OMC: Does it freak you out a little to think that you shower in the tub where a landmark American president showered, you cook on the stove he cooked on, look at yourself in the bathroom mirror in which he looked at himself?

CF: I wouldn't say it freaks me out, but it pops into my head a lot. In the beginning, it would mostly be general observations. "I wonder how Obama organized the living room?" or "I'll bet Obama owned a box spring for his mattress." Recently, they've become more specific. Things like, "I've never looked at that radiator from this angle before; I wonder if Obama ever did that."

It's funny you asked about the shower first. Most people when they first find out I live in Obama's former apartment ask about the bathroom. Partly, I think that is because there is a certain leveling of experience that takes place in a bathroom, so it becomes easier to picture him there. People look more or less the same when they are going about their business in there, you know?

Whereas when I try to imagine him, say, in the bedroom, it becomes this cartoonish image of him laying flat on his back, neatly tucked in with a sleeping cap on and a biography of some important person on his nightstand. I can't help but picture him as the idealized character we seen in the media. Of course, most people don't sleep on their backs -- or at least I don't think they do.

At the same time, thinking about his more mundane experiences can have a humanizing effect on him, which I enjoy. I like to imagine that there were weeks when the apartment became a total mess, and he'd have to rush to throw his dirty clothes in the closet before Michelle came by. I find that thought reassuring.

OMC: Have you checked for loose floorboards or paneling? Maybe he left something behind!

CF: Well, there are certainly a few loose floorboards and panels, but thus far I haven't found any marks that I can say with confidence he made. Many tenants have occupied the apartment in the two decades since he was here, so it's hard to say. Then again, I am probably the first tenant for whom the apartment has this significance, so there could be something left undetected until now.

Living here has certainly affected my day-to-day attitude, in both positive and negative ways. If I am struggling to get out of bed in the morning, I'll think to myself, "Man, Obama probably would have already jogged three miles today." That's mostly a source of inspiration, but it causes some anxiety also. It can be intimidating, you know? Most of the time, it's just inspiring.

OMC: Are you having an inauguration day party in Obama's ex-pad? Maybe giving tours of the place?

CF: I'm not opposed to the idea of tours. I've given some informal ones to friends. No one has sought me out to ask if they could see the place, though.

As for inauguration, someone told me it happens around noon on the 20th? I really don't know if I could justify throwing a party at noon on a Tuesday -- what would Obama think?