Apartment 352

The feature of this entry is...you guessed it: my abode. This is the fifth year I've lived in this city, and the fourth apartment. Ironically, all four apartments are on Maple Avenue, which has a homey, familiar sound to it. This sense of wholesomeness belies the true flavor of this trendy complex. The gas lanterns. The tanning bed. The palm-tree-shaded court yards. The twin concrete lions overlooking the pool which on a summer weekend, as my roommate David so eloquently described, resembles a beer commercial: oiled & tanned bodies lounging in skimpy apparel at water's edge, or playfully splashing in the cool water, with plenty of alcohol around to quench one's thirst. Yes, I and my pale skinny whiteness avoid that place at all costs.

But this is my home, for my last year in this city. Multiple restaurants and pubs are within walking distance, and work is only a fifteen minute drive away. The inside of the apartment is a great source of peace in the midst of sometimes clamourous and nearly always busy days. Allow me to highlight a few features:

• That from which I can never turn back. No, I'm not talking about air-conditioning or an automatic dishwasher. You'll notice two small white squares labeled "w" and "d" in the upper portion of the diagram. They represent the in-house washer and dryer. Both a luxury and a necessity. No longer do I need to hoard quarters or worry about leaving my laundry unattended.
• The sphere of good reception. Sadly, this little circle is the only reliable spot for cell phone reception. Thank you Cingular--maybe it's about time for another tower around here! You'll notice there's a door that opens to a railing...a fake balcony of sorts.
• My room. It's small--10'x12'--but holds everything I need. It even has room for my green armchair, which, when not holding clean laundry, is an excellent place to sit and read before crawling into bed.
• The island. The place to find the scotch and the brandy. Uniquely situated between kitchen, dining room, and living room, this is the spot where Dan, David, and I sometimes breakfast on cold cereal while sitting on stools.
• And lastly, the second-story windows open out onto a landscaped courtyard featuring a cluster of nocturnally-lit palm trees and park benches.

So that, ladies and gentlemen--and my one loyal reader from Iowa--is my home. A good night's sleep and an eight-hour medicine in-service exam await me...