters has generated buzz within the condo that claims by the Board about my being wrong might not be true!
Add to that, with Spring arriving, several unit owners are putting their homes up for sale, and they'll have to explain my signs (which are at ground level, and thus the first things you see when you enter in front or back) to any prospective buyers.
More as it develops...
and...
Tuesday's total for Fox Management Group's still-unpaid bill from July, 2008...$507.00, from an original $75! (Monday was a holiday, so no late fee charge.)
Note; now that the 1% per workday cumulative late fee is over $5, it's really starting to mount up, at a rate of $25+ a week!

The ED-iot Strikes (#0cr) & Fox Management Group (#185)

Have a peaceful Memorial Day weekend!
Remember the veterans in your circle of family & friends who made it possible for us to enjoy it!

In the usual news...
I believe the ED-iot is becoming desperate.
The fact that he's been unable to remove the posters has generated buzz within the condo that claims by the Board about my being wrong might not be true!
Add to that, with Spring arriving, several unit owners are putting their homes up for sale, and they'll have to explain my signs (which are at ground level, and thus the first things you see when you enter in front or back) to any prospective buyers.
More as it develops...
and...
Friday's total for Fox Management Group's still-unpaid bill from July, 2008...$501.99, from an original $75!
Note; now that the 1% per workday cumulative late fee is over $5, it's really starting to mount up, at a rate of $25+ a week!
Monday's a holiday, so no blog post or late fee charge.

Fox's Failure, The ED-iot Strikes (#0cq) & Fox Management Group (#184)

Yesterday I wrote...
It's the 20th of the month, and the assessment bill is not in our mailbox as it should be, another failure by Fox Management (as usual).
The assessment bill arrived today, one day late.
By Fox Management's pitiful standards, that's a job well done.

I believe the ED-iot is becoming desperate.
The fact that he's been unable to remove the posters has generated buzz within the condo that claims by the Board about my being wrong might not be true!
Add to that, with Spring arriving, several unit owners are putting their homes up for sale, and they'll have to explain my signs (which are at ground level, and thus the first things you see when you enter in front or back) to any prospective buyers.
More as it develops...
and...
Thursday's total for Fox Management Group's still-unpaid bill from July, 2008...$497.02, from an original $75!
Note; now that the 1% per workday cumulative late fee is over $4, it's really starting to mount up, at a rate of $20+ a week! And, it'll be over $500 around Memorial Day (which arrives early this year)!

Fox's Failure, The ED-iot Strikes (#0cp) & Fox Management Group (#183)

It's the 20th of the month, and the assessment bill is not in our mailbox as it should be, another failure by Fox Management (as usual).

I believe the ED-iot is becoming desperate.
The fact that he's been unable to remove the posters has generated buzz within the condo that claims by the Board about my being wrong might not be true!
Add to that, with Spring arriving, several unit owners are putting their homes up for sale, and they'll have to explain my signs (which are at ground level, and thus the first things you see when you enter in front or back) to any prospective buyers.
More as it develops...
and...
Wednesday's total for Fox Management Group's still-unpaid bill from July, 2008...$492.10, from an original $75!
Note; now that the 1% per workday cumulative late fee is over $4, it's really starting to mount up, at a rate of $20+ a week! And, it'll be over $500 around Memorial Day (which arrives early this year)!

The ED-iot Strikes (#0co) & Fox Management Group (#182)

I believe the ED-iot is becoming desperate.
The fact that he's been unable to remove the posters has generated buzz within the condo that claims by the Board about my being wrong might not be true!
Add to that, with Spring arriving, several unit owners are putting their homes up for sale, and they'll have to explain my signs (which are at ground level, and thus the first things you see when you enter in front or back) to any prospective buyers.
More as it develops...
and...
Tuesday's total for Fox Management Group's still-unpaid bill from July, 2008...$487.23, from an original $75!
Note; now that the 1% per workday cumulative late fee is over $4, it's really starting to mount up, at a rate of $20+ a week!

The ED-iot Strikes (#0cn) & Fox Management Group (#181)

In other news...
I believe the ED-iot is becoming desperate.
The fact that he's been unable to remove the posters has generated buzz within the condo that claims by the Board about my being wrong might not be true!
Add to that, with Spring arriving, several unit owners are putting their homes up for sale, and they'll have to explain my signs (which are at ground level, and thus the first things you see when you enter in front or back) to any prospective buyers.
More as it develops...
and...
Monday's total for Fox Management Group's still-unpaid bill from July, 2008...$482.41, from an original $75!
Note; now that the 1% per workday cumulative late fee is over $4, it's really starting to mount up, at a rate of $20+ a week!

Back to the BBB (7), The ED-iot Strikes (#0cm) & Fox Management Group (#180)

Another unexpected twist...on May 7th, an envelope (postmarked May 6th) arrived with a bare-bones 2008 Common Expenses, an abbreviated Annual Update, and an almost-incoherent March 2009 Board Meeting Minutes!
Details on the contents tomorrow...

The Common Expenses did not have the expense check spreadsheet, as it always had in the past!
However, a look at the Misc. Income (which shows the $10 a month rental that Eddie pays) and the Misc. Expenses are exactly the same, $120 a year!
And guess who received the $120 a year in misc. expense money?
Guess that's why we didn't get the check spreadsheet!

The Annual Update left out details about what was spent and when!

The Minutes obscured the fact that major, expensive repairs are about to be done to Eddie Foss' $10 a month living space, making it a money pit!
And let's not go into the grammatical and spelling errors...

In other news...
I believe the ED-iot is becoming desperate.
The fact that he's been unable to remove the posters has generated buzz within the condo that claims by the Board about my being wrong might not be true!
Add to that, with Spring arriving, several unit owners are putting their homes up for sale, and they'll have to explain my signs (which are at ground level, and thus the first things you see when you enter in front or back) to any prospective buyers.
More as it develops...
and...
Friday's total for Fox Management Group's still-unpaid bill from July, 2008...$477.63, from an original $75!
Note; now that the 1% per workday cumulative late fee is over $4, it's really starting to mount up, at a rate of $20+ a week!

Back to the BBB (6), The ED-iot Strikes (#0cl) & Fox Management Group (#179)

Re: the BBB complaint...
We submitted our rebuttal on 4/25/09, requesting that the BBB not render a decision until around May 20th, when the long-delayed 2008 Common Expenses report was promised to be delivered by Mara Feldman-Fox. Obviously, we wanted to see if Mara would deliver.
On 5/1/09, the rebuttal was sent by the BBB to Fox Management Group. It was stated on the website that Fox had until 5/11/09 to respond to the rebuttal.
All fine and well.
HOWEVER...
On 5/5/09, the case was suddenly listed as "Bureau judged complaint resolved"!
There had been no posted response from Fox.
There had been no indication of any communication (on the record, at any rate) between Fox and the BBB!
Yet, the BBB didn't even wait until 5/11/09, the period they stated Fox had to post their response (much less 5/20/09, which we requested), to make a decision!
Makes you wonder if Mara Fox, knowing she was losing, did something "under the table"...

Another unexpected twist...on May 7th, an envelope (postmarked May 6th) arrived with a bare-bones 2008 Common Expenses, an abbreviated Annual Update, and an almost-incoherent March 2009 Board Meeting Minutes!
Details on the contents tomorrow...

In other news...
I believe the ED-iot is becoming desperate.
The fact that he's been unable to remove the posters has generated buzz within the condo that claims by the Board about my being wrong might not be true!
Add to that, with Spring arriving, several unit owners are putting their homes up for sale, and they'll have to explain my signs (which are at ground level, and thus the first things you see when you enter in front or back) to any prospective buyers.
More as it develops...
and...
Thursday's total for Fox Management Group's still-unpaid bill from July, 2008...$472.90, from an original $75!
Note; now that the 1% per workday cumulative late fee is over $4, it's really starting to mount up, at a rate of $20+ a week!

Back to the BBB (5), The ED-iot Strikes (#0ck) & Fox Management Group (#178)

Re: the BBB complaint...
We submitted our rebuttal on 4/25/09, requesting that the BBB not render a decision until around May 20th, when the long-delayed 2008 Common Expenses report was promised to be delivered by Mara Feldman-Fox. Obviously, we wanted to see if Mara would deliver.
On 5/1/09, the rebuttal was sent by the BBB to Fox Management Group. It was stated on the website that Fox had until 5/11/09 to respond to the rebuttal.
All fine and well.
HOWEVER...
On 5/5/09, the case was suddenly listed as "Bureau judged complaint resolved"!
There had been no posted response from Fox.
There had been no indication of any communication (on the record, at any rate) between Fox and the BBB!
Yet, the BBB didn't even wait until 5/11/09, the period they stated Fox had to post their response (much less 5/20/09, which we requested), to make a decision!
Makes you wonder if Mara Fox, knowing she was losing, did something "under the table"...

We contacted the BBB's Nicole Tooks, who had sent us the notification.
As of this date, she has not responded.

Tomorrow: Another unexpected twist!

In other news...
I believe the ED-iot is becoming desperate.
The fact that he's been unable to remove the posters has generated buzz within the condo that claims by the Board about my being wrong might not be true!
Add to that, with Spring arriving, several unit owners are putting their homes up for sale, and they'll have to explain my signs (which are at ground level, and thus the first things you see when you enter in front or back) to any prospective buyers.
More as it develops...
and...
Wednesday's total for Fox Management Group's still-unpaid bill from July, 2008...$468.22, from an original $75!
Note; now that the 1% per workday cumulative late fee is over $4, it's really starting to mount up, at a rate of $20+ a week!

Back to the BBB (4), The ED-iot Strikes (#0cj) & Fox Management Group (#177)

If you check out yesterday's entry, you'll see part 1
The complaint was "validated" by the BBB on April 17th (almost two weeks later) and forwarded to Fox Management Group.
(again, note the timeline...almost two weeks from contact to acceptance of the complaint.)
On April 24th, Mara Feldman-Fox posted a response...
The Board of Directors met at the end of March, regular quarterly board meeting.
It was directed at that time the financial statements be distributed to the unit owners. They will be mailed along with an annual update in May.
Our response followed one day later, April 25th...
How were we to know this?
The minutes from that March 2009 meeting were NOT distributed with the assessment billing mailed on April 20th, 2009!
(The minutes are usually sent the month FOLLOWING the meeting, so they SHOULD have been included with the April mailing.)
There's no proof that, as of the date of my filing the complaint, we unit owners knew we would FINALLY receive the data, OR that Fox even planned to do so!
At any rate, why wait so long to distribute the financial statements?
They have ALWAYS been sent in January...UNTIL THIS YEAR!
Since ONLY Board members were probably present at the miles-away-from-the-condo meeting, and the minutes were not yet distributed, Fox can claim ANYTHING without ANY proof either way...except for the fact the unit owners have not received the Common Expenses report (which Fox admits)!
This smells of a backtracking attempt by Fox to cover their butts! I would request that a ruling NOT be made on this matter until we can confirm that the unexpurgated / un-redacted Common Expenses have been received by the unit owners around May 20th-25th!
Tomorrow, the startling conclusion!

In other news...
I believe the ED-iot is becoming desperate.
The fact that he's been unable to remove the posters has generated buzz within the condo that claims by the Board about my being wrong might not be true!
Add to that, with Spring arriving, several unit owners are putting their homes up for sale, and they'll have to explain my signs (which are at ground level, and thus the first things you see when you enter in front or back) to any prospective buyers.
More as it develops...
and...
Tuesday's total for Fox Management Group's still-unpaid bill from July, 2008...$463.59, from an original $75!
Note; now that the 1% per workday cumulative late fee is over $4, it's really starting to mount up, at a rate of $20+ a week!

Back to the BBB (3), The ED-iot Strikes (#0ci) & Fox Management Group (#176)

This was submitted by M to the Better Business Bureau on April 6th, 2009...
Case Description: In October, 2008, we received the scheduled budget for 2008 and a proposed budget for 2009. Note: The budget was NOT an accounting of the ACTUAL expenses, but what was PROJECTED to be spent!
(This was presented earlier than normal because the Board wanted to enact an assessment increase effective Jan, 2009, which they did.)
Normally, the unit owners also receive the Common Expenses for the previous year in January from Fox Management. (This details the actual cashflow for the condo.)
However, up to the present, April 2009, we have NOT received the Common Expenses for 2008 as required by law...
"605/18.5.(c)(2) The board...shall annually supply to all unit owners of condominiums...an itemized accounting of the common expenses for the preceding year actually incurred or paid, together with a tabulation of the amounts collected pursuant to the budget or assessment, and showing the net excess or deficit of income over expenditures plus reserves."
Desired Resolution: A copy of the 2008 Common Expenses, an explanation as to why Fox Management failed to do their legally-required duty, and an apology for their failure, to be sent to ALL Claremont Condo unit owners.
In addition, Mark Pearlstein, noted real estate lawyer, stated in his "Condo Advisor" newspaper column of 3/8/09 about this exact matter...
"The language of the statute does NOT make this a discretionary item, nor does it require the owners to request it."
So, why hasn't Fox Management supplied us with the 2008 Common Expenses? It's APRIL 2009!
The complaint was "validated" by the BBB on April 17th (almost two weeks later) and forwarded to Fox Management Group.
(again, note the timeline...almost two weeks from contact to acceptance of the complaint.)
Tomorrow, their response...

In other news...
I believe the ED-iot is becoming desperate.
The fact that he's been unable to remove the posters has generated buzz within the condo that claims by the Board about my being wrong might not be true!
Add to that, with Spring arriving, several unit owners are putting their homes up for sale, and they'll have to explain my signs (which are at ground level, and thus the first things you see when you enter in front or back) to any prospective buyers.
More as it develops...
and...
Monday's total for Fox Management Group's still-unpaid bill from July, 2008...$459.00, from an original $75!
Note; now that the 1% per workday cumulative late fee is over $4, it's really starting to mount up, at a rate of $20+ a week!

Back to the BBB (2), The ED-iot Strikes (#0ch) & Fox Management Group (#175)

Well, several things happened this week, and now I'm free to talk about them.
The Better Business Bureau case was resolved in surprising fashion.
We finally received the 2008 Common Expenses (in a special mailing along with the March 2009 Board meeting minutes), and the finances were worse than I expected.
There were also several interesting developements in the Minutes regarding Eddie Foss' $10 a month 200-square-foot living space.
Beginning Monday, I do a serialized telling of recent developments in the saga. (If you don't do it chronologically, it doesn't make sense.)

In other news...
I believe the ED-iot is becoming desperate.
The fact that he's been unable to remove the posters has generated buzz within the condo that claims by the Board about my being wrong might not be true!
Add to that, with Spring arriving, several unit owners are putting their homes up for sale, and they'll have to explain my signs (which are at ground level, and thus the first things you see when you enter in front or back) to any prospective buyers.
More as it develops...
and...
Friday's total for Fox Management Group's still-unpaid bill from July, 2008...$454.46, from an original $75!
Note; now that the 1% per workday cumulative late fee is over $4, it's really starting to mount up, at a rate of $20+ a week!

The ED-iot Strikes (#0cg) & Fox Management Group (#174)

I believe the ED-iot is becoming desperate.
The fact that he's been unable to remove the posters has generated buzz within the condo that claims by the Board about my being wrong might not be true!
Add to that, with Spring arriving, several unit owners are putting their homes up for sale, and they'll have to explain my signs (which are at ground level, and thus the first things you see when you enter in front or back) to any prospective buyers.
More as it develops...
and...
Thursday's total for Fox Management Group's still-unpaid bill from July, 2008...$449.96, from an original $75!
Note; now that the 1% per workday cumulative late fee is over $4, it's really starting to mount up, at a rate of $20+ a week!

The ED-iot Strikes (#0cf) & Fox Management Group (#173)

I believe the ED-iot is becoming desperate.
The fact that he's been unable to remove the posters has generated buzz within the condo that claims by the Board about my being wrong might not be true!
Add to that, with Spring arriving, several unit owners are putting their homes up for sale, and they'll have to explain my signs (which are at ground level, and thus the first things you see when you enter in front or back) to any prospective buyers.
More as it develops...
and...
Wedesday's total for Fox Management Group's still-unpaid bill from July, 2008...$445.51, from an original $75!
Note; now that the 1% per workday cumulative late fee is over $4, it's really starting to mount up, at a rate of $20+ a week!

Stalker? (5) The ED-iot Strikes (#0ce) & Fox Management Group (#172)

Yesterday, I penned...
Well, this morning, I discovered the unseen, cowardly ED-iot had struck the storage unit lock again, for the first time in months!
Coincidence?
So far today, no change in the status quo.

I believe the ED-iot is becoming desperate.
The fact that he's been unable to remove the posters has generated buzz within the condo that claims by the Board about my being wrong might not be true!
Add to that, with Spring arriving, several unit owners are putting their homes up for sale, and they'll have to explain my signs (which are at ground level, and thus the first things you see when you enter in front or back) to any prospective buyers.
More as it develops...
and...
Tuesday's total for Fox Management Group's still-unpaid bill from July, 2008...$441.10, from an original $75!
Note; now that the 1% per workday cumulative late fee is over $4, it's really starting to mount up, at a rate of $20+ a week!

Stalker? (4) The ED-iot Strikes (#0cd) & Fox Management Group (#171)

If you remember, on Friday I posted...
Yesterday, Eddie Foss SCREAMED at me on the street!
Seriously!
I was returning home from grocery shopping, cutting thru the alley behind the condo to get to the front door.
Eddie, who was heading out from the basement in the same direction, didn't see me until he exited thru the front gate and turned to lock it.
He saw me heading in the same direction..and locked the gate instead of leaving it open for me to exit thru.
Childish, but no big deal.
I simply opened the gate, exited, and locked it behind me.
(Mind you, I had not said a word to Foss!)
On the front sidewalk, right in front of me, Eddie began ranting things like "GET A LIFE!" and "YOU'RE SICK!" while heading for his blue Toyota, watching me as I headed for the condo's front door...
IMHO, he's in need of therapy. (Ironically, he's an art therapist! I pity his clients.)
Now, combine that with this from ...
Over the past few weeks, I've noticed that the padlock on our storage space in the basement of '60 has been tampered with by "persons unknown"
It's an Ace padlock with a weather-proof flap. I leave the flap up.
Some idiot (or should I say "Ed-iot") has been flipping the flap open, usually very early in the morning.
Since art therapist Edward Vincent Foss (with whom I've been having a great deal of trouble due to my exposing what I believe is his misuse of a condo common area as personal living space, more about that in a couple of days) leaves very early in the morning, and has a habit of exiting the building down the back way, past the basement storage space, it seemed likely the culprit was him.
To test my theory, I placed a note saying "Ed-iot Foss opened this lock!" on both sides of the paper and placed it inside the lock's flap so that, when the flap was opened, the paper would fall to the floor and unfold.
When I looked in the storage space this evening, the lock's flap was open, and the paper was...missing!
If it wasn't Eddie, I believe whoever it was would've left the paper on the ground where it fell. Why would they have cared what it said, if they weren't the person named on the paper?
Well, this morning, I discovered the unseen, cowardly ED-iot had struck the storage unit lock again, for the first time in months!
Coincidence?
I believe the ED-iot is becoming desperate.
The fact that he's been unable to remove the posters has generated buzz within the condo that claims by the Board about my being wrong might not be true!
Add to that, with Spring arriving, several unit owners are putting their homes up for sale, and they'll have to explain my signs (which are at ground level, and thus the first things you see when you enter in front or back) to any prospective buyers.
More as it develops...
and...
Monday's total for Fox Management Group's still-unpaid bill from July, 2008...$436.73, from an original $75!
Note; now that the 1% per workday cumulative late fee is over $4, it's really starting to mount up, at a rate of $20+ a week!

Eddie SCREAMS! The ED-iot Strikes (#0cc) & Fox Management Group (#170)

I believe the ED-iot is becoming desperate.
The fact that he's been unable to remove the posters has generated buzz within the condo that claims by the Board about my being wrong might not be true!
Add to that, with Spring arriving, several unit owners are putting their homes up for sale, and they'll have to explain my signs (which are at ground level, and thus the first things you see when you enter) to any prospective buyers.
More as it develops...
Yesterday, Eddie Foss SCREAMED at me on the street!
Seriously!
I was returning home from grocery shopping, cutting thru the alley behind the condo to get to the front door.
Eddie, who was heading out from the basement in the same direction, didn't see me until he exited thru the front gate and turned to lock it.
He saw me heading in the same direction..and locked the gate instead of leaving it open for me to exit thru.
Childish, but no big deal.
I simply opened the gate, exited, and locked it behind me.
(Mind you, I had not said a word to Foss!)
On the front sidewalk, right in front of me, Eddie began ranting things like "GET A LIFE!" and "YOU'RE SICK!" while heading for his blue Toyota, watching me as I headed for the condo's front door.
In return, I watched him, which seemed to unnerve him.
He got into his car, started it, and slowly headed down the block, constantly looking back to see if I was still watching him (which I was).
He was forced to face forward and achieve a normal rate of speed because another car came down the block behind him. I watched him in his car until he turned the corner.
IMHO, he's in need of therapy. (Ironically, he's an art therapist! I pity his clients.)
In relation to being the last person to break eye contact (which Eddie seems obsessed with), I found this blog entry from a substitute teacher with the following quote about controlling a person-to-person situation.
"...make direct eye contact. The last person to break eye contact wins."
That explains Eddie's freaking out when I kept an eye on him! He wanted to be the "last person"...and wasn't!
Extra: Here's an article that explains the meaning of being last to break eye contact!

and...
Friday's total for Fox Management Group's still-unpaid bill from July, 2008...$432.41, from an original $75!
Note; now that the 1% per workday cumulative late fee is over $4, it's really starting to mount up, at a rate of $20+ a week!