Friday Penance
I've long viewed the practice of 'blogging the "Friday Five" in this light, on the theory that if you can't post something, don't, and so what? But under the circumstances -- that I'm moving next week -- it seems appropriate to take on the topic. I will have lived in 9 different homes, only 1 of which was a house -- the childhood home -- and 4 of which were apartments shared with others during my university years. The favourite so far is the one I'm moving into, of course; otherwise why move? But let's not jinx that project, and instead offer the apartment in Queens. I spent 10 years in Elmhurst, which was about 9 more years than I'd ever intended. It was my first official home of my own, and that continues to resonate in my psyche, naturally enough. I made many mistakes: not changing the locks the instant I moved in; leaving the windows open even when I wasn't home (although I was only robbed once; the more significant event was the uncanny feeling I had one afternoon, and looking up, discovering a black cat crossing from the bedroom into the kitchen, from which it disappeared. Sure, the windows were open at either end of the animal's journey, it was still a bit of a voodoo movie moment). I suppose the fact that we never moved while I was growing up and just my natural entropic tendencies explain why I ended up staying there so long, but the stress of moving has never been something I've particularly looked forward to, either, then as now. I have been remarkably lucky, however, that whenever I have moved I have had the luxury of the time to do it in. Our lease in Glebe, for example, doesn't run out to the end of the month, so we have the leisure to clean when we’re good and ready, to take it easy with the cat (who won't like this, not one bit, reminiscent as it will be for her of having to go to the airport and take a 30-hour trip, like our last move required). Still, we will have a terrific place to move into, in what may be Sydney's most vibrant neighbourhood, Surry Hills. After some of the places I've lived among the 9, location is very important indeed, but even a marginal neighbourhood can be endured if the home itself is of high enough quality. No basements or attics is an important rule. Other rules are no mold, no prostitutes or street corner drug transactions. Although it's important to minimize the monthly cost, so long as you can have some takeaway Thai or a pizza now and then, you can afford it if everything else is right. Growing up, everything else would have included "secret compartment" amenities: an attic, a basement with a variety of rooms, warren-like room arrangements . . . secret passages would be nice, or trapdoors. Here in Sydney outdoor space is the premium feature. A balcony is essential, but there are balconies and then there, well, window ledges. Developers here know perfectly well that when they put up a block of apartments, they each need outdoor space, but often enough they just tack on a slab-and-railing extension less than a meter wide outside the window and call it a balcony. You might get a couple of potted plants out there and maybe a chair or two, but it’s essentially useless as outdoor space. In Sydney that just won't do, so don’t be fooled. Get the one where you can put out a grill or a table and four chairs, plus plants. Some would question my choice of balcony over having a yard (garden), especially knowing that my childhood home in Bay Shore had the best yard in the neighbourhood. The house was situated on a plot half again as big as many of the other homes, and the backyard was filled with trees. When we were small, the house next door was empty for many years, and its backyard was a veritable jungle. The next block up the street hadn't been developed at all, and functioned as a forest. All that changed over the years, naturally, but I do still have an affinity for the out-of-doors. So why an apartment? The relatively low maintenance overhead, I suppose. Or maybe it's just part of my rejection of suburban life. I like the city – a lot. And city life is apartment living. Here in Sydney I have access to the best of both worlds. I can have my city life, but it's leafy and green and has outdoor space that is my own, not Central Park. If I need a big outdoor space, there are parks – Centennial, Moore, etc. - and the beaches within easy reach. Yes, I think I’ve made the right choice.

So much for the Friday Five.