This would wind up being the second time in my life that I decided to move into a dwelling without seeing the inside first. (But it wouldn't be the last.) When I went to check it out, the current tenant was moving her stuff from the apartment out to her car. There were four units on this property. The main house in front had been split up into two units. Then there were the two cottages in the rear. This appealed to me because it meant I wouldn't have to share a wall with anyone.
The bad thing was that the inside was much smaller than my apartment at that time. In fact, the interior of the cottage could probably all fit inside the living room and kitchen area. The kitchen here was VERY narrow. You couldn't stand in front of the oven when you opened the door. AND the oven was so old that you had to light the pilot every time you wanted to bake or cook something.
There was also an area next to the kitchen where you were supposed to put your dining room table. However, that space was taken up by the refrigerator. I move the fridge closer to the counter to have more room, even though I didn't put a table there.
The picture above shows the view of the cottage from the alley. That was where the parking spots were for this cottage and the one next door. Fortunately, the residents in the cottage next door always parked behind their house, so I always had an extra parking space. (Since then, a chain-link fence has been installed to prevent that.) When I lived there, it didn't have a fence (wooden or otherwise) or a satellite dish. (In San Diego, you didn't really need satellite or cable TV.) One thing that is missing from the photo is an avocado tree that used to grow there. I don't care much for avocados, but it was nice to know that I had some sort of food supply in the event I was starving.
The apartment was located close to Normal Heights. This was a great area of town that featured a lot of local businesses, including coffee houses and bars that featured live music. I was a half-block away from most of it. AND it was where they held the Adams Avenue Street Festival and Roots Festival every year. I didn't have to scour for parking.
After Operation Fake Eviction was successful, I informed the property management company that while they did not need to follow through with the eviction, I was still going to move into that cottage. They told me I could move in anytime I wanted because the previous tenant had moved out.
The first thing I took over there was the foam mattress. Almost every day after work, I would go to the cottage instead of coming straight home to Kelz and Sasd. I would lay down and take a nap for a couple of hours. This went on for more than a week. I knew that it didn't matter what time I came home, I was going to have to deal with drama. And just because the night came and Sasd was asleep, it didn't mean the drama was over for the day. It was nice to have this place to get away from it all for at least a brief period of time.
I lived at this address for more than a year after Kelz had left my life. Toward the end of 1998, Abed moved back to San Diego from Los Angeles. Because I had two beds (one in the bedroom and one in the living room), we were able to live here together for a few months before we found a suitable two-bedroom apartment.
During the time I was single, I immensely enjoyed living here. But I wouldn't get to live in another dwelling separate from other units for 15 years.
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