last night at 4am (almost on the dot), mia shoved/yelled me awake to hear some incredibly loud clunking noises down the interior stairs of our building, followed by other assorted noises, none of which sounded like noises you want to hear at 4am while you’re in a deep naked sleep.

i bounded out of bed, crept across the creaky hardwood floors, made it to the kitchen where i had to decide between a cleaver and an 8″ wusthof chef’s knife. i opted for the chef’s knife. i looked through the peep hole in the front door, then tip-toed to the front windows. as i was standing there in fight-to-the-death battle position my only weapon being the choosiest cook’s choice of cutlery with the adrenaline slowly wearing off, i thought of my favorite line from the untouchables: just like a wop to bring a knife to a gunfight.

i stood there for hourlong minutes and nothing. i eventually returned to the warmth of bed and reported that i hadn’t seen a thing. in the clear light of day, we’re thinking it was one of the neighbors doing something. i love 4am craziness, naked and knife-wielding like some sort of yuppie braveheart.

i think that living in madison park is making me realize that whenever the class war comes (and it is coming), i’m not going to have any idea which side to fight for. where is the class-war mason-dixon line? does it go by salary? attitude toward spending money? or is there a general rule of thumb, something like: if you can take a vacation and not have to think about how you’re going to pay for it, it’s obvious to everyone else which side you’re on despite whether you hate your asshole maserati-driving neighbors or not.

sux.

the berg and i are moving. together. to a larger, quieter, nicer apartment in a neighborhood where there are probably zero hipsters. it’s a win-win. at least on the surface. it has a storage space in it, which means that you’ll be able to cast your eyes in any direction without having to see a bike. or tools. or skis. or a soon-to-be-purchased surfboard. and it has a second bedroom where the computers can sleep and where mia can work. also, you won’t be able to hear a freeway. or even a busy street. which means being able to have a window open and have a conversation at the same time. also, it’s very close to very swimmable lake washington. and though my bike commute is going to be much hillier in both directions, it still seems worth it to me. oh, and it has a dishwasher and a working fireplace. i care more about the fireplace, re: winter. the damage: an extra $100 each per month. done.

like i said, fancy:

we have one of four apts in this building. lower right corner.

only potential downside: lots of crusty old-money crusties. unclear whether their mercedes-benz ways are going to be as big of a bummer as fixie-riding 100lb chain-smoking hipsters, but i’m excited to find out on sept 1st.