Of All the Gin Joints

I thought my imagination was running away with me when, at 10:00 o’clock last night, after just watching a spooky episode of Wayward Pines, I heard noises like low rolling thunder. Then I heard what sounded like the door to the downstairs apartment opening, and later, more rolling thunder.

Turning off the lights so I could see yet not be seen, I peeked out the blinds and saw the rolling thunder was a cart full of boxes being rolled up the walkway by some guy and into the unit beneath me.

Someone was moving in.

That Bogart quote from Casablanca came to mine … “Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine”.

Of all the vacancies, why the one beneath me – the unit vacant the shortest length of time? Especially since that particular unit had been rushed to ready.

I smelled paint day before yesterday, and it was just earlier in the day yesterday when the cleaning ladies showed up. I never saw new carpet come in, I didn’t see carpet cleaners come in, and the cleaning ladies had no carpet cleaning machine with them. So little was done and the rush on this particular unit why?

With no one beneath me, I’d barely become accustomed to being able to exercise indoors.
The compound I’m on the wait list for has three floors. Even though I wouldn’t be able to exercise indoors, I’m hoping for a unit on the top. On the other hand, inasmuch as there’s a fitness center, being able to exercise indoors isn’t really an issue.

At any rate, whoever is moving in downstairs, I wish them luck. I’m just hoping they don’t ask me the usual questions, “How long have you lived here? ...What’s it like?”

If one doesn’t mind termites crawling inside, or have other maintenance issues, and can thus avoid management, this isn’t a bad place to live. That was the tipping point for the former downstairs neighbor – some maintenance/management issues. She never did specify, just said, “They won’t do nothing”.

As for "What's it like?", I should just tell them to head to the computer room and read the online reviews which used to be fabulous, but now not so much and are pretty much what I just said in that depends on what you are willing to live with and stay clear of management.

Those reviews have been extremely helpful in my recent search.

In fact, I almost fell into a trap yesterday afternoon … Earlier in the week, I’d filled out an online inquiry about a special one of the better senior communities in the area was advertising, after which I’d read the reviews and promptly lost interest and forgotten I’d even inquired.

I began getting emails encouraging me to take the tour.

Now interested in the wait listed unit, yet still keeping an open mind, I wasn’t interested in taking the tour but couldn’t remember why.

THEN, yesterday afternoon, the leasing agent called ME, encouraging me to come in this morning to tour.

She did such a good job of bum rushing and selling me that I said okay. Then went online to read the reviews and was reminded of why I’d lost interest.

I called back and cancelled saying, “Because of the online reviews, I’m no longer interested in the property.”

Aside from reviews, the key to separating the good, the bad, the ugly seems to be if there’s a wait list, you’re in good hands. If not, be wary.

On tap for today is packing some stuff up and weeding out with the goal towards moving light, starting with books, cds, dvds. I want to get them to the Goodwill, but don’t want to over-lift and injure myself in the process so, over a period of days, I’ll little by little take a few in.