Don't think I'm done asking for help

Anti-Valentine's Day was really, really fun, and it was wonderful to celebrate the new house with my friends-- especially since many of them have done so much to get it to this point. I can slow down now on house stuff (and breathe now that I'm not dealing with party preparations), even though there is still work to be done and I know things will pop up from time to time. But now that the obligatory stuff is under control, and that it's getting warmer (and yes, 30-40 degrees is warmer), it's time to start gardening. And as with everything else, I'd like some help with that. Any volunteers?

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It makes me really happy that people liked the house, and even happier that I like the house. I mean, I like it enough that it doesn't bother me that I bought before the economy descended farther into hell, so conceivably I could have gotten a better price, because I'm thrilled to have this house in particular.

One thing that many anti-Valentine's Day guests said was they also loved the neighborhood, and a couple of my neighbors stopped by--one beforehand--and said it was a great neighborhood.

I tell you this because the roommate that was supposed to move in a few weeks ago decided not to at the last minute, because she wasn't comfortable with the neighborhood. [I am, actually, okay with this, because I've discovered that it's kind of nice to live alone; I may decide to rent again, but I'm not all that determined]. Yes, there is public housing the next block over, but that is the case all over Alexandria. In all but the first of my over six years in the DC area, I have lived a block or two from the projects. It's actually kind of funny to talk about this with people who don't live in the city, because they make such a big deal out of it. I mean, don't get me wrong-- it can be noisy, etc.-- but it's not any less safe than the nicest parts of DC.

A family friend stopped by before the party--she had to work in the evening--and asked whether I was concerned about shootings. Now, I don't take safety for granted. I have an alarm system and I subscribe to crime reports-- which is why I can definitively say that the area is not big on shootings. When I reassured her, she said, 'oh, well, you used to live in Shaw, which was worse.' I shrugged. I also lived in Glover Park, which, together with Georgetown, are miles from any affordable housing, but host more than their fair share of muggings.

I don't really have a point, except that people's perceptions are funny. My parents' perceptions of the size of houses is funny, particularly because of who they are. It's one thing for people who are wealthy--especially those who have always been comfortable-- to think that houses start at 3,000 square feet, but my parents lived the first forty or so years of their lives in tiny apartments. People's perceptions of neighborhood safety are interesting in the same way.

So, it's with that in mind that I'm glad people had good things to say about my new neighborhood.