Valentine's Day apart

What are you doing for Valentine's Day?

As I write this blog post, Maiyuu has gone to our new condo in town for a second day of pre-move cleaning.

'I am in a hurry to move condos,' he announced this morning, as he checked his clothes in the mirror.

He spent just 20 minutes fussing over his appearance today, which is less indulgent than yesterday's half-hour effort, so he really must be serious.

When we met the owner of our new place the other day, the condo looked clean. However, it takes a gay eye, I suspect, to really know whether a place is up to scratch or not.

According to Maiyuu, who spent a full day cleaning the place yesterday, the place was full of long strands of black hair (yuck!).

Small progress report? He has spoken to the True telephone company about putting in high-speed internet, which I need for my work.

We will have to put in a new telephone line, as the old number is disconnected.

The last occupant was a foreigner (with a liking for Thai women with long black hair, presumably), who worked in design.

The technician will arrive next week. Maiyuu has also spoken to the satellite TV people, who will install a new dish about the same time.

After inspecting the place, Maiyuu decided he would like to lay a new floor in what will be my bedroom.

He has also decided to keep more of our furniture than he had planned, as it is in better condition than the couches, tables, and chairs which the owner has provided.

That is the problem with renting furnished places: the fittings are invariably old and used. We did not want a furnished place, as we have everything we need already.

However, most places for rent in town are furnished. The owners appear to expect that tenants will be newcomers to the city, arriving with nothing, not long-term residents such as us, moving to town from the sticks with their own household goods.

In the end, we had to opt for a furnished place, as there are more of them on the market.

We have asked the owner to store some of her stuff. We will move some of ours to her place, and try to sell the rest.

I probably won't see Maiyuu for the rest of today, so our Valentine's Day won't amount to anything much.

Last night, when I saw him after work, he was exhausted. 'Do you want anything?' he asked in a tiny voice.

'No...just you,' I said.