Chaos, Both Infuriating and Exciting

So here's the story. The people moving into our old place were to come over yesterday right after work so we could introduce them to the ancient landlord couple, who live in another of the row houses. So I went over there to meet them, and ran into his lordship and her ladyship sitting in front of their estate. I told them that the new people would be coming by any minute and they said, "Well, that's fine, but we have someone else in mind. If she doesn't want it, though, your friends can have it." To which I said, "But we told you a month ago that we'd found someone to take the place. They're moving in this weekend." To which they said, "No you didn't. You only said someone was coming to look at it." Then I think the conversation went something like, "Yes, I did," "No, you didn't," "Yes, I did," "No, you didn't," "Yes, I did," and then his lordship started shaking his wizened red head back and forth violently.

Then he said, "Well, who are these people anyway? What do they do?" which made me even madder because when I'd originally told him they were going to move in he wouldn't listen to descriptions of them, saying only, "As long as they give me a cheque every month, I don't care who they are." I started telling him about how they're a nice young couple and I know the guy because he manages the coffee shop I go to every day and I've also played some shows with him, and that got the landlord really mad. "Young? No, I don't care for that. Musician? No no no, I don't care for that at all. The woman we have in mind is responsible. She's in the navy." I started shouting that they're moving in, the landpeople handed me an application form to give the young couple, and I walked away furious and shaking.

I really didn't relish the thought of bringing the dreadlocked girl and newlly-mohawked guy over in the mood I was in, what with their tattoos and piercings and all, to duke it out with the old couple, so I was just as glad when they didn't show up. Alison and I walked back to our new place in a funk, only to discover a phone message that they were just finishing up a couple of beers and would be over shortly. I called them and told them the story, they still wanted to come over to meet the duke and duchess, so Ali and I walked back to face the music. Weirdly, after an initial angry explanation of why he would never shake their hand and a warning that they would be out if he heard one loud party, the feudal lord became sweet as pie, as did his wife, and ended up saying that they would tell their friend not to bother coming to look at the place. Then he talked our ears off for probably about an hour — he was in rare form — while his wife went over the form with the young woman. We really wanted to eavesdrop on that conversation, but all we managed to pick out over the gravy=>pasta-sauce=>soup recipes and stories about hookers in 1930's Belgium versus those in present day Halifax was, "So, what religion are you exactly?"

Anyway, all's well that ends well, I guess, though I still had traces this morning of the stress the whole situation caused me. Luckily, our new place is really great and just getting greater every day. Here are some pictures, as I promised you, of the painted rooms with their disorganized piles of junk. I mean valuable possessions. They were all quickly snapped and even more quickly Photoshopped.

- Andrew








P.S. The blue curtains are probably going, but we'll see.

P.P.S. Here's a shot I took tonight when I went for a bike ride out to the northernmost end of the peninsula to see a billboard that was supposed to be up yesterday which I produced. For some reason, it's not up yet. But the ride was worth it, as the sky was doing some pretty amazing things. It'd been sunny and humid all day, and then in the evening a cool, high fog rolled in and it seemed like it might rain. But there was also still plenty of clear blue visible. Turneresque!