And now for something completely different... co-habitation

Well my 2-year lease was up on Nakano and so Mari and I talked about what we were going to do. While her cubbyhole at Tama Plaza has been my de facto abode for the past year, my stuff had remained at Nakano. After many calm and considered debates we decided that two could live as cramped as one.

Mari looked into a moving company, but after selling my fridge, microwave and other assorted biggish things, it wasn’t worth the cost. I now no longer possess anything bigger than a backpack. This is kind of exaggerating as I’ve got a bookcase of books, but I prefer to think of them as individual units rather than as a whole. Semantics, however, won’t get the boxes of books down two flights of stairs.

And so this is when it was confirmed that I’m suffering from Chronic Pissweak Syndrome. For more than a year I ain’t done nothing more strenuous than reach for the remote. Doesn’t say much for my sex life. Anyway, I knew that the middle was getting a little soft around the edges (phnarh), and the second chin seemed to be taking out a mortgage on a third, but I still kidded myself that should the moment arise the body would be willing (phnarh, phnarh). Carrying on Up the TV down the stairs put paid to that fantasy.

Thus last weekend my bongos made their way to Tama. A little dinky toy minivan was hired, and Mari drove it. Its feature was that it had a car navigation system. The car navigation’s feature was that should the sky be slightly cloudy, it stopped working (car navigation, not sky). Luckily on Sunday the sky wasn’t cloudy.

Unluckily it was pissing down. Did I mention it was also freezing? Yes, freezing but not frozen, for the predicted snow never turned up. And most of the way we were driving under a freeway, so the car navigation never stood a chance. The navigation system’s brand was “Gorilla” and so it did have a rather cool King Kong inspired character that strode across the digital cityscape. However 'twas inclement weather that killed the savage beast, and Kong went down like the proverbial two dollar hooker to the inclement weather. It was up to me to navigate using the paper database. The machines have made me soft, for apparently I can’t read maps or find things in the refrigerator. It’s quiche for lunch for me from now on. We eventually made it close to my place, close enough that I could recognize streets.

Shortly after this the attack of CPS occurred. It was after carrying the stuff down to the van. By the end of 15 minutes of what most would consider only slightly strenuous exercise, my limbs were shaking and I knew that on the morrow I’d be feeling cramps, and not the good kind, neither. I was really looking forward to the second stage - humping the whole lot out of the van into the new place. But let’s always look on the bright side of life – the destination was on the first floor.

Well it must have turned out all right, or I wouldn’t be here typing this now, would I? But a new resolution may need to be added to the New Year’s list.

I will do some exercise.

How mid-life crisis is that? Maybe I should buy a mountain bike?

This weekend will be spent finding homes that don’t exist for a second set of everything that Mari already owns, plus some things she doesn’t. At least there’s a space on the floor for the futon.