Well, it has been a while. Part of the reason for the infrequent entries is that while I am living in the Bronx, the internet café I’ve been using is located in Manhattan. I hope to change that by getting an internet connection. Originally, I refused to get a landline phone. Since I had a cell phone, I did not see the benefit of paying about 20 or 30 dollars in phone fees and taxes when I really wouldn’t be using the phone. But having an internet connection at home might be worth the cost of paying for a landline phone. So today I went to the public library to look through the phone book to find out about getting a phone. By the time I finished in the library, it was too late to call the local phone company, so I’ll do it tomorrow. Other than that, how is my adventure in the shoebox going?
Yesterday while sleeping in the afternoon (I am currently on vacation), my neighbor banged on my door to show me the visitors in the hallway. When I got to the hallway, I found about 50 or 60 winged insects crawling up the wall (another 20 or 30 were crawling all over the bathroom). I thought the insects were termites, but the building owner informed me that the insects were ants not termites. And, it was normal for ants to come out at this time of year. His suggestion? Just sweep them into the hallway with a broom and prevent them from getting into my room. He said that he would stop by later, but he never did. While I was complaining to one of my neighbors (the young lady who screams a lot), she told me a little bit about conditions in the building before I moved in (broken pipes, mice, rats etc…). The young lady was very nice. It amazes me that someone who seems so nice can cuss the way she does when she is in her room with her boyfriend. Oh, she has finally stopped calling the guy she is living with her “husband”. Although, today, the guy referred to her as his wife…strange. She also gave me a little bit of a tour around the building (and described a few of the previous tenants). I attached a few photos of my (shared) living areas.As I typed this, I just realized that I should have taken more photos of the building, but I wasn’t thinking at the time.
Mainly, I took a photo of the hot water tank. I was shocked when I saw it. Although I should not have been shocked, the size of the tank explains why the water turns cold after about 10 minutes. The tank is 40 gallons in size. That tank supplies hot water to the entire 3 floor building. On my floor there are 4 people. The young lady told me that there were 10 people on the second floor, and a family living on the 3rd floor. Oh, I almost forgot…that tank also supplies (I think) the steam for all of the radiators in the building. Maybe I should rename this blog “ the ghetto life”. Need more?
Today, I was planning to make some baked macaroni & cheese. I went into the kitchen to check the stove availability (I also included a photo of the kitchen), the young lady was already in the process of making lasagna. I told myself that she would probably be finished when I returned from shopping. I returned from shopping. No sooner was I in my shoebox, there was a knock on the door. A girl was at the door. I immediately recognized her from a photo that I’d seen. She was the daughter of my other neighbor, the 40 year old guy who asked me to write him a reference letter after meeting me a couple of times within a few weeks (check a previous blog entry). Although the girl (about 9 years old [I think]) was a very nice young girl, I was a little annoyed how casual she was with me (an adult she had never met until that moment). This situation eerily reminds me of my encounter with my foster father’s lady friend’s son’s daughter (see a previous blog entry).Sorry, I got sidetrack. Back to the present…
When she knocked on my door, my automatic reply was come in. Am I wrong to find it strange for a 9 year old girl to knock on a stranger’s door to come in and start looking around, complimenting me on how my room was arranged. She visually examined my shelves, my table, then she left. That was it. Am I being old-fashion to be annoyed by the above visit by the 9 year old girl?
Is that all? Ha! You must be a new reader to this blog.
Moments later, I went into the kitchen to ask my neighbor (the young lady) how she prepares bake macaroni & cheese. Would you believe the 9 year old girl actual stood in between myself and the other “adult” offering her suggestions on how to make macaroni & cheese. She just butted in like she was an adult. I immediately thought about when I was that age. I would never, never have interrupted an adult conversation. I am not sure which is more upsetting, the behavior of the 9 year old girl, or my old geezerly attitude. I sound like one of those gray-haired old men complaining about the olden days. Oh well…
On my way out, the father was on the stoop waiting for his friends (I guess). Moments later, the father and his 2 or 3 friends are having a loud conversation on the stoop, and the 9 year old girl was chasing the stray cat (my other neighbor seems to have adopted) back and forth, and I was saying to myself, “so this is life in the ghetto”. There were a couple of other examples, but I drop those. I think this entry is long enough.
P.S. – So how did my baked macaroni & cheese come out? I never got to it. After neighbor #1 finished her lasagna, neighbor #2 took over the kitchen (with daughter). I got into the kitchen about 10pm, by then, I was not hungry. While I was waiting for the kitchen I ate a half a bag of Doritos, and a couple of oatmeal cookies. I’ll cook the mac and cheese tomorrow.
