ceci n’est pas une blog.

now that i’ve bitched everyone’s ear off about how much moving sucks, i’d like to move on to the good things about it, by giving you a clear picture of what i am leaving, and why i am so thrilled.

this is the story of yesterday.

i was packing, of course, when i smelled smoke coming from outside. because it was so nice outside, i assumed someone was cooking out or having a bonfire. i heard some firetrucks shortly after, and figured there was something minor going on in the area. after about a half hour, i noticed the smell of smoke getting worse, and i went to close my windows. the air outside was chalky, thick, dark gray. the fire was bad, and it was close.

after a short moral debate with myself, i grabbed my camera and took off, wanting to see something cool. i walked down the block and around the corner, following the smoke. there was a crowd in front of an ancient victorian house, starting at the billowing smoke. realizing this is the house i can see from my backyard, i headed back home.

my neighbor was outside, and there was a perfect view from my yard. we watched the action, the flames licking along the roof, the firemen smashing through walls, the ladders being raised. i got firehose spray on me, as it shot over the roof and into my yard. it was scary and exciting to watch, though i felt a bit dirty for doing it. the report was that the place was uninhabited and there were no injuries.

i went back to doing my thing. when i took the garbage out, i noticed the neighbors setting up for a barbecue. they tend to have loud parties late into the night, so i was rather wary. within an hour, there were cars parked all over my street, including one in my driveway. when i asked them to move it, they backed out and left it, parked, in the middle of the street. (i do live at the end of a cul de sac, so cars do not need to get through. however, there are other houses and driveways at the end of the street, which they were blocking). these fucktards filled in the end of the street like it was a parking lot.

highlights from their party include screaming, cheering, and clapping for no apparent reason, blasting crappy music, and lots of kids driving away drunk. while outside briefly, i watched a girl fight with her boyfriend and stumble away to her car, 40 in hand.

meanwhile, on the other side . . .

the neighbors that share my duplex moved in recently. they argue a lot, and seem to have a lot of drama in their lives. on a regular basis, they have awful, scary, screaming fights that i can hear through my walls. sometimes they fight outside, and i’m sure the whole neighborhood can hear. it is wholly unpleasant, even more so because there is a child living there.

last night, they started arguing. within minutes, we were hearing smashing against the walls, screaming, and horrible anger. it was so bad i was shaking, having a panic attack. when it got even worse, we decided to call the police – i was afraid someone was getting hurt.

they calmed down after the police came. the party on the other side went on, loudly, until at least 2.

since i woke up today, have been listening to a shrieking, barking dog somewhere in the distance. my nosy neighbor is ALWAYS outside and ALWAYS wants to talk. a constant stream of neighborhood litter ends up in my backyard.

my new apartment is in the middle of nowhere.

and i can’t fucking wait.