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Note: Although we've moved, Jon and I will still receive all mail sent to our old address, because the building manager receives and reroutes all of the building's mail. The only change to our address is the apartment number, from Apt. 407 to Apt. 306.
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Five months finished! Wow, time flies ...
The beginning of this month has been busier than usual. Aside from new classes to teach, new teachers to help orient to The School, and a new season to dress for (it's going down to -18 tonight!), we have a new apartment.
"What? A new apartment? But you haven't been in the first one for five months yet!"
True. Point taken. We love our 'old' place. But a phone call yesterday forced a change.
"Hello, this is Stony*, the housing manager, I need to talk to you. There's a problem. Can I meet with you right now?"
Now, I know that we're not really allowed to have Keedo. We've been told point blank we should find him another home. So I panicked quietly on the elevator from the 3rd to 19th floors, planning how I was going to either deny Keedo's existence or explain his presence away.
Thank goodness I didn't have to. I'm not a very good liar.
See, we'd been living in one of the only renovated apartments in the building. A few other apartments on our floor, older ones, had been recently moved out of - and not moved into. Since we moved in, the front entrance was relocated and lined with cheap 'marble' tile, the basement floor has been gutted and is being rebuilt, the floors below it have started receiving the same facelift and, most recently, we have to walk past sparks of a welder assembling an elevator where the old entrance used to be. All this in five months.
Our new place is an improvement on the already trendy, already functional little studio we'd started with. Aesthetically, we've traded dark wood for light. The new bathroom is a bit larger than the 'old' one. The kitchen includes a built-in drying rack and is one cupboard larger. The living area is a bigger lopsided pentagon, instead of a predictable square. And, most importantly, the bedroom is separate from the living area. Entirely. It's funny how squeamish some guests become with a bed in the middle of the living area. This room has already become the place where Keedo and I hide while Jon deals with the building's management. Wonderful!
The management has been either blissfully ignorant to Keedo or willing to look the other way for several months now. Not a peep from anybody - not even The School's housing manager, who actually moved Keedo's crate from our old flat to the new one himself. If they spoke with any of the neighbourhood regulars, however (not those in the building - those on the streets), they might pay more attention. Yes, he's a bit of a barker (considering his size, maybe we should call him a yapper?), but he's become a real hit with two parking lot attendants, various construction workers, hairdressers at the nearby salon and nearly any young woman who walks past us on our walk. He's even a hit with our canine neighbour, The Rottie, but for different reasons.
But I digress. As I usually do when Keedo comes up in conversation. Back to the apartment.
Although moving on the third day of the teaching month has been a little hectic, it couldn't have come at a better time. Many current teachers are leaving at the end of December, and are looking to offload their furniture. We've got a free couch and leather chair on the way from one of the senior teachers, and offers for more seating (and even a free Konika-Minolta camera!) from one of the younger ones. We wouldn't have had the space for this in the studio. But why do we need more seating?
We're hosting a little Christmas party later this month. And, since I promised Grandpa that I would make sure there's enough alcohol on hand for all, I figure that we should provide landing ground for any who feel the need to stumble into a seat.
I kid, I kid. We can always use cushions instead.
So we've gotten into the Christmas mood with some rustic holiday decorations from Canada (thank you Sallianne!) and a little wooden Christmas tree. One of my favourite ornaments is the little soldier mouse. Now all I need is a slipper to throw at him and we're set to bring everyone over for the holidays!
Ah, yes. And I'll need to attach a little bell to Keedo's collar.
* = Not his real name
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On Imwansan, in the centre of the city, with (from left) Dan (South Hampton, ON), Jay Surti (Ottawa), Richard King (Southern UK), Arla, Jon, and Dan (Jon-Erik's cousin, from Maple, ON).
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