Partied til 10 PM

I have lived in the same building in Oakland now for almost two years. The location could hardly be more convenient, the price is better than right, and the apartment has a lot of charm, but the area is not the safest and has encouraged habits and attitudes in myself that I don't necessarily like.

Such as: refusing to park anywhere more than 25 feet from the front door esp. at night (a habit which has resulted in a parking ticket), taking different circuitous routes home from training rides so as to foil would-be stalkers, keeping all windows shut and locked regardless of nearly double-digit-Fahrenheit temperatures outside so that no one can clamber up the walls and into the apartment (btw like with most apartments in the area, there is no a/c), hiding laptop and evidence of it and any other nice electronic equipment in various sneaky and clever places just in case if someone were to get inside...

So I have maintained a solid on-line relationship with craigslist since pretty much day one, looking for the ideal apartment that must exist somewhere. Momentum of such has really heated up lately, because the landlord said no kitties allowed and because the apartment is definitely on the smallish side for two people, bearable and endearing but smallish nonetheless, plus my I-want-a-safe-community-feel impulses have persisted.

Meanwhile, three of my neighbors (the building has 12 units, and there are a couple apartments across the street with the same owner and they use our laundry room so they were invited too) decided to have a meet-your-neighbor party this weekend downstairs in the communal garage/patio. Greg and I went. So did almost everyone else.

Here's what we learned and decided:

-Claudia has lived in the building for like 8 years and it turns out she is from Maryland just like me (we found this out at the airport last Christmas when I was in line behind her and we recognized each other from the mailbox or laundry area)(we were on the same flight). She was a swimmer in school and we are going to go to the pool together sometime.

-Joe is our next-door neighbor and he is the oldest of almost everyone and he was born in the house across the street. He rides a bmx bike that is really cool but weighs forty pounds and is missing some spokes from too much carousing. I see him all over the place in the East Bay, we wave, but until Saturday we didn't know each other's names.

-Oronde is cool. He did a triathlon one time and he bike commutes frequently. And his friend brought this delicious salad with purple carrots, blueberries, homemade croutons, and some sort of sesame vinaigrette. There was also arugula in there which really put it over the top.

-Jade and I moved in on the same weekend two years ago and we are both still there.

-Elizabeth is quite the gardener and she even beautified the little parched square of nature on the sidewalk outside the front door. There is one plant amongst all hers that is dead, it turns out the dead one is Claudia's.

-I have met Ben from #1 five times over the past two years - each time, he says "do you live here? I'm Ben!" and the past three times I have said "I have met you (however many it is at that point) times! We keep having the same conversation!" Fifth time was on Saturday at the party, this time though I was amused rather than offended, because I have gotten used to it. I wonder if we will have a round #6 on this one.

-Apparently there are 4 liquor stores within 2 blocks of our building. I did not even know there were any nearby.

-It was totally fun.

-Now we are not moving any more.