what can I do about this?

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I left a third message for them, clearly stating my name, unit number and phone number (twice), and then telling them that I've been calling this emergency number all weekend because my power is not on and nobody is answering. I told them that I told the assistant manager on Friday about the power, and he said they'd get it worked out. I also told them that I know this is a maintenance issue because the power company confirmed to me that the meter at my address is on under my name, and they said it is probably the main breaker, which neither I nor the company has access to.

Then I explained that I have been I unable to stay in the apartment since Friday when I got it because of this, and will probably have to stay somewhere else again. Then I told them I'd really appreciate a call back as soon as possible.

They'd better apologize profusely for this, and give me credit towards my next month's rent for all four days. That totals to over fifty dollars of rent.

If I knew weed would calm me down and I had some right now, I'd definitely be smoking it all

I suppose that's not a healthy way to deal with problems, but it's not like I have any.

Ugh, this is still making me so mad! Why can't they just up the phone!?

Maybe somebody died suddenly?
And then the long holiday weekend complicated things...

The mystery is solved (and it's quite possibly the most annoyingly simple explanation):

The manager left her phone in the office by accident and wasn't able to get to it until about thirty minutes ago. So she called me back and said she was really sorry, and said she didn't understand because before I moved in the power was working. So I called back the power company and they told me a second time to check the main breaker (which I assumed was in the big locked box on the side). But this time the guy told me they are individual switches in small panels under the meters themselves (which I wouldn't have known were there unless he said so) and told me which one was mine so I'd know which one to mess with. Mine was off. Now I have power. He told me sometimes kids run around and turn them off to screw with people.

So I told the manager that I'd like to get a lock on mine. I think I also may have gotten the assistant manager in trouble (well really it's his fault) because he knew the power wasn't working on Friday but forgot (or for some other reason) to tell anyone.

I can see why my high school friend used to describe my life as "a series of unfortunate events". *sigh* At least I have power now.

Excellent!

I am glad it has worked out!

Congratulations, L_Holmes! You've weathered the first obstacle in the "adulthood race" in the "living on your own" phase!

I remember way back when I was a newlywed in a college town (not "really" "living on my own" because there were two of us), and we had a two-room apartment, sharing a bathroom with one other apartment, 4 apartments total in the made-over large house), and came home one day to find a notice from the gas company on the front door saying they were going to turn off the gas for non-payment of bill (utilities being the landlord's responsibility). I was terrified (I was pretty young), and we were in no major hazard, we just hadn't learned yet that it was possible to stay alive for a few days without utilities three seasons of the year. After much, much hassle (landlord unavailable, there wasn't even such a thing as answering machines then, and they weren't answering their family phone, or at home), and talking to the gas company, pointing out that the notice hadn't yet reached the person responsible for paying the bill (very large), and that no one in any of the 4 apartments had any money to speak of, it was finally resolved. Turned out the landlord and his family had taken off on a vacation trip, and when he got back and found out there was a problem, _he_ talked to the gas company. They had a huge credit balance on his home household account, and hadn't got it straight that there were two accounts, his own house and his rental. No big deal, except a lot of terror on my part, since the company employees _had_ been sensible enough to wait a while before turning it off, and we wouldn't have been in grave danger if they had, other than not being able to cook and having to wash in cold water (winter might have been another story: but we'd have survived, one way or another).

These things happen, no matter whose fault it is. That's life.