Back in town, it’s snowing today, so quiet and peaceful. Rather be walking in the snow than looking at it through the office window.

This picture is from my old apartment, when I moved to Des Moines in 2005 I was living in a studio apartment for $350/month. Heat and water was included, all I had to pay extra was an average of $20/month for gas and electricity. It was what some will consider a dump, but I saw it as a roof over my head. I remember the neighbors -a couple- used to fight every night, yelling and I think he would beat her -always wondered why she didn’t leave him. They always argued about money. One night I heard voices in the hallway, it was the police. Apparently she had threatened him with a knife. They asked me if I had heard anything, for which I replied something like; they argue every night and I’ve learned to tone them out. That was the last month I stayed there. A few weeks ago I saw my neighbor across the hall, Paul is his name. We spoke briefly and joked about living at the Bryn Mawr.