Day 2

Sunday, September 7, 2008
Second day in my apartment. The day is overcast and a bit stormy. It's a struggle to figure out how to make the gas burners work on the cooker. I only get hot water in the pipes. Bought a jug of drinkable water for the dispenser that is supposed to dispense hot and cold water, but its specialty is boiling water, so the hot is boiling and the cold is warm. Still cleaning “yuk” from surfaces, some not very nice. A jackhammer sound wakes me around four each morning; actually it is someone's water pipes. Don't know how or where to pay for water or electricity which goes on a credit card that I put in a meter, or meters, someplace. Who is supposed to help with these things? I don't know. It's not because I missed the first days, because those were here on time don't know either.

By afternoon the weather cleared and I went out in search of groceries and supplies. I found my way to the Upper East Side through an apartment complex that makes me envious. Located Paris Baguette, so I knew that Vanguard, the grocery store, had to be near. Didn't bring enough money with me, so I had to put a couple things back in the end. Just as I was about to leave, Jane Harris showed up. She was out exploring too. Great to see someone I recognize. Jane is close to my age and teaches 2nd grade. She is is from northern California, has a daughter, is divorced, and left her boyfriend behind to give the Beanstalk experiment a try. She's pretty cool. We had a snack at Paris Baguette, and I discovered they have free internet, or so it seems.