Apartment dwellers have certain habits that house-dwellers do not. When I lived in apartments, I noticed that people often would sit outside in their cars and honk the horn instead of finding a place to park on the street and manually fetching their passenger. In my last apartment, no one seemed to understand that the community recycling bin wasn't for socks and broken umbrellas. Having lived in apartments for the last 7 years and a dorm before that, it didn't seem right to turn the TV up loud enough to hear it in the kitchen, or to talk loudly in the hallways at 2AM. Now I can, and it's great.
We've always had an intercom or keyed entry system, and it has been years since random people could show up at our door. We never had trick-or-treaters. The only people who came to the apartment were people whose visits were planned, or whose arrival at our front door was delayed by the intercom and stairs. Now, it's an old habit of mine that because no one sees what I look like when I'm at home, sometimes I stay in half of my pajamas or wear paint-smeared winter clothing, or even leftover bits of costumey things (I'm a seamstress); whatever I pick up off the floor that speaks "utility" and doesn't come close to matching. These are my cleaning, research and sewing clothes. But people can knock on my door now, wondering if I can do some sewing for them, or could they mow my lawn, or would I like to join their church? And I don't know what to do without the buffer! It would take too long to run and put real clothing on. So I peep through the hole and usually open the door, and always feel embarassed afterward. People frequently ask if they've just woken me (at 2 or 3 in the afternoon). I need to learn.
3 comments:
I had to chuckle at this post, because even though I've lived in my own houses for 15 years now, I still miss that intercom & the flight up the stairs at my old apratment. It gave me enough time to throw piles into the closet and comb my hair before guests arrived. My old house had a big old window in the front door, but I was able to cover that with a shade. However, my current house has big side windows on either side of the windowed door, so there is no hiding. I can't count how many times I've had people peeking in at me while I lounge on my couch watching tv in old sweats.
Yes... we can't WAIT for trick-or-treaters this year. We have never had them, and given the busy location of the new house, I know we'll be swamped. Sean wants to decorate the front porch and get a fog machine. I think that's a little overboard, but we'll definitely wear constumes. :)
I've been trapped in the apartment thing for the last several years and it still seems foreign to me, not to see everyone as they walk up to the door. I'm really looking forward to having my own house with windows by the door again soon! Somehow life just seems too formal with the intercom and the peephole. Plus, I hardly ever brush my hair, and I don't care who knows it!
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