Ciao, Adios, Sayonara, Au Revoir, Yassou and Khodafus!

Last night, I handed back the keys to Apt 10 at 28-08 Crescent Street in Astoria. 

 (Yes -- now that I don't live there, I will let you know where it is!) 

 I had moved all the furniture out with the help of FlatRate, repainted my lovely yellow and light green walls with a coat of light-colored paint, and cleaned the whole damn place. 

I am a bit sad, there is a ton of memories, but they came from me, not the place. I made the place as great as it was, not the other way around. 

 Especially since, in all this time, the damn showerhead is STILL held up with twine! Apparently, they are going to renovate the place (they needed to about 6 years ago too, but then I went and moved in). 

Worst. Superintendent. Ever. Even before his dumb criminal wife broke in. 

I think it is only fitting that, as I leave Astoria, I end this blog. 

It captures my time in Astoria, my first NYC apartment, as I learned the ropes of the city and a whole helluva lot about my fellow human beings. 

 Did I learn EVERYTHING? Hell, NO -- and I never will. And neither will anyone else. 

But as long as we all keep on keepin' on, wherever that may be, it is all good. 

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? 

JAO -- still in MA, probably still living with his parents. I have not spoken to him since 2006. 

DRS - was engaged to be married when he asked me out. Saw him 6 months ago on the UES holding a little baby. 

JDM -- still see him around from time to time, don't really count him as a friend. 

The fabulous HB -- finished her Dr.PH at Yale, went to Oxford, then lived in CO, and recently moved to TX 

DMH - neighbor who moved back to Seattle to help care for her dad 

CSF - moved to China 5 years ago. I still talk to him from time to time. He loves it there. 

ED - don't talk to her. She left the Gotham Girls Roller Derby when she got preggy with her son, to whom she gave a terrible unisex name. 

Sancho and Dulcie, the parakeets --- Dulcie passed away and I buried her in Athens Square Park. I gave Sancho to my cousin, who released him in a park in New Jersey with several other parakeets. 

Susie and Harvey, the rabbits -- adopted them out to a nice guy in Queens, who had 2 sons who cared for 2 other rabbits. 

George the bunny - passed away in 2007. I buried his whiskers under a flowering bush at my parents' home in Ewing, NJ this past weekend. and so .... 

Ciao, Adios, Sayonara, Au Revoir, Yassou and Khodafus to Astoria and this blog. You were both great to me, but it is time to part ways. 

One last time --- Onwards and upwards! (Better than backwards and downwards.) 

Bye.