When we first started to talk about what we were doing this weekend, I was originally planning to go to RQS's place as Marian. However, I didn't have enough of my winter wardrobe ready for a cold weekend (cold by recent standards, that is) in NYC. So, I surprised RQS by picking her up at the doctor's office as Mario and was lucky to find a spot near her house.
Why were we in NYC this weekend?
When one has an apartment in an older part of the city, one has to deal with vermin of all sorts (rodents, roaches, and other unwanted critters) on a regular basis. This weekend, the exterminator was scheduled to come between 12 and 1 pm. (In the past, he was scheduled to come between 10 am and noon, but things changed lately.) So, both of us got showered and dressed, then waited - and waited for an exterminator who never came. After a call to the super, we gave up and left for our next stop - RQS's storage compartment.
RQS has been cleaning out her storage compartment as long as I've known her. Don't get me wrong. She has a room sized compartment near her home which contains the detritus from her late parents' house which she has had to sort through over time. So, we ended up spending time there, sorting through boxes, compacting empty cardboard boxes, and making it easier to get at things in the compartment. After a couple of hours there, it was time to return to her apartment to rest a bit.
One of the movies we wanted to see is Conclave. It is a story about what happens when a pope dies, and the political shenanigans which occur when some cardinals jockey to be elected pope. Without giving away the final wrinkle in the film, there is bribery, there is a child born out of wedlock, and there is an incognito cardinal (with certification) who has been serving in Kabul, Afghanistan - all the things that would make a story about a papal Conclave interesting. We highly recommend this movie for those who like intelligent drama.
Once the film was over, we ended up going back home. And that's where things became sour. One neighbor was having a party, playing music loud enough to make the glassware in RQS's curio cabinet rattle. One could feel the floor thump a little due to the repetitive bass line from the loudness of the music being played. It was 10:30 pm, and we wanted to sleep. Our next door neighbor on the same floor was also being annoyed. Since we couldn't be sure of whether it was the apartment below us causing the problem, or the noise was from the building next door, RQS called the police. 30 minutes later, it seemed as if things quieted down. Just as well - I'd hate to see things continue like this because of an inconsiderate neighbor.
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