Tuesday, November 10, 2009

flatbushexodus

And so, we wave farewell to the......
Okay, i can't quite wax poetic about Flatbush. It was a fine home, for the month i was there. Mike and Sandy, bless them, did a great turn for me in the world of karma. It came and went pretty quickly. The time i'd hoped to spend really getting to know Mike didn't quite materialize. I was away on trips for one week or so, and Mike was visiting his family in Columbia for the past two. My departure was also hastened when they found they could get a rent refund if they moved out on the 15th. They were quite ready for their own exodus to the Jersey suburbs. Still not having found a new home that's right for me, i found a friend here in Jersey City who offered his guestroom for the rest of the month, in exchange for dogsitting.
I'll miss Pookie, the racist chihuahua. And Princess was all sweetness. There was one sudden death while i was there, Pebbles the teeny cat. I had bonded with her more than anyone, and was out of town when it happened, so i never got to say goodbye.
I had some fine moments with Sandy, but also moments of stress. I think Mike had seen that coming, but i was out of town when he left, so he never got to fully brief me on what to do and expect. At one point she snapped at me, in a way that suggested she was unhappy about more than what she was snapping about. I hadn't been the best houseguest in the world, but i was a long way from the worst. After that, my schedule slowed down and i was more attentive to housekeeping, but the damage had been done, and she wouldn't talk about it. The tension may not have even been about housekeeping. It made me wish i had pushed harder when offering Mike rent money, but if someone refuses twice, it feels ungracious to protest further.
I'm happy for Mike, and a bit sad that he's moving. It remains to be seen whether he'll be working in the city. If not, i probably won't get out to visit very often. I'm optimistic, though.
On my last day there, i packed all my stuff into boxes (two thirds of which i'd never unpacked anyway). The landlord Raj says i can store it in the basement for a fee, if i don't find my new home by the 15th. I loaded up 1-3 weeks of supplies into packs, a huge one on my back, a regular one on my front, and a bag of food around my neck. I'm guessing it all weighed ninety pounds. I walked my bike into the street. I briefly tried to mount up, but quickly decided that my dedication to providing the neighborhood quality entertainment only went so far. I carefully dismounted, and walked the bike to the subway.
And now...JC, baby! I lived here for five wonderful years with my brother John, plus insane several-times removed (some of them forcibly) sibling Kevin upstairs. When i left, i didn't even consider living in JC again. It had been great, but that was pretty much because of the company, and i wanted to live in NYC proper. It was a bit sweet to bike around the neighborhood the other day, visit my old thrift stores, see Al at the bodega...
I may be here as little as a week. After three awful landlords and two temp homes, my desire for the tranquility of a happy home is so very great.
My company here is April, a sweet old lady mutt. She can't hear anymore, and isn't as much of a chick magnet as Pookie, but she has her moments. Yogeesh is delightful too. I've done handyman work for him for years. He's always been one of those clients who has threatened to morph into a friend, which may happen when he returns next week. His friend Michael is a regular presence too, and i think the world of him. Delightful fellow.
Keepin' it real in JC.

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