don't step on the turtle

given last night's adventures, Christine and I were looking forward to a night in. however, i found a flat online at lunch that had a viewing tonight, so we decided to take a quick trip up to hoxton. i looked at a place in this neighborhood the other night and really liked the area...good transport links, walking distance to work, cute in general, and WELL LIT. :0

it was drizzling (spitting, really) a bit when we set out, but not too bad. after about a 25-minute walk, we arrived at a building that slightly resembled a shorter version of the siddall dormitory at UC. my first thought was "ex council housing". council housing is basically section 8, and there are a lot of buildings around that USED to be council housing and are now converted. i would also liken this building to the roadway inn along central parkway on the edge of clifton.

i was frightened, but upon looking in a few people's windows (don't judge me for being nosy), we decided it might be an ok place. the current tenant opened the door and we were treated to:

- a really odd smell that i couldn't place

- beige outdoor carpeting that no one had bothered to tack down at the edges

- a pile of shoes and a basketball

after a quick peek in the kitchen (good sized fridge!), we meandered into the living room to meet the other tenants, who turned out to be a couple, intertwined on the couch like overgrown rose bushes. they were watching Elf. we introduced ourselves and i shifted slightly in an effort to look a little less terrified when Christine cried out "don't step on the turtle!"

i looked behind me and sure enough, a turtle was crawling around on the carpet next to my foot. at that point the doorbell rang, and the turtle took off towards it. the housemates scrambled after the little guy (girl) screeching "get the turtle!!" luckily someone grabbed it up before it could escape into the concrete hallway.

two more flat hunters came in and we all had the grand tour together. four of us pondered the bedroom, while Christine waited in the hall next to the bathroom. she later mentioned that a bottle of vagisil was sitting on the sink.

there wasn't much more to see, so the housemates invited us to have a seat on the futons for a chat. they were actually really friendly, and i felt like i was back in the Peruvian hostel. then two of the three housemates lit up cigarettes. FINALLY we were able to leave and Christine and I escaped into the night. we hit the hallway and she literally whispered "run".

which we did, laughing our asses off as we scuttled out of the tenement.

the whole thing is hysterical actually, even the part when it starting pouring SIDEWAYS on our walk home. i looked down at one point pondering what looked like a "stain" on my pants, only to realize it was the only dry spot remaining. i am cracking up as i type this thing out.

time for a glass of wine and some vitamin C.