Fall and Rise

My roommate and I rent the top floor of this 100 year old house in the Bronx. The old Italian landlady doesn’t live here, but her two forty year old sons do, and they don’t seem to be too happy with the fact that their mother is renting out the rooms above them. They constantly complain about noise on the ancient creaking stairs, and any attempt to communicate with them prompts a phone call from their mom, reminding me not to bother her sons. The two of them need to grow up and accept that if they want a quieter place, they can rent a real apartment like a grown up.

Today I am currently wearing my favorite dark blue jeans and a comfortable blue knit sweater from Banana Republic. My aunt picked them both out for me, which I appreciate because she has great fashion sense. I am also wearing this beaded necklace my boyfriend bought me from JCrew for my birthday, and an assortment of bracelets. It has dark glass beads strung on a ribbon, and I wear it all the time. It is cold out so I also have my red winter coat on, and my brown Clarks boots with black woolen socks that I got on the cheap from the Sock Man on St. Mark’s place.

If I magically owned a Manhattan Apartment, I’d be the happiest girl alive. I can barely afford the rent in the Bronx, and I hate being so far from the action, and having to worry about walking alone at night. More than anything, I want a place downtown that I can live in forever. Somewhere close to a good subway line and nice restaurants and grocery stores with I can host lovely dinner parties, maybe even dance parties. Somewhere I can have my own art studio. Somewhere with a lovely roof garden for grilling and reading outside. Big enough that I can raise a family, but with reasonable property taxes and utility bills. That’s pretty much my dream.