So for the past week day few days I’ve been staying at the boyfriend’s place in Capitol Hill, cat sitting for his crazy feline Trumpet while he cavorts around Japan (and also cat- and lizard-sitting for the pets of one of his travel companions – more on that below). And one of the effects of this is that I’ve sort of lost track of time, as my normal routine is a bit off what with sleeping in a different bed, staying at a place that’s closer to work but logistically very different than my usual Sand Point abode, and whatnot.
But living on the Hill has some serious highlights. I LOVE walking everywhere – walking to the video store, hippie pet food store(s – there are many), grocery stores, etc… and there are all these bars and restaurants and take-out places and bookstores and clothing stores and florists and bead shops and coffee joints and AAAH it’s almost overstimulation but not quite, it’s just right, and I’m finding it really enjoyable. I mean, I’m not *that* isolated where I currently live, we’re right near U-Village with its plethora of places to purchase whatever your little consumer heart desires, etc… but it’s just different on the hill. And I LIKE it.
Sure, there are drawbacks – noisy neighbors, no parking, weird vagrants harrassing me wherever I go. But I mean, I used to live in the ghetto-ish before, so the vagrants are old hat to me, so it’s really just the noise and the parking.
And the animals. Trumpet misses Grant more than I do, I swear. The first night he was gone, Trumpet YOWLED every couple of hours inconsolably. I fed him extra, played with him, pet him, pulled out all the tricks I knew… nada. Inconsolable yowling. And he didn’t seem to be in pain or anything, he was just an emotional fucking cat. Now he’s better, though he’s still kind of whiny, but that’s his usual state.
The other animals, though – sigh. The non-boyfriend’s cat I’m watching is a sweetheart, she’s always excited to see me when I show up and is all lovey-dovey and affectionate. But the LIZARD is MEAN! I had gotten detailed instructions on how to feed her, which her owner does BY HAND – but this lizard would have none of it. She’d feebly lick something I held in front of her face, then turn her head in disgust and scuttle away. FINE, I thought. Feed your damn self when you’re hungry. But the heat lamps in her cage wither up any of the fresh fruit or veggies I left for her, so I was concerned that she wouldn’t be able to feed herself without my help.
Well, she solved that problem last night – when she tried to take a chunk of my finger along with the half-blueberry I held out to her. Stupid mean bitey lizard. No skin was broken, but still… the bond of trust we had is now officially broken forever.
But all that animal crap has nothing to do with living on the hill. My point is that I really like Capitol Hill life. I might just want to move there when my lease runs out… but then, I have until September of 2007 to worry about that, so for now I’ll stick to being annoyed by coin-op laundry and a small water heater. And these annoyances make me realize that I haven’t ever really had to deal with a normal apartment-dweller’s plight – I’ve really never lived in a typical apartment complex, at least not as the primary lease-signer, ever. So I will officially quit my bitching, and acknowledge that I have it damn good and I wouldn’t give up my free easy-access laundry for anything anytime soon. Still, viva la Hill.