Dear Urban Diplomat: Someone keeps using my electric charging station

Dear Urban Diplomat, I live in a condo downtown and pay extra for an underground parking spot with an electric charging station for my Tesla. Recently, I caught someone who lives in my building, a fellow Tesla owner, hooked up to my outlet. When I explained that it was my spot, he apologized and said he just needed a little juice, enough to get him to one of the public charging stations. But I keep coming home to find him in my space, plugged in. How do I get him to stop? —Power Struggle, Liberty Village

Never mind the electricity—you no doubt pay a hefty price for the parking spot, which is numbered and reserved. It sounds like you’ve tried reasoning with this serial freeloader, to no avail. Next step is to alert building security, which should be responsible for enforcing parking regulations, either with fines or by calling a tow truck. And if the problem persists, you should take it up with your condo board. It may be grounds for eviction.

Dear Urban Diplomat, I play tennis at the public courts near my house, and the rules are clear: people can occupy a court for a maximum of 30 minutes if others are waiting to play. There’s one court marked off with pickleball lines. Every weekend, one group goes way over the time limit, so I decided to confront the alpha pickleballer. It turned into a shouting match, with him arguing they could play longer because there was only one court for them. How should I handle it when I inevitably see them again? —In a Pickle, Ramsden Park

Try to empathize with those pickleballers, who get a bit of a raw deal when it comes to court availability. Next weekend, instead of going all McEnroe on them, ask them if an hour of playtime would suffice. Then, appoint yourself king of the courts and use the timer on your cellphone to hold them accountable. If that doesn’t work, try writing a letter to your local councillor, Mike Layton, asking for pickleball lines to be painted on all of the courts. This might be a good opportunity to turn a petty dispute into civic action.

Dear Urban Diplomat, My friends and I recently booked a weekend getaway at a cottage in Muskoka. Shortly after confirming our (rather expensive) Airbnb, one of the group—who’s a bit of a germaphobe—sent out an email outlining a Covid protocol for the group (rapid testing prior to the car trip, hand sanny on the shopping list, etc.). The pandemic isn’t over, of course, and mindfulness is important, but her demands are compromising an otherwise relaxing weekend. What’s the best way to respond? —Over It, Liberty Village

You might consider cutting your friend some slack. We’ve all developed a lot of habits over the past two years that can be difficult to unlearn. If you want everything to go smoothly and the vacation dollars to have been well-spent, follow her rules—whether or not you agree with them. A blow-up between the two of you would be a much bigger buzzkill than a few precautions. So test up, mask where you need to, sanitize judiciously, and let the good times roll.

Dear Urban Diplomat, I’ve got a co-worker who is always talking about crypto investments he makes on the side to earn extra cash. I know we make the same salary at our day jobs, but he eats at nicer restaurants, drives a better car and just put a down payment on a condo. So I asked him to invest $10,000 that I had in savings. A few months later, when I wanted to check on my investment, he acted all annoyed and avoided the conversation. I’m starting to think he’s a scammer. What should I do? —Cash Withdrawal, Deer Park

I believe you are indeed being scammed. One should never “invest” money with a friend or acquaintance unless that person is a certified, professional money manager. Did you ask where he was putting that $10,000? Did he give you a receipt of any kind? If you can’t get any info, your matter may be criminal, which means it’s time to call the police or lawyer up.