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Ozzie Izzie
19/11/2008 06:00 pmIt's scary how time flies when you are having fun but this very day 15 years ago back in 1993 was when the serpent slinked into the land of Oz. Then it was a Friday
So much stuff has happened since then. One that was totally unexpected. While Izzie loved living in Germany in spite of too many encounters with some truly awful employers, the big black blob on the horizon was the price of housing. It was so ridiculously high that Izzie would never be able to afford to rent on the open market let along buy her own Lair to lurk in. Had to rely on jobs where the employer provided accommodation and those were generally the more exploitative sort
It was so strange to come to a place where housing was so cheap and plentiful that landlords would offer a week or two's free rent as an incentive to choose their property among the many on offer. Would have never imagined that the housing market in this bit of Oz would ever become just like Germany. But since 2006 or so, that is exactly what has happened
Lucky that Izzie had snatched her spot in the sun way back in the good old days of 1998 or would otherwise be stuck out in the sticks in some crappy little flat having to travel at least one hour per day each way to work. And work would not be the present decadent 30 hours per week but at least 50 just to make ends meet. Getting about on a bus or broomstick would most definitely not be an option
This particular patch would certainly not be a possibility. The rent would be more than 60% of present income and to buy would be more than 100%
Not much fun compared to the present decadent regime of 30 hours per week at work, a steadily increasing supply of home grown munchies, a power plant on the roof (at this time of year churning out more than 5 kilowatts per day) and lots and lots of space, peace and quiet
Still miss lots of folks from the old places in the North but it's not as bad as it used to be in the days before Cyberia and electronic owls
And since the Lying Rodent left the nest almost exactly one year ago, it's also a better place to be. The fish rots from the head and the nasty ratty petty culture of the previous 11 years is gradually disappearing. Such a pity we could not say the same about the new state government who want to turn the place into a genetically modified uranium mine and nuclear waste dump
Who knows what the next 15 years may bring?
So much stuff has happened since then. One that was totally unexpected. While Izzie loved living in Germany in spite of too many encounters with some truly awful employers, the big black blob on the horizon was the price of housing. It was so ridiculously high that Izzie would never be able to afford to rent on the open market let along buy her own Lair to lurk in. Had to rely on jobs where the employer provided accommodation and those were generally the more exploitative sort
It was so strange to come to a place where housing was so cheap and plentiful that landlords would offer a week or two's free rent as an incentive to choose their property among the many on offer. Would have never imagined that the housing market in this bit of Oz would ever become just like Germany. But since 2006 or so, that is exactly what has happened
Lucky that Izzie had snatched her spot in the sun way back in the good old days of 1998 or would otherwise be stuck out in the sticks in some crappy little flat having to travel at least one hour per day each way to work. And work would not be the present decadent 30 hours per week but at least 50 just to make ends meet. Getting about on a bus or broomstick would most definitely not be an option
This particular patch would certainly not be a possibility. The rent would be more than 60% of present income and to buy would be more than 100%
Not much fun compared to the present decadent regime of 30 hours per week at work, a steadily increasing supply of home grown munchies, a power plant on the roof (at this time of year churning out more than 5 kilowatts per day) and lots and lots of space, peace and quiet
Still miss lots of folks from the old places in the North but it's not as bad as it used to be in the days before Cyberia and electronic owls
And since the Lying Rodent left the nest almost exactly one year ago, it's also a better place to be. The fish rots from the head and the nasty ratty petty culture of the previous 11 years is gradually disappearing. Such a pity we could not say the same about the new state government who want to turn the place into a genetically modified uranium mine and nuclear waste dump
Who knows what the next 15 years may bring?
