Housing

It didn't take me long to settle into a routine of work, school, and homework. I was putting in long, long days. However, I was used to that. I used to put in long days working on the farm back in Kansas. In High School, I was just an average student. However, now I was paying for this education and so found myself wanting to get the most out of it. So I started studying. I would study on the bus and train in the morning going to work and going from work to school in the afternoon. I found that all the studying was paying off. I started getting better and better grades on the quizzes and exams.

My roommate David and I started noticing that our furnace pilot light was always out when we returned home from school. So our apartment would be cold and took a long time to warm up. We asked the landlady about this. It turned out that after we left in the morning, she would come and blow out the pilot light in order to save on the gas bill. Because she refused to stop turning off the furnace and with winter fast approaching, David and I decided to move.

This time we found lodging in a two flat. This apartment was on Belmont about 1 1/2 blocks west of the school. With David and I moving in there were 13 guys living in the building. As you can image, with that many people living together, it was never quiet. Everyone had a different schedule. I doubt if the lights were ever all turned out. I know that the kitchen was always a mess. The only time it was cleaned was just before the landlord came with clean bedding.

However, it wasn't all bad. The rent was less, I walked home from school saving the bus fare and I got home from school earlier and in the day. So I was able to finish my studies sooner getting more sleep. I don't remember how early I had to wake up in order to get take the bus and train to the loop for work. However I do remember standing in the dark waiting for the bus. I was having the time of my live. What a great experience for someone whose senior high school class numbered 31 students.