It's no wonder you're having trouble sleeping with that bright light shining into your bedroom. The management of the other building may not realize that it's so intrusive. Perhaps you could ask them to adjust it so that it doesn't shine so directly into you apt. I rarely have trouble getting to sleep, but I sometimes hve trouble staying asleep and find myself awake in the wee hours. It doesn't happen very often now, but the last few years of my working life it was almost every night. I chalked it up to having work related things on my mind. Anyway, what I did/do that works like a charm for me is to play a mental exercise. I'll pick something like places, foods, names, etc., and starting with the letter A think of all of the places/foods/names I can that start with A. When I can't think of anymore, I move to B and so on. Rarely do I get further than C or D before falling back to sleep. An example of places could go something like Alaska, Arkansas, Amsterdam, Africa, Albuquerque and so on. I'm always amazed at how well it works as I would think it would stimulate my brain and make me more awake, but it seems to have the opposite effect.

Did you put tape over each of the individual wire ends in the cord, or did you simply stick one piece of tape over the whole stub? If you did the latter, it's possible that the conductors could short to one another at some point. The standard repair would be to carefully strip the outer jacket of the cord/cable back about 1" and then put a piece of tape over each of the ends of the insulated conductors (there may also possibly be a bare ground in the cord, too, that you don't have to worry about if it can't contact the other wire ends). If this is just a piece of lamp cord without an outer jacket, then it would be best to split the two conductors down the middle for an inch and then tape them. And it should go without saying that you do this with the power source turned off.

I'd take a saw to it and loosen those roots. If it's going into the ground this is your only chance to try and open up the roots and get them going in the right direction. I'd likely saw off a good inch or two from the bottom and deeply score the sides so I could get my fingers in there and start working. I'd do this when I had a lot of time, wasn't in a hurry, I'd do it in shade, and I'd have a spritzer bottle of water nearby so things didn't dry out too badly while I was working. I'd have the hole dug and ready for it, too. If you really have to go at it be sure and devise some type of shade for it at planting. It will be stressed and the roots will be unable to provide enough moisture for full sun conditions for the first couple of weeks. I use stakes, clothespins, and an old sheet or floating row cover. And make sure the water actually penetrates when you water. You'll have to baby it for a bit but they usually recover quite well given deep watering and a bit of time in the shade.

I am lucky to have many options here: Goodwill (which will take things like unmatched socks or shoes, stained or torn clothing - to recycle Volunteers of America does also); the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store for things that can be used for home repair or remodeling, including some major appliances; the Volunteers of America, Furniture Bank, and Salvation Army for all sorts of household goods, working electronics, decor, and furniture (they each have their own lists of what they will or will not take). The one thing that no thrift store or charity will take is a crib, but those are easy to give away on Craigslist. We also have some smaller local groups that look for more specialized things. We also have 2 community "Pre-cycle" days when people are encouraged to put stuff out at the curb for people to "shop". For example, I don't burn my candles, just use them on a warmer for the scent, and I always set out the ones I am done with - they are taken quickly. Things like half a roll of carpet padding, or insulation, used flowerpots, garden tools, old fencing - all get taken. The city also has a free electronics recycling drop off - the only no-no are TVs and monitors. I am amazed at how many people are not aware of that (or won't bother - it is right in the middle of our small suburb!) I belong to 2 local Facebook "free, borrow, trade" groups too. I tend to give away books and excess plants there. Books can be taken to the used book store to sell or just give away; or donated to the library for their fundraiser sale. When I have or have found a solid piece of furniture that just needs some rehab, maybe refinishing or a minor repair like a little wood glue or a screw, I post it on craigslist and/or FB - it is always taken. It gets picked up from the porch, no personal contact needed. Lastly, we have scrap collectors that make the rounds the afternoon before trash pickup. That is the best way to get rid of broken metal items.