Past Meets Present

It's been a week since I bought my condo and I'm somewhere between halfway and two-thirds of the way moved in. I've been packing up and making daily trips over, dropping off breakable and easily-movable items — partly to make it easier for the movers (who come early Saturday morning) and cheaper for me, and partly because I just can't wait to live there full-time. All my CDs, most of my clothes, just about my entire kitchen and bathroom ... it's all there. I've run the dishwasher a few times, I've done one load of laundry, and I've even done some cleaning. In short, I'm doing everything all according to plan and so far it's working out just fine.

There's lots to like about my condo, but I have to say, one of my favorite things about it is the boiler room. Yes, you read that right. You see, I bought a place in an older building that's been rehabbed, refurbished, redone, etc. All the amenities are modern and new and clean. And yet, in the boiler room there's a pretty cool bit of history on one wall, where all kinds of former residents wrote their names. Some of them dated their signature, and the years go as far back as the 1930s and '40s. The most recent date I saw was 1987. And being a sucker for nostalgia and stuff like this, I just find the signatures give the building a lot of random, hidden, unexpected charm. It's really impressive that over the years, and despite extensive renovation, these names have remained on the wall. Perhaps it's because I'm not alone in appreciating this aspect of the building. One day I'll have to sign my own name on one of the bricks. For now, though, I am eager to share in the history of this place I'll soon call my home.