Linda’s lack of commitment was starting to get on my nerves. After rescheduling two dates and being late to all of them, we had agreed to meet tonight. After messaging her earlier in the day and hearing nothing, I was ready to throw in the towel. I have always valued punctuality and loyalty to promise as a matter of integrity. Simple ethics. If you take the initiative to say you’re going to do something, follow through with it. If you can’t, recognize that and own up to it. What’s strange is that Linda seemed genuinely interested in me. We shared thoroughly enjoyable phone conversations and she always seemed reluctant to get off the phone. I didn’t understand it. Linda was just liberated from the...
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There comes a time in every man’s week when he needs to shower. I stepped into the local Family YMCA, a little musty and heavy of breath, having finished my Thursday with a 12 mile bike ride to my old apartment and back. (I’m still receiving mail there, so I try to go back once or twice a week to collect the good postal news.) Upon walking into the Y, I was greeted by a friendly desk clerk in a red polo shirt. I presented my trial pass and slid through the entrance turnstile. The clerk hadn’t offered me a tour–she looked properly engaged in conversation with a male coworker–so I made my way through the maze-like hallway towards what I believed to be the locker room. This particular YMCA is situated...
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I had to get an air mattress. Waking up on a carpeted slab of concrete is an incredible method for understanding the delicate nature of the human skeleton. The evolution of man must have been most advanced not by the fashioning of instruments and fire, but figuring out how to skin fluffy things to make bedding. How did these early humanoids survive, sleeping on the bare ground like that? Day eight was to be one of grumpiness and joint discomfort. Knowing this, I managed my work day accordingly, leaving the office early for a quick meeting in the South Bay, then stopping in Target for an air mattress. I made quick work of it. The best $29 I’d ever spent--provided the thing didn’t pop. I couldn’t wait to...
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I’m including two entries for Day Six because it was such an epic day. Monday night was another karaoke night with Linda, and it marked the longest consecutive string binge-drinking nights in my life. Even my college days couldn’t compare. I was in rough form, the acid burning through my esophagus, compounding the snare drum headache that reverberated throughout my skull. My body couldn’t have possibly survived this. But here I was. Standing uprig–oh, nevermind, my knee just gave out. Linda and I had left the karaoke bar early the evening before, making our way to a burrito stand for a late-night snack. I was in my best threads and feeling dapper despite my extreme fatigue, many thanks to my ingenuous...
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It was one of those days. Yari and Jürgen called first thing in the morning to say they’d be late. Because of their timing, and since I needed to arrive early to work to unload and properly hide my belongings into the office before my coworkers arrived, this meant that we could not do home orientation. I had this notion of preparing them for every potential issue in person, demonstrating how to keep the legs on the decorative bookcase I’d made from buckling or how to position the car without parking (or causing someone else to park) over the lines. Type A things. Things I now had to let go of having control over. Breathe out. We decide to meet at my office. This seemed like a good idea until Jürgen...
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Tonight will be my last night in the apartment. It has been a scramble getting everything packed and accounted for. Despite my attempts at proper planning and organization, the packing process is always painful for me. I always make a list, but it doesn’t seem to matter. Complete. Shitshow. Earlier this year, my girlfriend at the time, Shani, was watching me pack my belongings for a flight home. On a couple of occasions, I would fancy myself done, head over to the bed to relax with her, and realize I’d forgotten something before I could sit down, explaining that I always had this problem with packing. The third time that happened, Shani stopped me and asked me to sit down. “You know what your problem...
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It’s been another hectic past few days. I’m finding it a challenge posting on a strictly daily basis, and I’m not sure if that’s a function of the lifestyle or not. Either way, I’ll keep trying my best to stick to my promised outline of daily posts. Since tomorrow will officially be my first day of homelessness, I will start by recapping my time with Linda. I’ll try to post a separate slew of updates in a later post. Here goes: Linda and I decided to meet for a drink at 9:30 at a karaoke dive bar. What’s funny about that is this: I’ve always said I had retired from karaoke in 8th grade. My last performance was also my first, a chilling rendition of Coolio’s Gangster’s Paradise at Annie...
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So… Linda called me back last night, 48 hours after I first contacted her and 24 hours after I promised the apartment to Jürgen. I was out for a bike ride when she called, but when I returned there was an accompanying text message from her. It read, “Hey. I wanted to check in on the apt situation. Please let me know. Thank you!” Apparently her and I had been judging this time differently… I decided to call her back. The text message is such a low form of communication, I thought the situation called for better. Of course, she didn’t pick up the phone, so I left her a voicemail. I let her know that someone else had secured the place, and thanked her for her time. With most folks, that’d be the...
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So, Linda never called back yesterday. I’m pretty disappointed that she didn’t pull through, as I was getting used to the idea of having her and her dog, (insert my name here), occupy my humble housing space. The prospect of being away for two months was growing on me, too. And secretly, I had this cupid’s notion of hooking her up with my neighbor, James. Isn’t there a saying about the best landlords being matchmakers, too? Or was it womanizers? (For those romantic fiction lovers out there: http://www.amazon.com/Unexpected-Landlord-Harlequin-Romance-Michaels/dp/0373032331) After 24 hours of not hearing from Linda, I had to move on. I called Jürgen and offered him the place. He gladly accepted. The...
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Linda. Earlier this evening, I started writing out some goals for my homeless journey (which I will post separately later). This helped me organize my thoughts and make what I believe what is the right decision. First of all, I’d like to address the fact that I never met Tre and Ali. Tre, who asked for a raincheck on our original meeting, was having trouble making himself available to come by the apartment to meet me. Since I am feeling the pressure of a timeline, renting the place before the end of the month, I have to let him go without meeting him. Ali, on the other hand, seems to have gone the way of Aaron and disappeared. He has no doubt found other housing. Such is life in the world of short-term...
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