2007 was a most glorious year in the life of Johnny E. Walker II. Mostly to the fact that myself, Brennon and Matt moved out in the beginning. It started out as a mere idea and fantasy, but turned to reality.
Originally, Brennon came up with the idea that him, Matt and I write blogs recapping our apartment adventures through our owns eyes. Twas a good idea, but I had thought to myself, "Will I get that kind of boredom and free time all at once to make this blog come true?" Obviously, for me, yes. I wanted to write a blog before this one recapping 2007. But that would be redundant since most of 2007 belonged to the apartment anyway. So I decided to combine them both. It is my hope that my fellow former roommates write a blog chronicling their experience through their own eyes since I'm sure they saw and remember it differently than I. I hope they can fill in the blanks of the times I didn't bring up or forgot about. So here is my recap and exploits of the adventures of the year 2007 and the apartment experience:
The eve of 2007 was uneventful. After working 10 hours in radiology I wandered about attempting to find something fun to bring in the new year. With Nicole being out of town, I was left to fend for entertainment by myself. I couldn't remember what Jeff was doing that night. Possibly something equally pointless. I remember driving to Amanda's house to watch a scary movie with Matt, Joe and Randi. Matt came back bearing gifts from Minnesota. (I remember getting chocolate and a magnetic dartboard) I watched the first part of the movie, had a glass of champagne with Amanda's parent's to celebrate the new year, then left shortly after. On my way out I saw Brennon and Melissa show themselves in. Rather than be the 7th wheel, I went home tired from work and went to bed early.
That is how I brought in the new year. Despite it's lonely beginning, 2007 ended up being the best year I've had so far.
I vaguely remember highlights before the time we moved in. I remember quitting my job at Alta View Lab so I could concentrate more on school. I remember the beginnings to a short lived tradition known as "Hot Tub Sunday." I remember getting hired as an EKG tech at the U, working only 1 day a week. I remember a party where Rj got drunk and got a drunken mohawk and a broken basement light. I remember buying cheap 50 round .22 rifle clips with Brennon and RJ that broke within 5 minutes.
As I said before, It started out as an awesome idea that I had brought up several times. I was craving independence from my family. I loved them to death. But they were driving me insane about all the little things. I longed to take my life into my own hands and live out on my own. I had tried with other people before but with no success. Brennon appeared to like the idea as much as I did. In December of 06, we started to talk about it more often. Ideas of rules, where we would like to live and who we would like to live with. We treated it like a secret application process. We considered all the good friends around us and considered their good and bad traits. We wanted Jeffrey to join us on our quest, but we knew he couldn't. He had to live in Logan next to school. (He ended up being somewhat of a 4th roommate anyway.) Matt was highly considered for the fact he was both responsible and mellow. We couldn't really see ourselves fighting with him very often. After proposing the awesome idea, he was in.
After weeks of lazing about, we started getting annoyed about living at home again. This posed as inspiration to get off our asses and look at apartments. Despite this, we didn't start to look heavily until the end of January and mid February. My earliest recollection about moving was a meeting we had at the Philadelphian on Superbowl Sunday. We briefly discussed rules, the things we wanted out of our living place and how much we were willing to pay. We excluded renting a house since we had no renting references to go back on. As it turns out, people are reluctant to rent out their house to 3 young men with the intention of partying and such. For a few weeks, we worked with each others work schedules and looked as frequently as possible for apartments. We would look online then go check them out ourselves. As I recall, most of the places we looked at fell into 3 categories. 1). Fuck that, I'm not paying that much! 2.) This place is shithole where we will frequently get mugged, raped, or maybe both. and 3). I dunno, maybe.
Matt and I went to a few low income places that scared the shit out of us. Brennon and I went to a lot of the more expensive places. Matt and Brennon went on a few hunts with relatively the same results. It seemed hopeless. We were considering a place that was next to a wal-mart with a 24 hours gym. Then it happened, the day we found our apartment in late february. Brennon, Matt and I were at the ultimate scary shithole getting a tour. When asked about the crime rate at their complexes, there was a long awkward pause as the old lady, our tour guide, struggled to find positive words to describe their rate of crime. Finally she said something along the lines of "It's not bad.......but it's not good. People can get their cars broken into anywhere. But we have a security business that tries to patrol frequently." That statement alone was enough for me to start backing out the door slowly then making a run for my Geo Metro, leaving Matt and Brennon behind to fend for themselves. But like a good friend I stayed to drive the getaway car that would have ultimately screwed us over more. Running would have been a much safer option than jumping into a car that was barely capable of going the speed limit without the help of rolling downhill too. We eventually left so I could drop off Matt to his truck so he could get to work. At the time, Matt was still working at Lowes with fierce loyalty. Brennon and I apparently couldn't quite understand the bond between a salesmen and the powertools he so often failed to sell. On our way out of the apartments, we passed by the complex that we would eventually moved into. It looked nice. We were determined to investigate. We dropped off Matt's communist loyal ass, then proceeded to that apartment's office (or the "loffice" as Brennon called it. Combining "Leasing Office" into one easy to say word.) We had unfortunately came when they were about to close, we picked up a brochure and vowed to come back the next day. It seemed reasonably priced. A few days later, Brennon and I came back for a tour we couldn't really have since there were no rooms available to look at. But we got a lot of valuable information and walked around the place ourselves. I vividly remember walking around the giant pond where the ducks, geese and fish were. Brennon and I had shit-eating grins on our faces as we bantered back and forth. Realistically (but not legally) We wouldn't have to pay for food. The ducks and geese were so tame, we could ambush them with unclever traps and eat for free for months. This made us very excited. (We would end up being no where near the pond anyway.) We reported our findings to Matt, who was unemotional, yet clearly happy about it. We visited there frequently trying to get tours of the rooms. Eventually, they knew us by face since we had come in so frequently trying to get a tour.
After a week or so of waiting, we got a tour of what a 2 bedroom looked like. It was better than nothing. We just wanted to see what it would look like. We were fairly impressed with the prices and location. It was behind where the Fun Dome was (or for you older folks, The 49th Street Galleria) It was right next to 2 major freeway entrances, it was localized in the middle of the valley. Many reasons. We eventually decided we wanted to put down a deposit and sign up for the lease. We did this in secret from our parents weeks in advance. We didn't want to give them the chance to guilt or talk us out of it. We were both nervous and excited. Nervous because we didn't have anything to move out with. No furniture, no TV, no eating utensils. The only things we had were the items we had in our rooms. It was time to mooch and shop like never before. This would spark a 3-part known as "The Martha Stewart Adventures," for me and Brennon. We would go to walmart and buy the cheapest shit possible. At least once every other day. Brennon convinced me to buy our own personal deep fat fryer. I mocked the idea at first and it's practicality. But Brennon is oh so persuasive. I bought the fryer thinking I would never use it. It would end up being on of our most used kitchen appliances. It was used almost more than the fridge! Matt was able to somehow get couches for and some other valuable products. I sent out emails at work asking people for donations. Which I gratefully did get quite a few. But we lacked a tv for our living room. I hit the online classifieds pretty hard in search of a tv that would provide hours of entertainment. I eventually struck gold when an elderly couple was selling a 39 inch tv for $120 dollars with a stand. It was in awesome condition. I jumped on it like a hooker on heroine. The next day, me, Jeff, Joe, Gerald and later on, Matt went to go pick up this tv. Overkill? Yeah. But it was still awesome. After picking it up, we stood outside my parents house talking about nothing really. Eventually the subject of sandwiches came up and we eventually went to Groves Market. Their sandwiches are insanely large and overpriced. But yet so good. So very good. That part wasn't particularly relevant to this story, but I liked it.
We weren't scheduled originally to move in until the end of April. But we got a call one day saying we could move in a month earlier because they "left early." Which means they probably got evicted or murdered. Which wouldn't be surprising considering they left the place looking a little tattered. But it didn't matter. We were excited. We had a week or so to get our stuff all ready to go. We were to move out Easter weekend. We broke the news to our parents. All of them had varied reactions. My parents were sad and surprised, but yet understood. I couldn't fully move in that weekend. I had to go to a family reunion for my Mom's side of the family that weekend. Which wasn't bad. It was great to see my family. I had about 24 hours to move in as much of my crap as physically possible. It was finally time. We counted down impatiently for April 6th and 7th to come. The day finally, at long last came. It seemed like weeks and weeks. Brennon and I had a tought time sleeping that night because of the anxiety. Being nervous for the unknown future. Yet being excited to finally have a place we could call our own. We got up early to see if we could drive to Matt's and use his parents trailer to throw our crap into. Brennons ball and hitch were much too big. We wasted plenty of time trying to find one that would fit onto trailer. But we had no such luck with that and decided screw it, we will load everything in our cars. Even though it took more time, Brennon and I didn't care. We just wanted to move in. I remember the first thing we moved in to the apartment. It was Brennon's snowboard. I looked around and looked him and said, "This is ours. It's finally all ours." He just smiled and said "Yeah." After stopping to eat Subway (product placement.) We tenaciously took trip after trip back and forth moving our crap. We surprisingly moved out a lot in the few hours it took us. Matt finally came by to help us move the bigger stuff with the help of his parents truck. We got about 98% of our crap in by about 8 or 9. We returned Matt's parents truck and used his small one to move my mattresses. By this time, a giant rain storm was brewing. It was my race against nature. I had to get those mattresses to the apartment without a tarp. Though Matt did suggest we buy one, I refused to spend the money on a tarp I would use only once for a 10 minute trip. We rushed the moving process and we were off. But it was far too late. It rained. And it rained hard. I was afraid of getting my mattress moldy and smelly for weeks. Even though we lost the battle with nature, I won the war. The mattress did not rot or smell. We got ahead of the storm and made it just in time. I stayed the night there even though I had to be back at my parents at 8 in the morning to catch a flight to New Mexico for the family reunion. I didn't care. I just wanted to stay the night at my place. My new home for 9 months.
After I got back from New Mexico, I had to make a lot of changes and adjustments. I had quit my job in the lab in January and was living off the income of my weekend radiology and cardiology jobs while I went to school. I would have to juggle school while trying to work more hours so I could pay rent and other necessities. I needed another job again. I went through another humiliating trial of countless interviews with little success. It was stressful to juggle all that. But in despite all that, everything in the apartment was going really well. Just as we anticipated, we didn't see each other as often because of the opposite work schedules. That kept us from getting sick of each other. We had rules in place long before we even moved in that did a pretty good job of keeping us from pissing somebody off. We had small parties here and there. But mostly we enjoyed just sitting around and chilling. To be honest, the first couple of months are a somewhat of a blur to me. I remember mostly the stress of needing to make money more than anything. Ironically, the job I had quit so I could make time for school, was the job I ended up getting back by a twist of fate. I ran into my old manager at the lab after getting done with one of my interview. I was offered the job on the spot. But I hesitated. I wanted a different. I wanted to see if I could score a different job first. Hopefully an EMT job at a hospital. But I had no such luck and had to go back to my boring job at the lab. It was supposedly only for the summer, though I knew they would want me to stay permanently. In the meantime, I would be trying tirelessly to get an EMT job. I would work 3 different jobs plus volunteer in 2 different emergency rooms for months. I was essentially juggling 5 jobs.
The summer finally came and it was glorious. I remember June being the month where I worked a month straight with no days off until early July. Matt had his birthday party for his 20th birthday. I vaguely remember Matt's beeramid and his occassional drunken temper. I mostly remember the early beginnings of South Park Sunday and a string of small parties. I rarely drank anything. I was the party pooper. Forgive me, because I will probably leave out a lot for the summer. I have such a hard time remembering the details of summer. I think what I loved the most about the summer was how effortless it was for us all to hang out. It would just be a matter of merely waking up, walking to the living room, and seeing Matt or Brennon watching tv. 98% of the time I would just plop down on the couch and join them. I remember Lagoon Day with Jeff, Matt, Brennon and Ryan. It was an awesome day featuring me, telling my parents that I was really at work so they wouldn't freak out that I was taking a day off instead of making money. A day where Matt earned his nickname Susie Q from me and Ryan. The day started good, but the night ended badly. We threw a party that got way out of hand. A lot of shady looking people showed up, brought drugs, and threatened to kick my ass while I was in my room. I left shortly after fearing things would get out of hand and cops would be coming soon. Luckily they didn't come, and no one got in trouble. The party didn't clear out till about 5 AM. I didn't fall asleep easily that night. I was too paranoid. Too scared.
But as usual, life moved on. South Park Sunday was a ritual by Fall. Eating from the deep fryer and experimenting with foods that could possibly even be cooked by the fryer became a past time. Pizza Pockets filled our stomachs and clogged our arteries. I eventually did get an EMT job by September. It was nice to have succeeded. I quit all my other jobs just I could concentrate on that one. Though I do owe Brennon a great deal of thanks for helping me tie a tie and use his dress shoes that were at least 2 sizes too big. I owe it to his magical clown shoes that I even got the job. A few more small parties passed with little memorable moments that I can't possibly recollect. Brennon, Matt and I hung out during the day when were momentarily off work. We would watch movies. Maybe have a beer or two or just talk about stupid shit. Super Nintendo had a past time for while. Brennon and I went on a quest to be Super Mario 3 without cheating or skipping levels. Of course, our tenacity paid off and we beat it inside a week. Nintendo Wii supplied many nights of drunken and sober entertainment alike. Despite the simplicity of it, we all enjoyed it thoroughly. Even though I had small skiffs with money, it was never so horrible that they hated or resented me for it.
Winter came around and we were forced to deal with the fact that we had to move out soon. After all, the lease stated we had to be out by the 31st of December. We all said we would try to move 50% of our crap by the 15th. It was somewhat of an unrealistic goal. With each passing day, we dragged our feet and waited until it was almost absolutely necessary for us to start moving. Brennon was the first to start moving his crap.Then Matt. I finally started moving out within the last week. My Dad made a snide remark as I was moving some of crap back to my old room. He said, "Sorry that your moving out experiment failed. You must have known it wasn't going to work out." I looked at him for a moment and simply replied "There was no failure here. Everything worked out. Just because we are moving back in doesn't mean it failed. If we had the means to stay longer, we would have." Every day I came home from work, something was missing. First it was the couches. Then various appliances. Day by day, the apartment became more empty. It lacked life and enthusiasm with each missing item. The kitchen no longer harvested our beer and junk food. The living room was no longer a source of entertainment and get togethers. The bedrooms became empty enough it seemed as though no ever lived there in the first place.
The last day was kind of depressing. My room was all but empty except for my mattresses. I gave away my desk for free on the online classifieds within 5 minutes. Brennon and I spent most of the day cleaning up the place so we wouldn't get screwed out of the deposit we put in for in the beginning. Matt arrived later to move out the remainder of his crap. we were all obviously saddened by the process. Our apartment was as empty as it was when we moved in. While I moved some of my stuff to my car Matt said, "It's the end of an era." I replied "Yes, a great era we will never forget." We finally moved out my mattresses and that was it. Everything was gone. It was over.
I gained so much from this experience. I became closer to 2 of my best friends. We learned things about each other we may not have known otherwise. we saw and heard things we would have otherwise probably never wanted to see (i.e Brennon's weiner) We learned more about life, the real world. For just a brief moment in our lives, we grew up together for 9 months. We were there for each other when needed. Whether that meant just talking, or having a beer and bullshitting around, we always got along fine. I couldn't have asked for a better time in my life. I thank both Brennon and Matt for the times we had and some of the things they taught me. This will be an experience I will remember and carry with me for the rest of my life. Even though now it will take a little more effort to hang out rather than just merely waking up, walking to the living rom and sitting down to watch a movie with your already awake amigo. We will still remain close friends.
Thanks for all the memories!
