I think it was a really great place to live, especially just getting to the island and not knowing anyone. But, there were always problems with the house and they just kept getting worse and worse.
Well why didn't you just have the housing department fix those things you might be asking? I tried; they don't even get the lawn mowed. This is no exaggeration: housing mowed my lawn the day before Christmas Eve. They had still not mowed it again by the time I officially moved out on April 1. How do they still have a job you ask? I have no answer.
Here are some other things I won't miss about my house:
My new house is clear on the other end of the island. Before I would start in Tafuna and drive east to Utulei, now I start in Avaio and drive west to Utulei. There are a few drawbacks about my new place:
- Everyone except Nate lives on the other side of the island
- Most of the stores and restaurants are on the other side
- I have to drive through the canneries every day
- The road is a little more filled with potholes on the way to work
But:
- Most of those restaurants and stores even on that side suck
- I still make it over to hang out with people either there or here every weekend
- There is way way way less traffic. It took me over 2 hours yesterday at lunch to drive from work, go to the bank and try to pick up my Samoan suit for Moi's wedding (which OF COURSE wasn't even done yet-- I should know by know that if someone says something will be done a certain way and/or at a certain time and/or AT ALL, it isn't true)
- I don't even really notice the cannery smell that much anymore. Wait, maybe that is bad.
Anyway, the house is many many times better than my Lions Park house:
It is SOOO much better. Look, some days I'm even happy to go to my "work"place (that's been pretty frustrating lately, but that's another story):
Djali likes the new digs:
We finally get to use the hammock that Naomi got me for Christmas:
Here's what you see from my porch (and out my front door):
Right across the street is the ocean. Because this is Samoa, the water is mostly shallow everywhere, including here. However, there is a nice hole right when you get into the water that is about 3 feet deep with a sand bottom. Three feet sounds pretty sad, but when the water is warm, super clear, and you can see bright blue fish swimming around you just with your bare eyes, it's pretty nice.
If you walk (or swim if the tide is high) about 100 feet from there straight to the left, you get here:
If you instead went straight out, you get to a nice little snorkelling hole that is up to about 9 feet deep (that's pretty deep for most places here) and there are even some rocks that you can jump off of into 5 foot deep water. Honestly, right across the street is one of the better beaches on the island. We're pretty lucky to have found it.
Coming home to this place makes it so much better than coming home from work and going from one rot-hole to another.
Moi's wedding is tomorrow. So no update til at least Saturday...unless my internet stops working. I'll try to get caught up relatively soon.
I got my suit today. They didn't do what I asked them to do except use the correct fabric (that I provided) but at least it sort of fits; which is a lot more than I can say for Naomi's outfit. Apparently between the time the measurements were taken and today she's lost about 50 lbs; or that's what you'd have to think to make sense of the outcome. Or maybe I'm just not used to getting things tailored. Is it normal to have to cut a dress apart and sew it back together yourself in order to make it fit?
Posts
15 comments:
I am amazed at how much that house has deteriorated! I looked back at your early posts to see the condition when you moved in. Then to see the current pictures, I can't figure out what would have made it get so bad!
I don't remember reading anything about a Tsunami hitting the island, or of a giant dirt/mold infestation, or even the dreaded "Crazy Pealing Ceiling" syndrome.
I tried to think back to some of your other residences to see if I could identify any kind of common denominator:
1) When you roomed with me at the fraternity, we shared our room with a family of possums that roamed the floors among the dirty clothes and the loose potatoes that had worked their way out of the open bag. We did not know they were possums at the time, but we knew something was down there, and that the problem would go away (temporarily) by throwing a shoe in the area of the noise. You also slept underneath a leak coming from the above restroom.
2) In San Diego, you shared your home with a colony of roaches. Some were alive, and some were dead.
3) The lawn at your Seattle / Bellevue / Kirkland houses often exhibited the Unmowed Landscaping theme.
Nothing in this research seemed to show any behavior that might lead to your AS house's demise.
So, I am left to wonder what could possibly make a house go from that "Before Masser" condition to the "After Masser" condition in just over a year?
Also, did the dog go with you, or is he staying with the old house?
My house was rotting because the wood just rots her after 40 years in the humidity, for one reason. But a bigger reason was that there was an unfixed leak making everything super wet all the time in the middle of the house. After I moved out, they went in and finally looked at it and ripped up the floor and all the walls. It has now been a couple months and of course it has not changed from that one day of work.
It isn't my job here to mow the lawns is the difference. If I was supposed to mow the lawn and didn't, well that'd be my fault. But people are getting paid to keep my house in somewhat working order and to mow the lawns.
The opossum and SD stories are true. But our lawn (at least the front lawn that people see) wasn't usually that bad in the Laurelhurst house. (or the Juanita house...thanks Pete)
Bila is now Alden's dog. I'm sure her stink scares his bats.
Wow Masser that's a nice view to have. Do you think this place will come with a dead rat too?
Ooooo....your new house looks awesome. Wow! I cannot believe how those places in Lion's Park have fallen apart. My uncle worked for the FAA back in the day and they lived across from the tennis courts. Funny. I used to think they lived in a posh mansion...now I know better.
And I could be wrong as I haven't lived on the rock since '87, but do you live across from $2 beach? That's what it looks like. Cheers!
And do let us know when you discover the first rat.
Your blog is just excellent. You have a real flare for photography. I've read through most of the blog now and I was wondering if you will be staying after your 2 years run out? If that's too personal of a question, my apologies.
- It is right across from $2 beach, nice job. I was just out in the lazy river there today.
- I think I won't be here after my contract runs out. It is a slight possibility that I'd take another job here if it paid enough. I probably won't be re-upping at the AGs unless there are some significant changes, and I doubt that's very likely.
Is there any way we could trade email addresses? I've been looking at jobs in AS was wondering if you could tell me what it's like at the AGs office. My email is seriouslyunserious@gmail.com
Are those real walls on your house?
Great success!
Do you still have to pay the village $2 for the beach now that you're a resident?
Who's Blazer is parked in your carport? Where's Barbi? Do they still talk about her on the radio?
WHAT ?
Dear Anonymous Law Student:
Most of those photographs were taken by someone else. Me. Thank you for the compliment.
Dear Aaron,
Taking credit for someone else's photographing skills is unacceptable. My attorney will be in contact with you regarding a settlement. Ironically, since you are my attorney, you will be suing yourself. See you in court!
Dear Adrian,
Please try to keep up. That Blazer is Naomi's and it has a name. I can't remember it but that's beside the point. I am sure Aaron will explain Barbie's fate in future blogs, and for the record she was like that when I got there.
It's impossible to "keep up" when we only get one post a month!
Adrian,
You have a good point, sorry.
Aaron,
More posts, quicker, faster...
Those aren't your original photos? For Shame Sir! For Shame!
Shane may have taken one of those pictures when he was out here, but the rest are mine and anyway, if he did take any on this post it was with my camera. I obviously probably didn't take any pictures that contain me.
That blazer is Naomi's rig, Spitty.
I hope to get an update finished today, but I'm watching Indiana Jones, so we'll see.
Post a Comment