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listen  jim guthrie read  the little prince laugh  ryan belleville
random © design and text by near-sighted 2001-2002 |
And you can't get an apartment without punching in a whole lotta numbers and getting the phrase "Sorry, it's already been rented!" drilled into your aural cavity. Rejection. I'd rather not play it when it comes to apartments. But with the twenty or so calls I've made in my two days here in the city, I am proud to confirm that a good 50% of people out there in the world are vastly incompetent and just plain weird. One of the most intriguing ads I ripped off from a Robson Street pole read "I am very easy to get along with." You'd think a person who makes this lofty claim would be moderately easy to speak on the phone with. Apparently not. MAX: Hello? SNOWPAZ: Oh hi! Can I speak to Max, please? MAX (monotonous quiver): That's me. SNOWPAZ (expecting a more lively answer, stutters): Uh... I'm just calling about the room you have available... [this is where the person usually makes a comment like, "Oh yes!" or "Oh I'm sorry, but it's rented". Instead, I get:] awkward silence for 1...2...3 seconds SNOWPAZ: Well then, is it still available? MAX: Yes. Easy to get along with must, in his eyes, mean that the less you talk, the more people will like you. Images of living with this man frightened me and I nearly sprinted through the rest of the conversation to get off the phone and pursue other rooming interests. I met a lovely Panamanian girl while checking out a scary bachelor suite in a rickety old half-housing complex. We provided our cordial responses to the landlord and ran out as quickly as the end of my aforementioned phone conversation with congenial Max. Then we exchanged numbers. I will be going to her cooking school graduating party this Friday. But aside from that little positive note, and meeting yet more friendly strangers on the street, I have to keep pounding my head on the pavement, searching for that ideal place near the beach but not too far from the downtown area so I can continue to whore myself out as a data entry clerk until I get my head together. I looked at an apartment today that was nice and bright, but expensive. I think the girl liked me because she sat me down to talk and then as I was ready to leave she bleated in what seemed like desperation, "I will give you discount!" Not sure. More apartments to see. I see one more room tonight, and another tomorrow. Apartment hunting was created by the devil. On another less centre-of-world note: Ugandan Dictator Idi Amin has died. Interesting because the general public has no clue about how callous this man was, and how many people he murdered in his psychotic rule. No closure for the victims. And why? Well, it's Africa. End entry.
And I feel fine....... - 2004-02-23 |