Well, this is it. I am vacating good old Azamino Haus in search of cheaper housing. I never thought of myself as a bounder, but here I am moving again. This is the second time I have moved in as many months, though the first time was only from one room to another. Still, it's hard to feel at home when you can't settle down.
Maybe that is what I am doing on a subconscious level. See, I want to go home and get my life started soon. Don't get me wrong, this is a great experience, and I am learning a lot more about myself than I thought I would, but I don't plan to be here too much longer. So, I am probably not letting myself get too comfortable.
Because I have no money, I had to move everything from my old apartment to the gaijin house on my own. The gaijin house is at Miyamaedaira (three stops away from Azamino on the same line), so it wasn't too far away. Thing is, when you have to move everything two bags at a time, it becomes something of a chore.
I stole a clothes rack from Nova. I took a futon too. It's not a big deal, the guys can just order another one if they want. I know I shouldn't take things from Nova, but here's my reasoning: ---
You should have seen the looks I got from people as I wheeled this thing down the street (this pic was taken on the train platform, with my phone cam). What was really fun though, was hiding behind pillars and waiting for the subway staff to turn away and then quickly bolting to the next pillar. It took me like 15 minutes to get up to the platform. I was like Solid Snake, minus the SoComm.
Well, this is it. The walls are bare cement, a nice shade of prison-grey. Lord, this place is so small. It's even smaller than the first room I had in Azamino Haus. Is this even legal? Well, this is the land of capsule hotels, so I suppose it is.
I bought a little folding chair from the 100 yen shop yesterday, before the concert. It hurts my butt if I sit in it too long, but was so perfect for my other room, was the exact height for my beloved table. Speaking of which, I had to leave that behind in the other apartment. It killed me to do it because I loved that little table, but there was no way I could play hide-and-seek with the station guards, while trying to balance a 40-pound table on my back.
I am not sure that I can find a replacement for my little table, but I remain hopeful. In the meantime, I am just using a box. Boxes are great. My girlfriend used to sleep on one. =)
I've got a little fridge in the corner. It holds even less than you think it might. Maybe a day or two's worth of food. That's not going to be a problem for long though. The heater's controls are all in Japanese, so I have no clue how to operate it. I figure by mid-December, I can just leave my groceries on the floor and they will keep just as cold as in the fridge.
Man, that wall is so depressing. Hey, do me a favour, would you please? Send me pictures so that I can tape them to my wall and cover up this grey. I would really appreciate that.
Here is my email address: brian@ hatesauce.com. Or, if you are going to send me a physical photo, just let me know and I will give you my mailing address. The thing is, I am not sure how long I will be here. A bounder cannot stay in once place too long, lest he lose his designation.
Well, this is my closet. It's tiny as hell, but what can you do? Jason (my old flatmate who now lives here) asked me today if I would be interested in finding a new place, closer to the city. I have to stay here a month at least, so we shall see.
This place isn't really as bad as I am making it out to be. The people here are genuinely friendly. There are some good things about this place though. I get full reception on my cell phone in my room, which means that I can receive calls from home without having to run out onto the balcony in my underwear. This also means that this place isn't earthquake-proof. I'm sure there are other good things too, I will let you know when I figure them out.
This is the view from my room. A parking garage. *sigh* The walls are made of cement here, so sound hardly travels through them. I am beginning to wish that the door and windows were made of cement too, as I can hear every single footstep outside and the gurgling of the little river that passes in front of the house.
I've
been debating as to whether I should get a DVD drive for my laptop here.
It would come in handy for all those days I have nothing to do, I could
just pop on down to the rental place and get a movie. Which reminds me,
I have to get my gaijin card changed. It still has my old address on it.
Man, there's a whole slew of people I have to tell about my address change,
the insurance company, the bank, Nova, and I am sure there is someone
else I am forgetting.
Oh right, my family.