*Warning* Optimism Ahead

I went by the apartment to feed the kitties this morning and it looks great. The fire restoration people were in Sunday to do their cleaning. When I stopped by this morning to feed the kitties I was stunned at how my apartment looked. For one, the carpets were infinitely cleaner than when I moved in. There were also a bunch of other things I was planning to get around to cleaning - dust on the baseboards, the floor beside the stove, that sort of thing - that were amazingly clean. Frankly I think my apartment looks much better than before the fire. It wasn't exactly worth the now 10 days of homelessness and the hundreds of dollars of expenses and lost revenue, but still, the apartment looks great. The hallway still smells of smoke, mostly from the crud being tromped up and down the stairs, but that will pass in time. Elaine has been absolutely wonderful through this and all the tangential shit that has come along with it. I've discovered a lot about who really gives a shit and who is after something or puffing their own shirt through all of this.

Given how the apartment looked this morning I'm hopeful I can go home soon. Maybe even tonight. At lunch I'll go for my usual stroll and get an update.