So I’m finally moved in to the new condo. Well, “moved in” is a bit of an understatement. Currently most of my stuff is in randomly dispersed boxes on the floor of the new place… except for my computer, which is still at my old apartment. Unfortunately, this is the only place where I have internet connectivity right now. It’s kind of funny, actually, sitting here with my expensive electronic equipment in a grubby and completely unfurnished apartment… it’s like being a brand-new bachelor all over again.

Aside from unpacking and cleaning, there are still lots of things to do. For one thing, I’ve got to let various folks know where I am. It’s a looong list. At the top are family, friends, and various financial institutions. Further down: dentist, optometrist, alumni association. At the bottom we have the peculiar category of Magazine Companies Who Send Me Magazines That I Don’t Ever Remember Subscribing To. For some reason, Forbes and Sports Illustrated decided to just start sending me magazines. For free. Can’t imagine this is a good business model for SI and Forbes, but what do I know.

Actually, I suppose I don’t mind Sports Illustrated so much, I just tear out all baseball related articles and discard the rest. But Forbes… Forbes is just so tedious. Democrats: bad. Republicans: good. Lawyers: bad. Deregulated markets: very, very good, except when it comes to certain pet issues such as stem cell research, in which case the free market is bad and lawyers are good. Maybe I should just take this opportunity to call Forbes and cancel my “subscription”. Then again, maybe I like the fact that they’re wasting resources on the likes of me. On the other hand, while I’d like to stick it to Steve Forbes — and let’s face it, who woudn’t — the worthless magazines he sends to me are consuming paper, chemicals, gas for distribution. Because of my petty nature, rainforests are dying that I could have saved! Oh, my aching head.

The one thing I’ve learned while calling up all these institutions is that “La Maison” is a very bad choice for a street name. You have to spell it out for everybody, and it’s always pronounced back, “lah may-sin” (rhymes with “raisin”). Clearly, high school French is in serious decline. Only two people have got it right so far: the synthesized computer voice at my Visa company, and a scratchy-voiced lady named “Kitty” at the local water company. At least Kitty knows how they say “maison” down in old Par-ee, by God. And while we’re on the subject — if a condo complex is on La Maison street, isn’t that false advertising? Maybe we can take a vote on changing the street name at the next condo association meeting. I bet “Freedom Street” would sail right through.