It was about a year ago that I was leaving the sixteen-degree wind and snow of New England for Los Angeles. There was a beautiful pool at the end of my building, a convenience store stocked with beer a stumble away, and the first week welcomed us with a heat wave of eighty- and ninety-degree afternoons. These were obvious perks of the ICLA program. The apartments were nicer than any students deserve, and there was just something about those counters.
They were about waist-high (for someone who stands six foot two), with white tiles and a large counter space below it. Remember the pull-out cutting board? We didn’t find ours until April! Social gatherings centered around these counters. Bottles of rum, pens, cell phones, keys and old copies of the Ithacan’t were common.
Looking through old cell phone pictures from the past year, I’ve been reminded of the fun we had around the counters.
These creations atop the counter are the result of tinkering, malt liquor, and wonder, really.
Three cheers, this new year, to an unsung hero of Los Angeles – the Oakwood Apartment countertops!


<3