Every now and then, it does.
My assorted treasure and junk made its way back to me from SD. Glasses, tea cups, marbles, paperwork, calendars, bags, trinkets, mail, photo frames, books.
Things that used to hang on my wall, line the shelves, pile up on my desk, perch on the window sills. I wonder who lives there now.
Video project: Remove the west wall of the apartment, set up at video camera with a gigantic-humongous-colossal roll of film and just record the happenings in and around the apartment, from the time it was built to when it gets torn down or the world self-annihilates, whichever comes earlier.
I don’t know what other episodes would look like, but the episode In Which Za and HDD Make House would see two very different girls – the white girl in her white room with the drafting table and the brown girl in her brown room with assorted knick-knacks nailed to the wall – enjoying quiet and bliss, a respite from school and an escape from the ghetto in which they had previously lived.
Of course, one always remembers only the good stuff when looking backwards. Not a very accurate picture, that is sure.
Let’s see.. The bad:
1. School fees that need to be paid. Exorbitant, constantly-on-the-increase school fees.
2. Running down the hill to catch the bus.
3. Trudging up the hill with loads of groceries.
4. Paper-thin walls that allow us to hear the neighbour tell his girlfriend, with more than a bit of mirth and pride, and not quite enough embarrassment, that he’s been wearing the same shorts for a week.
5. Trudging down the hill to take a bus up the hill to go to the laundromat, with a gigantic bag of laundry each, much to the bus driver’s amusement.
6. A certain Kitty Cat that demands to be let in and out all hours of the night. And when in, insists on sleeping on my chest and tickling my face with his whiskers.
7. Airplanes taking off from the naval base that rattle the walls and windows.
8. Waking up and going to class early in the morning on cold winter days. Ok, so it wasn’t snowing, but it was cold enough for me.
9. Vacuuming. I dislike vacuuming.
10. A shower head that falls off its holder and *klonks* us on the head if we’re not careful.
Anyway, looking back is only for people who have the luxury of time.
And right now, I really should be showered, dressed and out of the door.
And so I go.
