• Synchronicity is the experience of two or more events that are apparently causally unrelated or unlikely to occur together by chance but that are observed to occur together in a meaningful manner.  The concept of synchronicity was first described by Swiss psychologist Carl Gustav Jung in the 1920s.  Jung would likely assess the “dead body across the hall” as a triggering event in a series of events that has inevitably resulted in me taking what some might call “rather drastic action”.
  • Three things about which trauma / bio-hazardous waste remediation experts seem to agree are:  the smell of death and decomposition is unforgettable;
    the smell penetrates everything so covering it with deodorizers doesn’t get rid of it for long; and once you’ve solved the real odour problem you often must deal with the ‘psychological’ odour.  I must say I fully concur with the experts and consequently, I reflect back that the best advice I got about how to get rid of the dead body odour was: “move”.
  • I can clearly see that it was not an unrelated event when, about ten days ago I had occasion to attend a bar called Vista 18 at the top of a downtown hotel.  Vista 18 has a spectacular panoramic view of the Juan de Fuca Strait where cruise ships and Asia / Canada container ships transit to and from the Pacific, against a backdrop of the permanently snow-capped mountains in Washington State.  That view is similar to, but in truth not quite as good as, the view from the apartment I shared as a roommate on Simcoe Street.  And I said to myself:  “Self, are you crazy? This is what living in Victoria is all about and if you can get this view….you must go for it.”
  • Kismet kicked into high gear and within days a Simcoe apartment with a made-to-order view was suddenly coming available.  With less than an hour to spare I queue-jumped another prospective tenant, sealed the deal, arranged for a mover and gave my notice-to-vacate from Chester Avenue.
  • More than just a pretty view, the Lady Simcoe is a 55+ building (status for which I increasingly exceed the qualifications) featuring social facilities, a lovely garden in the space between the Lady and her companion Lord Simcoe building and as karma would decree, several also-well-qualified friends are already in residence.  So, it’s a good move for me, I’m going for it and I must say, thank you, dead neighbour I’m so sorry this didn’t work out better for you too.
  • Serendipitously, validation for my decision came from the friend who authored that one-word piece of advice (“move”). When he recently stopped by my apartment, he reported an overwhelming hallway smell of orangey-disinfectant with a distinctive undertone. He later admitted that his stomach heaved because he knew exactly what that undertone was all about.

  •  As organized as I am, it won’t surprise many of you that I’ve  already got photos of the view to share, taken last time I lived at The Lady.
  • So, friends, I’m breakin’ out the boxes and the move is on!