home sweeeeeeet home

The evening routine of inflating an air mattress have come to an end.
We have a home in the Lower Haight, which is turning into more and more of a home every day. We're been here exactly one week now, I am in love with this apartment. Having a smaller space is quite comfortable and so much fun to decorate and make it our very own!

Any activity in my life that should be simple is rather complex nowadays.

Getting the gas turned on was a nightmare as our appointment was from 8am - 8pm, and they didn't come until 1 am! And I had to call and speak to several different people to ensure they were coming that day!

I tried to use a gift card at Target which was a gift from my mom, and they insisted there was no money on it. There was in fact, but it took 30 minutes and a couple managers to figure that out!

What should have been an easy transaction to get a money order to pay the deposit on the apartment turned into a crazy circus of me going to through the line at the Safeway grocery store 13 times, and getting $200 cash back with every small purchase. The whole car robbery is still causing problems! They ran out of money order slips before the last one printed, and we had to run to another place to get a money order. This was all in an hour. I was laughing going through several lanes buying small items in each one. An orange juice, then a magazine, then some crackers, etc. We then sprinted down a few blocks to get the last money order so we could meet the building manager before he left his office. We got there in time. We signed our lease. We are happy.

I can't wait to have my own computer set up. A few things got left behind: Our vacuum, our microwave, my favorite mirror, and many other things that simply wouldn't fit in the RV I guess. I'm not mad at anyone who was gracious enough to move our stuff, but I'm so anxious to have the rest of our belongings. Especially my computer monitor!

I'm so comfortable and content with this new place.
I drink coffee now. I've been writing. I've become rather adventurous exploring a new city. It takes me 2 minutes to walk from our apartment to catch the 22 bus that comes at 6:42 am every morning. Ray the busdriver salutes me every afternoon as I get on the bus home. We take the dogs to the doggy park and it's so much fun!

I've learned the importance of wearing headphones while traveling on public transportation alone. An older man named Comfort, clutching his chest and jumping into the street from the bus stop at 16th and Mission, told me, "Your smile! Your smile! Your smile is eternal sunshine!!!" Another man, wearing a suit where his elbows were nearly visible through his worn-in suit, swung his large briefcase around as he entered the bus, pushed his way through a crowded bus and took about 4 stops to describe all the similarities I had with his favorite opera singer. "She was small, but...Oh boy!...Could she sing!" He then went on to sing, in a very animated sort of way, his favorite song of hers, being sure to explain over and over that he was not as good of a singer as she had been. This definitely entertained everyone on the bus.