Thursday, January 3, 2008

The forgotten years of old apartment.

G'day everyone!

I was taking down my family's Christmas tree yesterday. A must need to be done when the holiday season is over. The Christmas tree has been put away, but the holiday spirit should never be put away either.

But, my memories came up on me. It reminded me when I was holding an old ornament. A glass Christmas mouse. The last precious family heirloom that never went with me to my old apartment nearly 20 years ago. I sat down and thought back to 1987 to 1993.

Those were the years that I had some fantastic roommates and happy times. Except in the last two years were filled with violence caused by people who we had in the apartment that were placed there, temporary, by our former deaf pastor. We didn't know them well. Yet, they caused injury and destruction upon us.

The worst that came in our apartment was my beloved Christmas tree. My roommates loved how I tricked out the lights and made the lights do things that no other company could do. But they also loved all my family's heirloom ornaments.

In 1993, that was the beginning of the end for nearly everything of my apartment with my roommates. We had an evil visitor that was placed in our home. Forced in is more like it, by our former deaf pastor. The most evil thing that this evil visitor had done was bringing illegal cats into my home. I told him to get rid of them. He wouldn't. We tried to keep them contained in his room. The most ugliest day came just after the decorated Christmas tree was found destroyed. My roommates had to hold me back while this evil guy just laughed and said.."well, cats will be cats!".

At the end of Spring 1994, I had no choice. I told my remaining roommates to flee while I tore up the apartment contract. The evil guy took on one of our former roommates and further screwed up his life. Of what happened to that friend of mine, I can't tell you but feel bad for him.

After he left, the house was in shambles. As I cleaned what I could, I looked at the Christmas tree. I was filled with extreme sadness. Having been through a very violent 5 months of 1994, I threw out my entire Christmas stuff, including my tricked out light set. I vowed and said "when I get a new home and a decent roommate, I'll rebuild.".

As for the very cats that roamed about my house? A friend of mine helped me to get them into a box and shipped to animal control services. We had to get treated at the hospital for some severe scratches and a few shots. No pity for my evil roommate. Animal services told me that they were rabid and wild already. I told him "no kidding, Fred", because my evil roommate let his cats come and go as he pleased.

I broke out of my daydream with a few tears. That Christmas mouse has become my prized Christmas collection now. It represents that that the spirit of Christmas survives in me still.

In this year of 2008, it is most likely that I will finally have a trusted roommate again. And If I do get a nice decent place, I'll be a strict person if someone wants to visit. Most of all, I've been looking around at various Christmas trees. Done a little tinkering with Christmas lights. Some where in my mind will be a better tricked out Christmas tree.
I have time. 11 months to go before the next day after Thanksgiving. :-)

Until next time..I give a bit of Semper Fi Christmas spirit (but none to my evil former roommate!).

1 comment:

Jim said...

Shame on your evil roommate for not controling his cat. I would have taken his cat and threw the cat out of the apartment while the evil roommate is out. When he gets home, he will wonder where his cat is. All you have to say that the cat ran away. If you had done that before that very Christmas, you would have not had that problem. I wish you send your hospital bill along with a lawyer to the evil roommate to pay the hospital bill. Why? Because you said the cat had rabies, the evil roommate failed to take proper care of the cat. I support you being strict when you find a roommate this year. You sure don't need anymore things to ruin your Christmas spirit ever again.