Apt #8

So we took the plunge and decided to move after our third year in this apartment. The current space had started to look busy and worse the trips to the laundry room was getting more frequent. It is hard not just because of all the pain to pack everything up and move, but also when you stay in a place long enough, it starts to speak like a home.

I had got used to so many things inside the apartment and outside too. I know exactly how fast I need to push the front door to lock it up, I know how many steps it is to the laundry room (120 one way, 108 another), I would know if it is the garbage truck outside or the UPS. The water fountain quiets itself at 11, reminding that the today will turn into yesterday soon. The tree in front of the dining window sheds all its leaves right after winter, then it goes green-orange-red with the spinning weather. The foot-bridge in front of the other building always has dry leaves floating on it and I thought it will make a good subject to snap, but never tried it. There are two potholes on the last street before I get home and I always take pride in doing a little swerve around them while riding my bike. If driving my car, I will always find someone attempting to parallel park on vincent for few minutes before abandoning the futile idea. We have taken several walks in the summer to the starbucks on washington. It was just close enough to go there on a a sunday afternoon and sip a lazy vanilla latte.

The apartment manager drives a red open jeep and will almost always give a smile, though as cold as the chilly rain these days. The family of three (2, if you don't want to count the cat) next door is nice, the lady in there taught us the right way to hand over a small baby to another person. It should feel like a rain drop falling in your lap, so slow and so quiet that you don't even feel it. The lady below us is old and mysterious. We don't know when she goes out and when is she in. She never complains of our noise or anything. The unit besides her has seen at least three different families (while we were here) and it is available again.

This apartment also witnessed several of our firsts - first sold a car, my first motorcycle, first we painted our walls, first big TV, our first baby :), our first separate bathrooms, our first set of tasteful furniture and many more. Needless to say, we will miss this place as our first "home" together.