In case anyone was wondering, the reason for my brief disappearance from blogging-world was that I moved. I now live a whole 200 yards down the road from my old place. Thanks to my friends April and Bob, I was able to get moved in by my deadline date Sep. 17th.
I am feeling fine and dandy about the new apartment. Finally, I have a two room apartment! It's funny, that what they call a "One Bedroom" apartment in America actually contains two rooms: one "living room" and one (in this case) equally large, or slightly smaller, "bedroom". In Germany, this would be called a "Zweizimmerwohnung" ("two-room apartment"). While living over there from 2000-2004, I always was in an "Einzimmerwohnung". That's "one room". I bet you are all just fascinated by this lingoism. In any case, after so many years of living within 4 walls, I am now feeling like I have arrived in the lap of luxury. And I am now paying less rent than before!
Above is a picture of the living room. As you can see, things are still somewhat "in flux". That couch-thing you see on the left is the futon, on which I still sleep. I have yet to purchase a decent bed. I expect that, until I get visitors, perhaps from among those that frequent this site, it will stay like this.
Another important event also occurred since last time I posted. At 4.25 local time last Saturday morning, I was jolted awake by shaking. At first, I thought it was my sometimes rambunctious new neighbor upstairs, doing something I didn't want to know about. This was just my first instinct. But then when I started processing brain signals, and sounds, like my TV cabinet creaking from moving back and forth, I put two and two together and realized I'd experienced .... my first California earthquake! It was only a 3.2 magnitude tremor (epicenter was only a couple miles from my house, and 6 km beneath the earth's surface). Several local people I talked to didn't even feel it at all! That means I must be a pretty scared, naive Midwesterner.
It does make me wonder what could happen if I experience the "big one" that the experts are predicting to happen here in the next 60 years (with 90% likelihood). If it's at night again, will the roof over my head keep intact? Or will I be crushed under a load of drywall and concrete? Will I still have any possessions left? Will my job still exist? Thoughts like these do lend a certain kind of perspective. At least now, I understand why people around here don't bother spending as much as other people I know in Wisconsin getting their houses all up to snuff. Why bother investing that much when it will likely get destroyed by an earthquake anyways? I don't know what earthquake insurance costs around here for homeowners. I do know, however, that at both places I've rented, I had to sign a form acknowleging that there is no legal protection if my stuff all gets destroyed in my apartment by an earthquake. And, my auto insurer, State Farm, told me it would cost much more than my property is worth to buy such insurance. So, am I living "on the edge" ... or what?
