Towards the end of January, Tom left Wendy and Tank in Stockton and headed down to San Diego to help Matthew move from one apartment complex to another. Matthew lives in the Mission Valley East area of San Diego not far from the old Padre stadium. The move, to escape the lingering cigarette smell that permeated his apartment, was as much a product of Matthew's own desires as it was to placate his mother. When he moved into his old apartment, it had just been given a fresh coat of paint, which temporarily masked the permanent cigarette odors (probably from the previous tenant). The problem was further exacerbated by the next door neighbor who smoked like a chimney and caused an almost constant stream of smoke at his front door.
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| Matthew's new place |
Tom arrived in San Diego by late afternoon on Friday and helped Matthew take several loads over to his nice, shiny new (and fresh smelling) apartment that evening. Matthew had already taken multiple car loads over and arranged for friends to help the next morning, but it was good to get a jump on the work.
With the help of several friends, a friend's truck and donuts in the morning, we got a lions share of it moved by noon. Additional friends showed up by early afternoon to help with what was left, check out the new gathering spot and heckle as needed.
By that evening, Matthew and friends seemed quite comfortable on the newly placed furniture and were enjoying the new social meeting spot. We went out and got pizza from a local pizza joint and brought it back to christen the new apartment.
Tom decided the smart move would be for him to stay at a local hotel for the night, away from the ongoing merriment.
Sunday morning, Matthew and I went out for a nice breakfast at the Liberty Station area of San Diego. L
iberty Station is a neat little area located on a former naval training center, now home to shops, restaurants, art galleries and museums.
