What's he on about now?

In case the articles, essays and opinions throughtout this site just weren't enough for you, here's my online diary (a.k.a. 'blog'). It's as close as you'll come to the inside of my head, so don't say I didn't warn you
(and remember, you can always e-mail me if you love or loathe anything you're about to read)...


   Wednesday, December 03, 2003

THE KINDNESS OF STRANGERS

Finally settled in my new home after The Move, which was of course a complete and utter nightmare. Despite spending virtually every non-working hour on packing, nearly half of my stuff wasn't ready by the time my friends arrived to help out. I felt terrible but not guilty -- what more could I have done? They were great about it, though, and special thanks go out to Darcy, who brought the truck; Robert, who stayed far later than anyone should have; and Jeff, who not only gave up Sunday afternoon football for me but also fished bags of my clothing out of a dumpster after one of the others chucked them by mistake! It was that kind of day.

I myself ended up staying at the old apartment until nearly four in the morning -- clearing out trash, sweeping floors and wiping down the kitchen. While I always strove to keep the place tidy, The Move was devastating on the old place and I hated the thought of the new people coming in and finding a horror show. As it was, I had to leave behind an entire desk and a nasty old sofa on the balcony. Mea culpa.

I was inspired by Tom Coates. I don't know if that's the correct spelling of his name because I don't know who he is. All I do know is that he's the guy who phoned me just before Moving Day to let me know that he'd found my paycheque on the street (!) I obviously dropped it somehow and was thrilled that he'd not only taken the time to call but had tried to drop it off at my co-op address that very night. I traced his call to the Marriott Courtyard hotel the next day but he'd checked out already. On his way out of town, he again dropped by the co-op office during the day and they returned my paycheque to me. So, Tom, whoever you are, wherever you are, thanks so much for being a saint in the city and I hereby pledge to continue following such an example!

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