CHAT: living conditions/conditionally Re: Miscellaneous Nonsense

In a message dated 2000/08/18 04:59:58 AM, Matt wrote:

>I lived in an efficiency for a while which was about the size of a
>walk-in closet.  It had a full-sized sink, but only a midget refrigerator
>and a hot plate for cooking.
    Sounds like my living situation, except I describe it more like this:
"a jailcell-sized residential hotel room."
    In a space approximately 16 feet by 10, I have a bed, a chest of drawers,
a colour TV (on a nightstand) and a folding table that serves as my desk -
besides small sink, a snack fridge, and a double burner stove. (I also have
tons of books and a large music instrument - a custom-made metallophone).
    Besides the cramped conditions, another down-side is that bathroom
facilities are shared by the entire floor (about 10-12 people per floor).
    The advantage: I pay only $222 a month rent (next month is goes up to
$226) - this is fantastic in the Bay Area (California). My utility bill is
usually under $10 a month, but phone bill is another matter...

    Ever feel like there is something sinisterly banal about phrases like
"cost of living", "What do you do for a living?", "I do ____ for a
living...". etc.?
    Well, even DNA can be patented now... so I guess life itself is a
commodity...

    zHANg