moving days
It's kind of like the end of the school year at college: everybody moving away at different rates, and as in college, I seem to be last. Yes indeed, despite rumors that he was barricading himself in his house with a stockpile of cigarettes and a vow to fight to the death, our downstairs neighbor moved out yesterday, before we even really had a chance to start our packing. His speedy departure may have had something to do with the fact that he left without paying the last month of rent he owed (or so we hear; a forwarding address was not, we find, mentioned). The cleanliness of the appartment may have had something to do with the fact that his girlfriend was helping him move. Not that I'm casting aspersions; without the same sort of help from Leah I'd be lost entirely.
Anyways, despite his departure and despite the fact that we'll be out of here in the next week, the new owners declined to let us out of our lease for May. Which means, of course, that we'll be paying twice for the month--and that $1300.00 could have bought us a pretty nice sofa! It also means that there's no way we're letting the new folks in until a civilized hour in the morning on June 1st, so tough luck to them if they want to get a start on moving in. It does give us a comfortable time to move all our own belongings, but even as slow as we are a month and a half is a bit much. And in any case, we mean to be sleeping in the new place as soon as possible. I told our (former, I guess) landlord that we'd be holding raves in the appartment through the month of May, and he said that sounded good to him. In fact, he said we could use the downstairs too. Too bad we don't have a key. It was, I have to say, interesting to take a look into the appartment below ours yesterday; nearly a year of living above our neighbor there, and we never once saw beyond the narrow crack he opened the door. Of course we never invited him up either, but we would have if he'd have displayed the smallest spark of personableness.
There's lots to say about our new house, and many closing statments about the old one too, but I'll save those for later; in the latter case because we're not out of here yet, and in the former because Leah doesn't want to even start moving in until we can have the place blessed and make it, in her words, 'a house of traditional religion.' I quite agree. That will take place tomorrow, with all due ceremony and consumption of food; we're very excited about it. I will also use the opportunity to photograph the place inside and out, and such photographs will presently be posted on the internet for your viewing pleasure. Whee!
I also sent off my taxes and signed up for the Mass. teacher test. Two weights removed; only seven or eight still remaining!