My Hood

I've decided in the past couple of weeks that instead of going through the hardships and pitfalls of locating another place to live, doing all the paperwork and monetary turnover from my present abode to another one, and then the final act of moving, unpacking and settling in, I'm going to forego that idea and just stay put. I'm settled in and I'm happy where I'm at. The small community of 4 neighbors couldn't be better. They are quiet and cordial to me when I see them. The only time I really hear them is when my closest neighbor comes outside to smoke a clove and hawks up a lung every time he's out there. What a nasty habit. Other than that and the occasional helicopter flying overhead at random times throughout the day and night and the daily barrage of ambulances, fire trucks, and police squads flying through the neighborhood at full volume, everything is pretty quiet. I love my apartment because I've finally got what I've always wanted in a house: old architecture infused with modern technology. When I was younger I always wanted an older house to put a lot of technologically advanced stuff in. Granted, I only have my computer and flat-screen monitor, a Sony Playstation 2 with a 13 inch TV/VCR combo, a Motorola mobile phone, and a design-savvy espresso machine. Other than that, normal stuff. Books on the bookshelves. Clothes in the closet and dresser. I just like the diametrically opposed idea of having an older house filled with new technology. As far as the neighborhood goes, the only time I interact with them is when I have to do laundry or go to the gym. The gym is fine. The laundromat is the real killer. Laundry day is when I realize that I'm a completely normal person compared to the other people who go there to do laundry. The other day wasn't too bad. The same homeless tranny was there. This time, s/he was behind the laundromat sitting against the wall smoking a cigarette and clutching a backpack. The newest scary thing I saw was a Mexican mother and father pushing their two monkey kids down the sidewalk in a stolen shopping cart instead of a stroller.

So for now, I'm staying where I am.