August 14, 2006
Settling In
After what can only be described as a brutal few days of moving, I am now here and happily settled in Brooklyn. First off, thank god for Brian and J.T. Tattitch, because without them this would have been impossible instead of just extremely painful. I had a really nice time with them, especially hanging out with J.T., who I don’t get to see very often. Hopefully I’ll still see Brian and Becca occasionally; it’s only four hours from here to D.C.
My apartment is still a wreck, sad to say—I have much unpacking left to do yet. But gradually things are falling into place. Today, for example, I installed some of the guitar wall hangers, and I put my computer together (having finally gotten internet access). The kitchen needs the most work, but I can’t really do too much there until the plumber comes (tomorrow) to install the new faucet and hopefully restore my water.
Almost every day I’ve been taking long walks around the neighborhood and surrounding areas, trying to get to know what’s around. Each time I go out, I decide on a mission for the outing, such as finding a certain DVD, or a specific furniture store, etc. This way I keep on walking around until I find it or give up out of pain in my feet. The walks have been getting longer as I’ve been getting used to it. Saturday was my most ambitious walk yet—I left my apartment and walked all the way to Union Square in Manhattan, crossing over the Brooklyn Bridge. Probably about a thirteen mile walk all told, and I saw a bunch of really interesting stuff.
I still don’t really know many people, especially here in Brooklyn. Friday I had a very nice evening with Kevin and his mother, but they’re in Queens, which isn’t exactly proximate. Yesterday I met up with David Opela, also a new transplant from St. Louis, and we walked around Cobble Hill for a while, which was cool. I think I may have found a guitar teacher, and unbelievably, he’s only three blocks away from me. What a find. I have my first lesson with him on Wednesday, and I have high hopes.
Now that I have a camera phone, I’ve been taking pictures while out on my walks. I’ll post some of them as I get some good shots.
Posted by alex at 07:58 PM | Comments (0)
July 21, 2006
48 Hours
Power came back on about three hours ago, after 48 hours of darkness and heat. Yesterday the heat index reached 120 degrees, and I spend most of the day over at Brody’s (his power was unaffected, thankfully), and then Ben and Carol Ann very generously offered me their place (also unaffected) for the night, as they’re both out of town.
So I’ll dispense with the stereotypical “you don’t know what you’ve got ‘till it’s gone” platitudes and just say thank you to AmerenUE for restoring my electricity. As of right now, hundreds of thousands of people around the city are still without power, AC, refrigeration, or lights, and I’m very grateful not to be among them anymore. I bought a disposable camera tonight, and tomorrow I’ll try taking and posting some pictures of the fallen tree branches.
Posted by alex at 11:16 PM | Comments (0)
July 20, 2006
Powerless
Last night, a major storm hit St. Louis, knocking out power to about 500,000 “customers”—meaning residences, offices, etc. That amounts to probably close to one million people without power, including me. AmerenUE is estimating that it will take them five to nine days to restore power fully, so who knows how long I’ll be without it. Considering I’m moving in ten days, the timing probably could’ve been better… but oh well.
No AC, no computer (I’m at Brody’s right now, thankfully he wasn’t affected), no refrigeration, no lights, no phone other than my cell phone. So if you need to contact me, use my cell number: (314) 922-1923. Here’s hoping everyone else is okay.
Posted by alex at 11:14 AM | Comments (0)
June 13, 2006
Next step: Packing
I would feel badly about not posting frequently, but then I read an article this morning about how posting too often actually turns people off, and for good reason: most of the postings turn into blog clutter. I’m going for the Gauss model — few but ripe.
Anyway, I’m pleased to report that I’ve found an apartment in Brooklyn, and it’s awesome. Here’s a map of its location, in case anyone wants to come visit (hint, hint). I’m relieved to have this part out of the way, of course, and now begins the ardous process of packing. *sigh*
It’s a large apartment, plenty of room for me and the boycats, plus room for guests should there be any. The commute to Poly is about an hour, taking into account the 20 minute walk to the train station. Biking might be another option, and I’m looking forward either way to incorporating some excercise into my daily routine. It’s not quite as convenient to Manhattan as I’d like, but that may or may not end up being much of an issue.
Posted by alex at 09:55 AM | Comments (0)