Indoor suburban exploring

So... I haven't had anything to do all week. I got back into Buffalo last Sunday, and there was nothing. Sure, UB threw a party, but that was one day. Out of seven. It's been very... very... quiet.

My apartment is the bottom floor of a house. The upper apartment is vacant right now. I'm not sure anyone is moving in, because classes start Monday, and nobody's there yet. Unless they plan on moving in Sunday, I don't have a neighbor. It's somewhat surreal, though. The house, I mean. The basement is a dark pit of the loathsome. A dank hole at best. The attic is just a large open space with a small room in the front of the house. Neither apartment lays claim to these spaces. Anyone can use them. Why anyone would want to I'm not sure. The attic room has a few pages of a gaming magazine taped to the walls, and it looks like an art student started something. I'll try to get some pics, the lighting is terrible up there. The walls in that room have giant gaping holes in them, the likes of which you think something is staring at you through. It has a little closet with a glass door. I'm surprised it's in one piece.

The basement looks like it's been abandoned for decades. It opens into a room that looks like it was once finished, but fell into deep disrepair. Three fluorescent fixtures dot the room, only one of them has a bulb. I don't know if they have any power, and the bulb looks like it's been there since the early 80's. You can tell a drop ceiling was installed at one point, but all that remains are the thin remnants pressed into place by the ancient light fixtures. The back wall appears to have been painted at one time, but it both faded and crumbled. The thin wall built to separate this room looks like it's taken a beating, but somehow still holding. Several old lamps, a stair stepper, a construction light, the wood frame from a futon, and a CRT monitor all appear to be new tenants.

The other section, the larger room, is a mess. Near the breaker boxes are a pair of extra wide closets. Dusty plywood doors open to reveal collapsing shelves. Anything that was once in there is unrecognizable. A laundry sink sits at the side of the room with an endless drip. I can't get it to stop, no amount of force turns the knob. From the looks of the sink basin, it's been dripping for a long time. It's forming a calcium mound in the spot. The utility sink nearby is covered in dust and cobwebs. It's clear nobody's touched it in years.

There are two desks down here. Old, dusty, and each one holding up spare windows the landlord brought in.

The furnaces and water tanks are in the middle of the room, and right by the entrance, so it blocks off the area behind it. Nothing is back there, so there's no reason to go there. Venturing back, I found what looks like an old cabinet mounted on the wall. Some writing here and there, but empty and broken. The door hangs loosely. Next to it is a window to the outside. Faded orange curtains (clearly 70's issue) block the view, and the dust is so thick on the cobwebs that I wouldn't dare try to open them.

I clearly did not take the basement into consideration when choosing this apartment.

This leads me to the machines. My landlord had some company install laundry machines down there. That's good. I have to put quarters into it. That's bad. This company maintains the machines. That's good. They draw water and power from MY UTILITIES. That's bad. I'm already paying to run the machine, why should I then pay to run the machine while someone else runs off with my quarters? My landlord never intended to tell me this. I learned the details after I discovered where the hookups were and shot him a rather... strong e-mail about it.

The last thing I want to do is have my laundry in that basement anyway. I closed the water valve and hit the switch on the breaker. If I have a neighbor, they'll likely not want to use those machines either. Especially since they won't run.

This old house goes bump in the night.

The rent is proportional

I've come to the conclusion that staying with my parents for the 6 weeks I've been here has cost me more than I realized. Most houses have what we collectively refer to as a "junk drawer". You know, that place where random crap goes. What used to be my room has turned into the biggest junk drawer I've ever seen. Every time I came to visit, you could not see my old bed. It was constantly covered with junk. My mother put a great deal of work into simply emptying the bed so I could sleep.

Going to bed early is not an option. It's a split level house, and the room is on the bottom. So is the room with the TV. In fact, the TV is pretty much right next to the door. There is always someone watching something, and gaining sleep before EVERYONE IN THE HOUSE puts up for the night is a feat to behold.

Sleeping in does not work. My niece (5 years old) and my nephew (3 years old - biggest set of lungs you've ever heard) wake up in the morning. She's not so loud, just very, very fast. She does not realize the impact she has on the house when she jumps down stairs and runs across the room. He, not so much. He could jump on my head and I would not realize it. The kid's smaller than a bean. But he's loud. Olympic crowds have asked him to quiet down.

Taking naps is impossible. I sleep in the junk drawer. People open the drawer to get crap all the time. Forget knocking.

Oh, sleeping at night. That's a neat trick. That mattress used to be comfortable. Not only is it small (twin), but it's been covered in crap (heavy crap) for so long that it's disjointed. I feel like I'm sleeping on a sack of potatoes. I wake up stiff and sore. I'm tired all day. I want my bed.

I'll go back to it on Sunday. My brother flew into town, so I'm putting up with it a few more days so I can hang out with him.

Turn off the lights, I'm outta here

Today was my last day at work. Ever. I've been there so long it felt like the last day of school. A couple weeks and I finally get the ball rolling in Buffalo. What a pain.

Oh, my matchbox car failed inspection. Stupid New York State putting red tape everywhere.