A Post About the New Digs
Peoples, I just want to apologize for my lack of writing lately. First I was all stressed and busy getting ready to go to Mexico, then I was all stressed getting ready to move, and now since moving, I do not yet have my furniture set up in a way conducive to writing. I'm working on it.
So yeah, I moved within San Francisco. Now I'm not in the neighborhood closest to the Bay Bridge anymore. Now I'm only paying $1,000 a month and splitting utilities. I'm no longer in a touristy neighborhood. Peoples, I am finally in a neighborhood that feels like it's really in San Francisco, complete with hills and fog!
I'm in a neighborhood that has its own farmer's market. Last weekend I ran down there and signed up to volunteer. Of course, don't think I did that because of what a good person I am, who wants to give back to the community. No, I did it because I'm hoping it'll lead to free farmer's market food.
This area is great. I mean, aside from not having any supermarkets, that is. Other than that, it's fantastic. When I went to the bank to let them know to change my address I wound up talking to a very nice bank dude who'd also just moved to the area. When he told me his apartment was full of empty boxes, I told him to throw an ad on Craigslist to sell them - he was shocked to hear they'd sell, but mine did. Hell, I practically had a bidding war going at one point. Later while waiting for the bus to get back up my hill, I made friends with a lovely old lady who moved to the area in 1956 when her son was two weeks old, and we chatted for over 15 minutes about how things are so different now from how they used to be. The lady told me that once a week she gets together with her old high school girlfriends for lunch. I wandered into a chocolate shop to look around, and the owner offered me some free chocolate. Who wouldn't want to live here?!
The apartment itself is a big change for me - this is the first time I'm not living in a place with a leasing office. My landlord is actually a human being. There are only about 10 people in total who live here. One of my neighbors introduced himself to me and shook my hand and everything! Remember when you were a little kid and your mommy made all your friends for you? Well, my mommy always dealt with the relationships with neighbors too, and now I don't know how to do it. I've never lived in a place where I've known my neighbors before. Am I supposed to run out and buy some sugar in case a neighbor needs to borrow some? Am I supposed to listen to hear if any neighbors sneeze so I can rush to make them some chicken soup? How does this work?
What essentially happened was that I had to move a full apartment's worth of stuff into one bedroom (and one bathroom). Clearly I gave away a lot. Golden Boy and Crazy Girl are storing my dining room table and chairs, and a good friend is storing some of my other things in her tiny apartment.
So yeah, I moved within San Francisco. Now I'm not in the neighborhood closest to the Bay Bridge anymore. Now I'm only paying $1,000 a month and splitting utilities. I'm no longer in a touristy neighborhood. Peoples, I am finally in a neighborhood that feels like it's really in San Francisco, complete with hills and fog!
I'm in a neighborhood that has its own farmer's market. Last weekend I ran down there and signed up to volunteer. Of course, don't think I did that because of what a good person I am, who wants to give back to the community. No, I did it because I'm hoping it'll lead to free farmer's market food.
This area is great. I mean, aside from not having any supermarkets, that is. Other than that, it's fantastic. When I went to the bank to let them know to change my address I wound up talking to a very nice bank dude who'd also just moved to the area. When he told me his apartment was full of empty boxes, I told him to throw an ad on Craigslist to sell them - he was shocked to hear they'd sell, but mine did. Hell, I practically had a bidding war going at one point. Later while waiting for the bus to get back up my hill, I made friends with a lovely old lady who moved to the area in 1956 when her son was two weeks old, and we chatted for over 15 minutes about how things are so different now from how they used to be. The lady told me that once a week she gets together with her old high school girlfriends for lunch. I wandered into a chocolate shop to look around, and the owner offered me some free chocolate. Who wouldn't want to live here?!
The apartment itself is a big change for me - this is the first time I'm not living in a place with a leasing office. My landlord is actually a human being. There are only about 10 people in total who live here. One of my neighbors introduced himself to me and shook my hand and everything! Remember when you were a little kid and your mommy made all your friends for you? Well, my mommy always dealt with the relationships with neighbors too, and now I don't know how to do it. I've never lived in a place where I've known my neighbors before. Am I supposed to run out and buy some sugar in case a neighbor needs to borrow some? Am I supposed to listen to hear if any neighbors sneeze so I can rush to make them some chicken soup? How does this work?
What essentially happened was that I had to move a full apartment's worth of stuff into one bedroom (and one bathroom). Clearly I gave away a lot. Golden Boy and Crazy Girl are storing my dining room table and chairs, and a good friend is storing some of my other things in her tiny apartment.
Labels: City Livin, Crazy Girl, Farmer's Market, Golden Boy, On the Homefront, Playing in SF
posted by Green at 5/13/2009 08:38:00 PM
6 Comments:
Sounds like a lovely neighborhood! I hope things continue to go your way in the new digs. In my small NH town our first farmer's market of the season is this weekend. I read your descriptions of your farmer's markets and am very jealous. Our growing season is short and the pickings are often slim. But I live for the berries and they will be here soon enough!
I've enjoyed reading through the archives of your blog. Thanks for jotting down your thoughts for us to see.
Green:
Your new place sounds great! My wife and I participate in a Farmer's Market here in NC. We baked home-made breads, pretzels, and bagels. We make over 65 varieties of breads. It's a blast.! I barter with the other vendors all the time for food. It's a wonderful, tight, community amongst the vendors.
Hope you enjoy your new place. Sounds like it's a win-win!
Keep writing! Love your blog!
Maybe it will lead to a new job!
Ha! The neighbor thing reminds me of when I first moved to LA. I had lived in NYC for seven years and never knew a single neighbor. Within a week in LA, all of my neighbors had introduced themselves to me and let me know they were available if I needed anything. I was stunned. I think part of that has to do with the smaller building, too. There are only 7 units in my building, and we can tell by the cars who's home, who's not, so it's a pretty familiar place. As long as the neighbors are cool/nice, that's a good thing!
Green,
I found you through Mama Nabi's page/blog/thing. I've spent the last three or four nights staying up way too late to be able to read through your blog. I like your writing, you have a way of making lots of things sound fascinating. I'm sorry that you are having finding a job problems. (I used to live in L.A. so I very much know the feeling of just trying to grasp change, but feeling like all the quarters, nickels and dimes are sliding through your fingers.) At one point I was trying to work full-time at night and have another full-time job during the day. Let's just say it didn't go well. I developed a nervous tic and heart palpitations. It was crazyness, the things I tried to do to pay rent for a studio apartment (that I shared with a roommate!) Anyway. I don't think I really have a point. I'm just rambling, and it is almost 4AM. Did I mention I have trouble sleeping?
Sandra.
P.S. Don't visit my journal, you'll be disappointed. I don't write very much and I haven't written in months. Plus, I lost my writing muse years ago.
P.S.S. word verification is "doggity."
Hooray for hills and fog! I hope this turns out to be a great living arrangement for you.
(Word verification = eyelobe)
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