I, along with David and michael took possession of an apartment this morning. It's over on Clara Avenue in the Debaliviere neighborhood near the Forest Park metro station. This is both good and bad, because while there are occasionally some unsavory characters at the station at night I can now fly home for only a $1.50 metro ride instead of a $25+ cab ride. It's also right on the shuttle route so I can easily get to work/school in the morning.

As a side effect of moving in we had to get the utility companies to turn on the electricity and gas. The electricity came on just fine, but the gas man came to turn on the gas and gave us some disturbing news. The valve on the gas pipe apparently leaks (why this wasn't discovered long before I really don't know). Not only this but his recommendation was to replace the entire gas thingamajig with a new one, and upon closer inspection this appears to be sound advice. There was rust all over everything: pipes, valves, big metal things, everything. It also made strange noises when it was turned on. Debaliviere maintenance, however, will most likely hit it with a wrench, put duct tape over the leaky valve, and declare it good to go, leaving us in a potential death trap. They did give us a nice apartment-warming gift basket filled with Cardinals-themed toys, crack jacks, and peanuts, however, so I'd call it about even.