Yann has explained his kettlelessness. He generously donated his kettle to the bike shop and has been boiling water in a pot on the stove ever since. He also said that he’d found that railroad spike while bushwhacking between logging roads. I hope that his next found treasure will be something a bit more useful, like a kettle.
There is somebody on his floor with a sign on their door that reads “Paradise.” The word is glittery and backed by flamingos.
Could paradise exist in this 70s-era low-rise residential building? Why not?! The lobby has a full wall of mirrors on one side that arbitrarily corrugates into the corner. Fun!
The seating area is behind the partition wall. It features a pleather—short for pleasure leather—loveseat and a particleboard coffee table adorned with a pot of plastic foliage.
But wait, elegance doesn’t stop there! Two tall side tables flank the entrance, holding more fake plants, an empty vase, and a bowl of decorative spheres. Who was the first person to think to glue stuff to balls and sell them as home decor? And did they get rich off this idea?
The glitz and glamour extend all the way to the back of the lobby, where an inoffensive abstract print hangs over yet another ledge supporting a pot of fake plants, garnished by a lone pinecone.
This is paradise as managed by CAPREIT.
While I don’t personally find the building all that inspiring, Yann’s suite has positives. For starters, the cats live there. It’s also nice to have immediate access to scalding hot water instead of waiting 30 seconds to wash my hands with tepid water like at home. One of the items Yann has found for free (albeit not while bushwhacking) is an obscenely large tv which he has mounted on swing-out brackets. On it, I have access to three streaming services, which, honestly, overwhelms me since it’s been over a year since I’ve subscribed to any streaming service. That said, I’ve discovered the serenity that is the Ambient Expiration YouTube channel. It’s the deaf version of background music.
Currently, I am enjoying a rainy hike through the Kodama Moss Forest in Yakushima, Japan. Now that’s my idea of paradise.
While visions of Japan play in the background, I shall resume my recap of my adventures in Slovenia! Two months ago, our group headed to Nova Gorica, which loosely translates to “new hill.” This long overdue post is about our journey to that new hill.
Continue reading “The other side of paradise.”