Lordy, Lordy

Today I saw a man on the side of the road selling "Texas Blessed by Jesus Watermelons".  I think the melons were blessed by Jesus...not Texas. I wonder if they taste any better than the ones that didn't get blessed.  I wonder if Jesus gets a cut of the profits...probably not. They looked like normal watermelons.   Also saw chickens running along the side of the road at one spot. Having urban chickens is not common but you do see it here on occasion.

Well, I must say that this apartment hunting stuff is work. The last time I looked for an apartment was in 1976. They haven't changed much, except for the price. I decided to look for two bedroom apartments. I don't want to spend too much and the published rent is always a range. So when you talk to them the rent is at the higher end of the range. Because my cat, Watson, is going to be living with me, The rent is higher. Also they collect a flat fee for sewer, water and sometimes gas. Then there are some features that will cost a little extra. If you want to rent a washer/dryer that will run an extra $30 per month -- but sometimes $50. If you want a balcony or patio, one place charged extra for that. All of that was just the monthly amount. Then there were the deposit fees, which varied wildly from place to place. Some of the deposits were refundable, some weren't. Pet deposit fees ranged from zero to $200...not refundable.  One place didn't even charge for pets.  Another place, a nice place, had two options for deposit fees. One that amounted to a bunch of money for various things that I couldn't figure out...that was refundable after they deduct the damage that I surely would do. The other option was a lesser amount paid as a "surety" that was not refundable and was paid to a third party who would reimburse the management for damages and then go after the departing renter as a collection agency for any amount over the posted surety, minus a service fee. One place would only accept fees paid by money order. Then there are a few places that have income limits...maximums. Then there are fees for making an application to rent the apartment and there are fees for credit and background checks. Some places adjust your deposit based on the outcome of the background check. One place increased the rent $100 if you extended your stay beyond the six month lease on a month to month basis.

I saw a couple nice places and several that were dumps. I think some of them haven't been upgraded or even had appliances replaced in twenty years or more. All of them are small. I assume that if they are taking me to see the display apartment it is probably as good as it gets. Is shag carpet "in"?  One place had a cheap knock-off "pergo" wood flooring laid over the old vinyl and they said they were going to update the kitchen cabinets to match the floor. Oh goody. I still have a couple more to see but I don't expect much.

I drove around some residential neighborhoods to see if my perceptions were correct about subdivision houses. For the most part, the houses are too close together and the lots are tiny. There were some exceptions and I was surprised at a few areas.  What seems odd to me is the prevalence of walled-in neighborhoods. Whole residential blocks are surrounded by seven foot walls, mostly made of brown concrete blocks. Whoever had the contract for concrete blocks must have made millions. Inside these compounds, some of the individual homes are surrounded by walls.  Are we keeping people in or out?

It rained hard a few times today. Guess what...Albuquerque doesn't have storm sewers...or at least very few of them. Water pools up in the streets and then cars shower the pedestrians with water. I got one poor guy good...not just me but the guy coming in the other direction got him, too.

I decided to go to a brew pub for supper. Tractor Brewing opened a tap room down in the Nob Hill section (not too far from UNM). Joie and I visited their brewery out in Los Lunas way back on an earlier trip and I was interested in seeing their new tap room. Their motto is "Get Plowed". When I got there it was raining and no place to park so I went to plan B. O'neil's Irish Pub is a sprawling place a little farther out on Central Avenue (Old Rt. 66). It is a fun place...I spent St. Patrick's Day there once...but it is too big to really have the feel of an Irish pub. Tonight they were pretty busy and some brave folks were even trying to sit outside under the canopy. I ordered my Bass Ale and had Fish & Chips. They support local artists and they had a display of photos by a local amateur photographer. The photographer was there offering a commentary on the different pictures. He was pretty good. I'm convinced that being at the right place at the right time with the right camera is only part of the task. Finishing, cropping, matting and framing makes a world of difference and he had the presentation part pretty well taken care of.

Meanwhile, back at the motel, one of the units is having plumbing problems. I think there is air trapped in the pipes or else the pipes have come dislodged from their fasteners because every time they try to run the faucet we all get to hear this huge noise -- sort of like a fog horn and a tuba competing with each other. They have been working to fix it since I got here on Saturday. It's not fixed yet.