Inauspicious new start

Signed the lease at 5, got the key, and immediately the lock jammed. I locked myself out after I emptied my pockets. I left my cellphone and wallet inside. I had the key, but it wouldn't operate the lock.

In a panic, I drove back to the management office. She said she would open it with the master key but she had to wait for a prospective tenant who was viewing another apartment in the neighborhood. So, I went back and waited for her, and in the meantime took some pictures of houses on the street, but more and more time passed and I got bored. I went back to the office hoping that I wouldn't miss her driving out to me. Remember, my cellphone was trapped in the apartment, along with my drivers' license.

When I got there, she told me they had called a locksmith and that he should be there in fifteen more minutes. I went back to wait. Fifteen minutes came and went. I began to wonder if I missed the locksmith as I drove to the office. Maybe he arrived early. I listened to the car radio. Then, I had to take a piss. With me, sometimes it hits suddenly and extremely. I didn't want the neighbor's first impression of me to be the guy who was caught urinating in public. However, I have to admit, I was scouting around.

Meanwhile, it's 6:30 p.m. and 101 degrees outside. It's good to know humankind has accidentally brought us Hell on earth. How have we offended the earth to cause that shit? In heat like this, even putting the key in the lock causes a flood of sweating.

Well, of course the locksmith arrived and he unfroze the lock immediately and moved the hasp. Then it worked as smooth as butter, or perhaps Astroglide.

It pretty much blew my plan for the evening, though, which was to clean it. With record heat, though, the window AC unit has to work extra hard to cool the place. I think I'll drop by early in the morning to activate it so it's cool later in the day when I come by to start cleaning.

I'm taking pictures of some of the houses around the neighborhood. I love the architecture here. It's the only place in town that reminds me of French Quarter, New Orleans, but there are differences that make it even better. (I'm not talking about the sex industry, or lack thereof, either way.) I'll post the pictures I have in a few days.