And again I move! Tomorrow I will sign the lease and write the deposit check for my very own cottage straddling the Oakland-Berkeley border and tucked away in a nest of quietude. The address is officially Oakland — 685 66th St. Oakland, to be exact — but it lacks the intense urban that both the street and the city might imply. Rather, it is a cute and cozy 4-room single residence tucked behind another house closer to the street. After I sign the lease tomorrow I will post some photos that will explain all.
For now, I’ve captured some satellite photos from maps.google.com:
My new East Bay environs
My new ‘hood
I must note the advance of technology that has elapsed in the last 10 months since I posted satellite snapshots of my (then) new apartment on Grove St. Those photos were generated with software from Keyhole, which, at the time, was a pay-for-use service. Of course, Google gobbled up Keyhole and, in less than a year, has made that technology available for free at maps.google.com, along with some amazing enhancements. I don’t know if this is an endorsement for Google or merely professed wonder at the tireless trudge of technology. Either way, I’m keeping my head up eyes peeled for what’s next. But I digress…
Finding this place was an exercise in absolute ease and total flow. I made the final decision to move within the last few weeks and was preparing myself — and my roommates — for a November 1st departure. The reasons are many and varied, but they can be condensed into two: lessen my commute and have my own space. At first I figured that I should take my time looking, and that I would need to in order to find the right place. But soon after the decision was made, I started to feel antsy and ready to get it over with. This despite having no clear idea of which neighborhood I wanted to live in in the East Bay.
While I had begun to visit places, I was mostly getting the feel of a few neighborhoods, doing some necessary strolling and enjoyable eyeballing. Well, yesterday, sort of on a whim, I decided to do exactly that in Berkeley, and included a visit to the cottage. Long story short, everything fit. Groovy pad, laidback landlords and excellent locale — 3 blocks from Ashby BART and 6 or 7 from one of the great health food stores of all time, Berkeley Bowl. So, what does one do when presented with near ideal situation? One goes with it. More to come, soon.
And it just gets better:
So, to add to the stunning simplicty of this move, the seemingly harmonious way in which the process has unravelled, if you will, my roommates have already found someone to take my place at 1664 Grove. Evan’s roommate John just returned from 2 months in South America and needs a room immediately. I came home last night to find Rebecca, Evan and John sealing the deal — I will move out and John will move in. Just like that. No ads, no interviews, no stress. Easy.
But it gets a little stranger. I’ve noted the 2 months travelling in parts south, something that John and I seem to share prior to moving into 1664. Beyond that, Rebecca seems to think that John and I are extremely similar. Granted, this is after meeting him only once, but it does have a ring of truth: political leanings, lifestyle, general demeanor.
Whether or not we are exactly alike is not of any great importance, I suppose. But even the suggestion, alongside all of the other strange synchronicities wrapped up in this move, assures me that this move is right and good and meant to be.
Filed under: At Home
