Moving On...

[chexbres]

I've read that after 7 years, a person has renewed all his/her skin cells (and presumably all those belonging to internal organs, etc).  Now my time was up, and I figured that this would be as good a time as any to make some changes of a more spiritual nature.  So I sold my apartment, which had become too expensive and depressing to live in, even though I would not make any money on the transaction, and it was full of light and air and my dog loved running laps up and down the hallway.  When your time's up, you just have to move on.

The building I used to live in was constructed in 1912, on the former site of a hospital for the indigent, and it is my firm belief that my former neighbors behave the way they do because the building was cursed by the souls of the poor unfortunates who suffered and most probably died there.  Only two of my neighbors and the gardienne ever actually spoke to me - because they wanted an English translation or a continuous supply of cash - but as soon as the news spread that I was actually selling my apartment, most of the rest of the people in the building wanted to know why on earth I was leaving such a wonderful place.  I have so far managed to avoid telling anyone how I really feel about the time I have spent living as an extraterrestrial among them, but I'm sure this will take form when the dust settles in my new place and I have a reliable internet connection in a week or so.

Due to some problems getting my old apartment sold - this will involve a couple of chapters, later on - I was lucky to land where I did.  Otherwise, the timing would have required me to rent a furnished apartment plus storage space for all my stuff while I kept trying to find something I could live in.  I was glad to find an unfurnished place with a furnished kitchen - when apartments are rented "empty", there is only a sink and a toilet, electrical outlets and some form of heat provided - if you want a kitchen,  or anything else, you have to pay to install it.  It's almost as large as my old place and I get enough sunlight to make me happy.  Otherwise, it's kind of a dump, but I can deal with that later.  The dog and I are getting used to all the new noises and routines, and are settling in.  When the plumbing issues have been corrected - and that's almost done - it will start to feel like home.

I have only moved two blocks away from my old apartment, but already it's a whole 'nother world. 
More later...

[bjd]

Enjoy your new place and your new skin.

[lagatta]

Let's hope it's a positive change. Is it cheaper?

[bixaorellana]

, Bjd!

Congratulations on going forward, Chexbres. Don't do too much sprucing up before you take pictures of "Before", so you can so show us what you started with and how you transformed it, okay?

[mich64]

Looking forward to this, great start! It will be interesting to follow the changes you make and the discoveries of your new neighborhood.

Until the age of 38, I had never lived in the same house or apartment for longer than 5 years. After about 6 years here I remember feeling a strong urge to move and it took a long time for that to pass even though I love our home, location and neighbors. I still look at the listings of what is for sale. I think Military kids grow up to either find a place and never move again or feel the need to pack up every 4 to 5 years, we were the latter.

[bixaorellana]

^ ^ ^ YEP! ^ ^ ^ Mich nailed it!!!

[chexbres]

lagatta - you betcha it's cheaper to rent than own in Paris - at least for me! I had an enormous mortgage, plus two property-type taxes to pay, plus the outrageous charges to the company managing the co-propriete, paying my part of collective heat and water bills and regular building maintenance (elevator, lighting), plus paying my portion of all work voted by the building - and these are people who look for things to improve, but which aren't really necessary - like faux-painting the metal apartment doors to look like wood instead of just using regular paint.

I got out of there just in time, because whatever was voted before the act of sale takes place is what I must pay for. This year, we only voted to bring the elevator up to code (300 euros for me) see about doing studies to see how much it would cost to change and/or dismantle the collective heating system and sanitize the room it was in, and/or put in new gas lines - plus turning the gardienne's miserable loge into something resembling Versailles (no cost to me, because they're only thinking about this).

I found a place almost the same size as my old apt, pay 1950 euros per month, including management charges, then electricity and gas which has been figured at a whopping 67 euros total. Internet is around 89 euros - if it ever gets connected...I will still have to pay one yearly property tax of around 1400 euros. After that, I just have to buy dog food, etc.

I am definitely not going to unpack everything, because I come from a military family, too!
But I am determined to find out where I packed my forks and knives - this plastic stuff literally isn't cutting it
More later. Pray for internet connection...

[bjd]

Why is your internet connection so expensive? I pay 29€99/month for internet, phone (with free calls to lots of countries as well as within France) and whatever TV is available through the internet provider.

[mich64]

Phone, internet and satellite are expensive where I live as well to bjd. I converted it to Euros and for our two cell phones with North American long distance and data it is 102 Euro per month. Our Satellite and Internet are on another bill and the monthly charge for that is 113 Euro. There is a less expensive option of cable service in town (but not that much cheaper) but it is unavailable where we live.

Chexbres, the condo we own in town is a 4 floor building with 40 units and has one of the best run condo associations in the City. The building is just over 40 years old and is very well maintained. The condo fees have remained the same for the last 2 years. Before we purchased they had repaired the roof and swimming pool and all owners had to update their windows and patio doors the year we moved in and the woman we purchased it from had already done that. The condo fees are 294 Euros per month and include heat, hydro and cable, there is a pool and separate recreation center, tennis court and a sauna and exercise room inside the building. The only other bill we pay is the phone bill and of course City taxes. We have not heard of any special assessment projects for the future as everything is pretty much updated and there is a substantial reserved fund which makes the units wanted in the community.

I hope you have found your forks and knives!

[chexbres]

Well, still no Internet, but a technicien is coming tomorrow - and will undoubtedly inform me that either some part was damaged during the move or I will have to install a new cable or phone connection, and of course I will have to wait much longer and cough up a wad of cash. I find all this very confusing, since the tenants before me were sitting quietly behind two computers...but come to think of it, they weren't turned on. Could this be the real reason they moved???

I've changed cable carriers twice, and the chargés were the same - maybe it's because I subscribe to a few premium channels, but I don't pay for international calls and get about 200 channels which aren't very interesting. I can't believe btg only pays so little - where do you live?

Anyway, I'm happy to report that I've unpacked the necessary dishes - but since most of my stuff came from restaurant supply stores, either there's no room for it in my tiny kitchen, or it won't fit in my tabletop combi-oven, so it will all just stay packed until I have the energy to think about dealing with it.
Next up - finding someone to come slap some cheerful paint on the walls. Can't stand this "wet sand" color much longer!

[Deleted]

I pay 85 euros a month for my mobile phone + land line (unlimited international calls) + unlimited internet + about 150 television channels, all in one package. I can also get about 40 of the TV channels over the computer or the mobile phone. I still feel that I am overpaying since I hardly touch my mobile phone.

[chexbres]

Well, I now have internet and television, so will have lots of excuses not to unpack or do anything else that needs doing around here. Somewhere along the way, I managed to make an error when transferring my phone service, but that's OK, because I really don't want to talk to my relatives right now, anyway. I was told to wait 2 days, then if it doesn't work, attempt to add telephone service online. Since that's what got me in trouble in the first place, I'm a little skeptical. At least there was no charge for the technicien's visit, and he didn't mind my dog licking his boots.

Next, I got an excited call from my banker - who is never anything other than excited and shouts at me as if I were the stupidest person on the face of the earth, which to her I most certainly am - to discuss an email I sent one full month ago, concerning change of address and something else she pretended not to understand. It seems that I was supposed to know that I should have called her and only her - she's never available - to arrange to send a form for me to fill out, plus provide a copy of the proverbial "justicatif de domicile de moins de 3 mois" (a current electric bill), which is needed for many transactions here. She is extremely put out that she has to do this, and I'm sick of her theatrics, so might be shopping around for another bank. My previous banker was a very nice person who bent over backwards to help us. Probably why she isn't there anymore but Mme Barracuda will be there forever...

And just now, the gardienne came pounding on my door to demand if I had a cat and why I dropped dirty cat litter all over the stairs. When I pointed out that the only cat was the one printed on my doormat, and that she knew full well I only had a dog, she calmed down a little, but still insisted on dragging everyone out of their apartments to watch her hysterics before she finally cleaned the shit up.

And now it's time for lunch.

[Deleted]

Jeez, you have moved in with the crazies!

How can you provide an electric bill when you have just moved? Is your banker from this planet?

[bjd]

Chexbres, I live in Toulouse and have Free as a provider. I don't have a Tv so don't pay for cable. My cell phone costs 15€99 per month for unlimited everything since I have a Freebox for the computer. Without a smartphone, through Free, it costs 2€ month for 2 hours of calls and many text messages, and 19€99 for a smartphone if you want data and internet.

Mich, I think internet service is terribly expensive in Canada. When I see how much my son and his wife pay, I am always surprised. But you don't have much competition. When Free (the company) came on the market, they started undercutting everyone's prices, so the other providers had to lower theirs too.

[chexbres]

bjd - well that explains the difference in price. I'm with Free, too, but have an addiction to series TV...

kerouac - lucky for me, I figured I'd better jump on this apartment before my old place had even been sold. So of course, EDF was kind enough to provide me for a bill immediately. I strongly suspect that my banker was a former Mahgrebienne princesse and as such, thinks working is beneath her.

[Deleted]

I'm glad you are gradually settling in save all the inconveniences which may not individually seem like a big deal, when accumulated though, one thing after another, it's so infuriating.

By gardienne do you mean the landlord/lady or a building superintendent?

As for the banker, I simply wouldn't tolerate that kind of treatment or attitude.
When similar treatment by one or two different banks here, I simply just changed banks.
No one should have to tolerate that "service".
I don't know if that's an easy option for you there.

The kitty litter story is rather amusing. When I tried to envision the whole episode, I had a good chuckle.
Just the absurdity of it.
Easy for me to say I know.
Hopefully at some point when this is all over and in the past you can look back on this thread and also have a good chuckle.

Hang in there.
I admire your tolerance and fortitude.

[Deleted]

imageshack.com/a/img924/5039/5o0AI5.jpg

[chexbres]

casimira - the gardiennes are usually Portugese women who have been hired to take care of the building and their benefits include a small apartment and other perks. I guess it's similar to a "super", but not certain. Actually, the gardienne left most of the cat litter on the stairs for several hours until she could corner the only guy with a cat - then she let him have it for about 30 minutes before she made a big deal about cleaning it up. It was really pretty amusing, as long as I wasn't the target. I wish changing banks were simple here, but it isn't easy finding a bank which wants to deal with Americans and FATCA regulations. I'll have to give this more thought.

kerouac - now you tell me! Haven't seen anyone providing 39 euro Triple Play combo packs in Paris, though.

[Deleted]

I have never been a journal or diary keeper because I am am just not that diligent or disciplined.
Ive tried on several occasions to do so, and, you would not believe the number of blank books I have accumulated over the years.
I do pen a bit of poetry now and then.

What I'm getting at here is your story thus far and the eloquence of the chronicle thus far.

It is so reminiscent in many ways the Elegance Of The Hedgehog with a modern day expat twist to it.

[amboseli]

I'm in Belgium and our monthly bill Triple Play is 110 euro more or less (incl. 2 smartphones with a fair amount of data).
I never use my landline but a combo pack without a landline is more expensive than what we have now. No kidding!

[htmb]

So glad you've gotten your internet hooked up, Chexbres!

[chexbres]

This morning, my landline telephone magically come back from the dead, without my having anything at all to do with it. Wonders never cease! I guess I'll have to get around to calling some relatives after all...dammit.

For me, the excitement of moving has worn off quite a bit. But my dog is still jumpy, and expects that every time I move an inch, she will either get to eat or go out. I'm sure she'll settle down, but it's a pain dealing with her at the moment and quite often I just have to leave her alone and get out of the apartment - which means that nothing much is getting done. The vet recommended two homeopathic remedies - Zylkene (dried mama dog milk) and/or Fleur de Bach's "Rescue" drops (about 90 proof, as far as I can tell). Some days, I feel I'm doing both of us a favor to just knock her out for a few hours, but I don't want to make a habit of it.

I am still waiting for a quote from a painter, which is okay, because one store is completely out of those little paper paint samples and the other store charges 1 EU apiece for a one-color paper sample (how do they expect you to buy the paint they sell if...oh, never mind - most people here just paint everything white). I don't think that's quite fair, so bought about 1/3 cup of a sample paint for 3 EU, slapped it on some typing paper with the handy brush that was included and taped several pages to the walls to see how the color reacted with the light. I think I got lucky on the first try - yellow is a notoriously difficult color to get just right. If I can get this one just a tinge lighter, I'll be happy - and then pray to the powers that be that the painter manages to get it right, too. If he shows up before Christmas, that is.

Like many of us who are getting older, some of my "parts" are wearing out. So there are times when my hands or back or head won't cooperate enough to even think about rummaging around in the 18 remaining large cartons to see what's in there - and find my damned toaster, which seems to have disappeared into thin air. I do know exactly what's in the 16 smaller cartons - all my paperwork - a lot of which is too many duplicate copies or stuff I don't need anymore and will have to be shredded on some rainy or monstrously hot day. Until then, I only need to keep about 2 boxes of important dossiers handy, so the rest can just go into the hidey-hole where the industrial shelving lives until I can deal with it. Anyway, it makes more sense to keep stuff in boxes until the painting's done - or that's what I'm telling myself.

My old apartment was blessed with 4 little closets which only held about 8 coathangers and two shelves each, so I added two inexpensive armoires in the laundry room and filled them up. Now, I have only one small portable hanging rack and a small cubby just large enough for 3 coats. I might be able to fit in another portable rack, but the rest of my stuff will have to go into bins and onto the industrial shelving with the dossiers. So while I was at the hardware store, I found some cheap but sturdy fabric bins with lids that will have to do. The only other alternative would be to store my underwear in the drawers of the antique secretary, which is in the living-dining room - and which might make for good conversation...or not.

htmb - I'm really glad to be connected, too!

[lagatta]

If you are renting, are you allowed to paint the walls a colour other than white?

I live in a housing co-op, and they wouldn't punish me for another colour, but I'd have to repaint it white before moving, at my expense. In general I like white walls, so it isn't a problem.

[chexbres]

Yes, I made certain to confirm that I could paint the walls "a suitable color" - meaning anything other than very dark or fluorescent colors.

[bjd]

Welcome to French apartment closet space, chexbres. Only now, and in new houses, do French builders actually put in closets and some kind of storage space. The only place we lived that had lots of storage (and in the hall where it wasn't as useful as it would have been in a room) was an apartment built in the 1970s. Only stayed a year before moving to a house with one closet! At the top of the stairs.

I think it's the genetic French belief that everyone comes from the countryside, from a big old farmhouse with giant wooden wardrobes. There are loads of them for sale secondhand now, but of course they don't even fit into modern apartments.

You have a Portuguese concierge? The apartment we had in Paris until last year got rid of the concierge about 15 years ago. I think that is the case in many places, or maybe just the less fancy buildings. Get rid of the caretaker, sell the little apartment, and hire a company to come take out the garbage cans and clean the stairs.

[Deleted]

Actually, my old apartment has a large walk-in closet and I have never seen any other apartment with a closet like that in Paris. I'm sure it did not start its existence as a closet, but I can't imagine what it was used for before. In any case, it is perfect -- I have a rod more than two metres long for hanging clothes (drawback: too many clothes), 5 shelves at least 1.5 metres long and quite deep, where I store all of the folded items, sweaters, hooded sweatshirts, shoes, underwear, etc. (drawback: too many clothes), two footlockers which were my original items of baggage when arriving in France on the S.S. Michelangelo in Cannes (loaded with keepsakes and trash), a professional filing cabinet from my old office with three big drawers (mostly empty because I have to move the footlockers if I want to open the bottom two drawers) and finally a bamboo shelf structure which holds the extra blankets and about 8 pieces of hand luggage/backpacks/etc. from which to choose for various trips. There is not all that much floorspace left now, but the metre reader still manages to enter once a year to check the electricity reading.

[chexbres]

bjd - I remember reading that any door in a wall qualified as a "room" in long-ago French law, and since there was a tax on the number of rooms a residence contained, people just used furniture to store their stuff. When people moved to smaller apartments and didn't have room for mamie's grand armoire, they invented little closets wherever there was space. The door tax was also true in Louisiana during the plantation period.

kerouac - I began today unpacking my clothes. I have too many things that I don't need, so will be making a few trips to Emmaus in the near future. This is really puzzling, because I thought I had cleaned out my closets before I packed to move...

[bjd]

Well, I knew there used to be a tax on windows, so that might explain "rooms" without any. Of course, nowadays, fancy big apartments and houses have "dressings" to put clothes.

[chexbres]

It's official - I have moved into AirBnB Hell.
Apparently, several people in the building have latched onto this money-making bandwagon. I don't care what people do, as long as it doesn't affect me directly. But apparently, it will be difficult living here during the tourist season.

Coming in with the dog around 7 this morning, I passed an American couple with 2 young boys trying to pile a suitcase bigger than I am plus 3 backpacks into the elevator - which is one of those very narrow things with two folding doors which jam easily if you put so much as a toe out of place. Sure enough, the topmost backpack toppled over, jammed the folding doors as they were closing and put the elevator out of service. They couldn't open the outer door to get their stuff out, either. They were all screaming at each other, so I pretended not to speak English and left them to figure out what to do. People who are this stupid don't deserve or appreciate help, anyway.

Somehow, they managed to get their stuff out of the elevator, but are afraid to use it, so rampage screaming up and down the wooden stairs all day and most of the night. I am glad they are not staying in an apartment near me, or I would have to get ugly.

Maybe I will re-think the painting thing after all...

[onlyMark]

Maybe you could broadcast the Islamic call to prayer the times they are in?
That'd shift them somewhere else I bet.