Living Alone

I've learned many things from living alone in this country.

One of those things is that, like it or not, when you live in a building with doormen they know everything that you do, when you do it, how you do it and who you did it with. It wouldn't surprise me at this point if these guys spent hours just talking about what time I leave, what time I get back and how often I use the bathroom. It's slightly flattering and also incredibly annoying. It's too bad for them I'm really not all that interesting.

Another thing is that when you live alone you have to do shit by yourself. When I was young sometimes I'd hear the toilet running late at night after I had just used the bathroom and it would really bother me to the point that I wouldn't be able to sleep and you know what I would do? I'd yell out "Mom! The toilet is running!" and guess who would get up and jiggle the handle? If you guessed me, you are sorely underestimating the extent of my sloth-like characteristics. Now, I have to do that shit myself. There's nothing worse than the realization that yelling "Mom, the toilet is running" will achieve nothing except a really high water bill this month. One that you have to pay. With the blood money you've earned.

There is a high probabilty that — considering all of the times that I've left the damn thing on all day and the fact that I have to turn it on manually (with a match! a lit match!) — if my gas water heater weren't outside of my apartment my apartment would have sooooo blown up by now like a million times. (I'm safe to live with.)

The two hour time difference that we now have with the US is driving me insane.

So tired,
- E