No longer homeless... and I've got a new move

Guess what's got two thumbs and has a place to live..... this guy! It's true, may be hard to believe, but the impetus to avoid selling the Big Issue (remember folks, it's a hand up, not a handout) has taken over, and provided motivation to comandeer a dwelling for myself. After finding a lovely landlady named Sonia on the internet, I demanded she display her wares. Wares revealed, I threw down a, umm, down-payment, and now have a room to call my own. It's basically apartments for international students (which means lots of chinese, japanese, malaysian, indonesian.... and me - actually, my current housemate Chava is gonna move in there, so I already have a friend up in that bitch), semi-dorm style (a minus), but very clean and secure (a plus). Another bonus is that I can move in and start paying rent whenever I choose (now that I've paid a deposit) - so basically I'll fulfill the lease for which I've already paid (you know, the one living in squalor) and then move in to my new place, so I don't need to be paying double rent anywhere. My new place is fully furnished, w/ a huge common kitchen and lounge and dining rooms (cleaned everyday, with free wireless in all common areas - sweet). It's also got leather couches and cable/dvd in the lounge - A'll I'll have to do now is fight off all the asian dudes trying to watch Dragon BallZ if I wish to view athletic competition. Or just host gladiator games in the dining room, with Chen Ming Wang vs. Wang Zhi Zhi leading off the compass-joust event. To be honest, I was sold as soon as I realized I'd be living in a Mario castle:

Legitimately, though, it's really nice on the inside, similar to Homewood, but newer and cleaner. And it's also about 100 m (i'm slowly acquiescing to the metric system, someone save me - I don't think I can deal with multiples of 10 on the daily, too confusing) from the market (which you may remember as the Best. Grocery. Ever. So basically it's not perfect (due to the large demographic of students, but it'll be straight nonetheless - great spot, good price, safe, and now I can save all that energy i've been spending on the house-hunt. I don't know what to do with myself -- so I spent all day getting sunburnt shooting hoops (had to celebrate D-Wade's Marquette jersey retirement somehow).

In terms of the new people in my current house (I'm here for about 3 more weeks - hopefully I don't contract Dengue fever from my surroundings), there's a pair of German dudes, who are cool, and a french girl and her boyfriend (previously mentioned) who are boring. I mean really low on the fun scale. Not only does this girl not talk (it's not cause she can't speak english, because they speak english to each other), ok, ya, only that. That's it. I don't think it's just me, either, because she hasn't said a word to Chava or Andrew either. I bumped into them in Safeway, stood and "talked" for 3.5 min, and she didn't say one word. Not one. I'd be more engaged by Hellen Keller. Steve, her boyfriend, will converse, but he's a bit of a wet blanket. The german dudes invited them to come drinking with us (I had previously asked what they were doing, they said "same as almost every night..nothing"), and Steve told him (Jonas) that they aren't much of a partying couple, because they're old. How old? you ask. Good question. 20 and 21. Way past their social prime. You're not Romanian gymnasts, guys - though that would explain her steely demeanor. Though last night when they returned home, I asked what they did (try to stay seated, though the excitment may sweep you into a whirlwind of jealousy):

Steve: "We went to the crown casino"

Me: "Oh cool - did you gamble at all?"

S: "Ya - I bet one dollar, and lost it. Then I bet another buck, and won a dollar.. so that's when I quit"

Whoa there, Pete Rose. Slow down, lest you become a gambling addict - a dollar here, a dollar there, next thing you know you're 50 or 60 million in the hole like John Daly. As a slight aside, my bitter attitude here may just be a manifestation of my envy of his self-restraint. After brief reflection, nope, that's not it at all.

The G-dudes, however, are pretty fun. We went out with them on friday night, along w/ 2 other of their G-friends. Let me tell you, if I thought Aussies could drink, Germans rain down fury upon breweries never before seen by the eyes of mortals. The way these cats put away beer, I would almost recommend them as stand in for levies in high-risk areas like New Orleans - they would just consume all liquid in their path. Their one friend, Leif (pronounced Life - foreigner phonics) was also the most arian looking motherfucker I've ever seen. He was leik 6'3" blonde hair blue eyes, and had this menacing marching gait about him (not actually). Cool cat, though, for an Ivan Drago knockoff. These also taught me how to open beer bottles with a leighter (and other common objects leik watter bottles) - apparently everyone in Germany can do this, men and women. I'm queite impressed, to say the least. Now if only I had reason to carry a leighter around. I can't wait to show off to smokers at a cancer research piss-up (booze up).

For all you females out there, don't ever act like the following -> at a pub last night, waiting in line for the bathroom, there's a girl with a sleeveless sweater, complaining about how hot it is:

Me: "Maybe you shouldn't have worn a sweater"

B: "It's actually a knit top - Polo Ralph Lauren"

"I'm unimpressed" - and rolled into the bathroom to pee. Now that I've had time to think about it, I'm still unimpressed. Why is that piece of information necessary to me, and what makes you think it validates overdressing for a pub that's bound to be 150 degrees? (C or F, take your pick).

Finally, and I can't believe I'm asking for advice in this department (it should be my domain), but if there's any new rap out in the US that you think I would like, let me know what it is. I've still been hoarding every Lil Wayne CD/mixtape that comes out, but I'm a bit behind on the rest of the music scene over there. Thanks to Christina, I've started using this Pandora Radio on MSN (it takes music you like and compiles an internet radio station playing artists similar to those you tell it, so you hear new stuff). But still, I'd like to hear who else you'd recommend. White-people-music need not apply