Everyone wave to Sheila.

So-- now that I've inundated you with photographs from our time in Provence, let me tell you a little about what's happening in Brooklyn. But first, can I ask everyone to wave to Sheila? Sheila is the president of the co-op where we live in Brooklyn, and apparently she's recently started reading my blog. I'm always happy to have a new reader, so let's all give Sheila a big warm welcome.

As I mentioned earlier this week, there are some big changes coming down the pike. The biggest change is happening at our apartment in Brooklyn. It seems that we have to move. After 12 years of living in our chaotic, collapsing co-op in Williamsburg-- after years of tolerating the lady who was building a human nest on the top floor, after years of calling the police because our neighbors were having violent arguments through the night, after years of repairs we've paid for because our landlord couldn't afford to make the repairs-- we've been told that they've suddenly decided our lease isn't valid and we'll have to move out. We have some suspicions about the true motivation behind the termination of our lease and we're determined to drag this out as long as possible -- but the long and short of it is that on New Year's Eve, our building taped a notice to our door saying we needed to vacate in 30 days, and we woke up in 2016 and started thinking about where we want to live next.

So if you've got a good lead on a fixer-upper apartment, 

let us know.

I'm trying to be as upbeat as possible about this change. I'm naturally pessimistic (as my friends say, I'm a hopeful pessimist) but I've decided there's just not much point going down the "This isn't fair, this isn't right" rabbit hole. So instead, I'm gonna fight like hell, and then think of our next apartment as an opportunity to create another space; a chance to build something new and beautiful; and a fresh start for 2016.

Bring it on!