Hello, my name’s TC and I, uh, I’m a rental proper…
Hello, my name’s TC and I, uh, I’m a rental property addict. I just can’t stop looking at potential apartments. I might as well admit it here, rather than continue skulking around in denial. I know some of my readers, if there are any left, hate to hear me go on and on about this place or that place. Well, too bad. Go read one of the other bazillion blogs out there if you can’t stomach this one, because I need to vent.
This problem, as I’ve hinted at before, originated during the roughly 76% of my childhood spent looking at expensive houses that we couldn’t afford. But as of late, due to the fact that my old knee injury doesn’t appreciate all of the stress the stairs at the Chungking Mansions Taipei have been placing on it, I’ve become quite obsessed with looking at other options, leaving a swath of namecards at realtors across the city. Just today after work I went to one place on Heping E. Road to let them know I wasn’t interested in one of their places, but the lady was quite insistent. “So you’ll take it?” she asked, nodding agreeably not two seconds after I had told her I wasn’t overfond of the room.
“I don’t particularly like the neighborhood.”
“But one can only be a successful official when living in a peaceful residence,” she countered, using a Chinese saying.
“I’d rather ride a donkey to look for my horse,” I replied with another.
“I think you’re painting legs on a snake here.”
“The only snake is being reflected in my soup.” This went on for awhile, but I knew when she started shifting to old Taiwanese sayings that I was fighting a losing battle. “I’m going to take a walk around the neighborbood,” I said firmly, and as she tried to figure out what I was really trying to say with this apparently unknown ancient saying, I took advantage of the lull to beat a hasty retreat before I was drowned in irrelevant flowery rhetoric.
Recently I’ve been focusing on two rooms in particular. One is nearby, while another may not even exist and is supposed to be up for rent next month. The one nearby is good and has the advantage of actually existing, while the other would be even better as it’s near where I work, but I won’t even know if it’s available until next month, by which time the near one will surely have rented out. I suppose I can afford to wait, but the real estate lady was right when she said it’s difficult to get important things done if you’re not settled in somewhere. I’ll keep you posted on this facinating subject whether you like it or not.
In other news, Trial Kitten and I have reached a couple of important breakthroughs. First of all, I have been able to draw her out of hiding by opening and closing the wardrobe door over and over again, and we have established a rapport which involves her chasing an old sock around, stepping on the keyboard when I’m typingg, and then falling almost asleep in my lap before starting all over again. It also involves, for some strange reason, her pissing all over my furniture and then acting so teeth-grindingly cute just so I’ll know about it. I’m hoping that the cold-like symptoms I’m experiencing are not in fact signs that I am allergic to Trial Kitten. I suppose I’ll find out soon enough.
