Monday, March 29, 2010

One move down, one to go

I love my parents. They spent years teaching me valuable lessons with patience and love. They always provided for me, and taught me how to fend for myself when the time came. And as is the natrual course of things, I eventually left the nest and went out into the big world. I overcame hurdles and thrived on my own, enjoying ever second of the freedom to choose my own rules, my own style, and to make my own decisions.
The apartment I'm moving into alone had one big catch to it. There was a gap of about a week between the leases. Which meant the most logical choice was to stay with my parents during that time. They're local, willing, and come with some serious perks.

But it's only been 24 hours...and i distinctly remember why I chose to move out in the first place. Once you've tasted that freedom, it's hard to go backwards.

Friday, March 26, 2010

Apartments and Craftsmenship

After a great deal of frustration, I have been assured AGAIN, that the apartment is mine. As I should have expected, just about nothing ever comes easily to me when it involves my living situation. This time, however, I had the ability to be in control of some things.

The Saga:
Thursday, I passed the background, rental history and credit check. I put down the deposit in the form of a check and basically was told that the apartment was mine. Elation and relief swept over me.
After the last year, though, i should have known better.
  • Monday: I was supposed to get a phone call telling me exactly when my move in date was. There was some question as to what needed to be "flipped" in the apartment before I took over. When by the end of the day I hadn't received a phone call, I checked my bank account and saw that the checks for the deposit had already been cashed. So i think all is well, and they probably just didn't get to it.
  • Tuesday: Still no phone call by lunchtime, so since i was there anyway visiting a friend who also lives there, i stopped by. Upon walking in, i start dealing with an entirely new person, whom i've never even seen before. She starts going off with "oh my god, they didn't call you? I'm so sorry." But the way she said it, made me freeze. I've heard that tone of voice many times before and it never means good things.
It turns out that monday, the current resident of the apartment in question asked for an extension of 10-12 days and that extension was approved. According to the person i talked to, the resident, being on a month to month lease, has that right. (sounds fishy to me). So I asked her, what was going to stop him from getting another extension if 10-12 days wasn't enough. The answer i received: basically nothing.

After going back and forth with them about the possibility of getting another, more expensive, apartment for the promised price, and them trying to negotiate with the current resident, and me....the manager finally got involved and basically, told the current resident that he had to be out on the time originally agreed upon.

I have never felt more played before in my life. Perhaps they figured that at 23, I would allow myself to be bullied, and remain naive about rental laws, instead deferring to their "expertise".

They couldn't have been more wrong. Not only did I manage to stand up for myself in a calm and logical manor, but I put them back in their place. Citing their own paperwork which proved they were the ones who were wrong. I didn't tolerate the lack of communication and instead went in to put them on the spot and essentially force them to work on my time frame.

Why did I decide to still rent at this place after all the games, you might ask?

When it comes down to it, it's just about the only place i can afford to live alone in my town. And since I tasted the option of living alone...i hunger for it. Not to mention, they have a better idea of who they're dealing with now. It's going to take a lot more than what they've got to beat me into stupid decisions. Not to mention, I got an opportunity to meet their head and second maintenance guys. And i really like them. Good people who know their stuff are hard to find. And likely, once the lease is signed, i won't have to talk to the leasing agents again.

In other news...
Quality furniture is hard to find for a good price. Or rather in a price range that I can afford. Perhaps it's my picky nature looking for features that I like, or perhaps that I value quality as well as design that has left me frustrated with what the market has to offer.
Not to mention, I have abilities, finely honed over time, that most 23 year olds can't even dream of possessing. Abilities like Wood Craftsmanship.
  • http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u34/Firefly_Haven/My%20Creations/P1010336.jpg
  • http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u34/Firefly_Haven/My%20Creations/Bookshelf.jpg
  • http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u34/Firefly_Haven/My%20Creations/Bookshelf.jpg
  • http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u34/Firefly_Haven/My%20Creations/P1010337.jpg
My plan is to stay in this apartment for a minimum of 2 years, barring any unforeseen circumstances. So why not design and create some custom furniture that suits my needs and wants all in one?
I'm in the process of designing, then i'll talk to my dad and neighbor who are both amazing craftsmen to see what they think the materials might cost for this. I'm hoping to design a TV stand with drawers (my first experience with drawers) and a pair of matching DVD stands. Maybe eventually, making a coffee table and end tables to match.
Hopefully, it won't be cost prohibitive and I can in the end have a complete matching set of furniture all custom built to my specs. It's a dream i have. An ambitious one, but mine never the less.

Monday, March 22, 2010

I return at legnth

After over a month of absence... I return to the Blogosphere.

A lot of things lately have prevented my normal blogging habits, mostly work, my sweetheart, my first vacation in 5 years, and yup, you guessed it....new apartment hunting.....again.

Work has been crazy with a new quarter starting, new employees and trying to keep up with my duties. Thankfully through it all, I've had a steady person to talk to and play Mario Kart with as a form of distraction. Jon has been wonderful and supportive. He even got me out of the state to go to on the first vacation I've had since i went to New York for my graduation gift. It was a much needed and deeply relaxing vacation from my life.

We went to the glorious San Francisco. Stayed at a timeshare in the heart of wine country and went to see some of the most amazing things to find in Northern California.
  1. Berkley and the Marina where we were accosted by swarms of people with fliers and squirells
  2. The Redwoods, where we actually got to drive through a huge tree
  3. First day of San Francisco where I came up with the less than brilliant idea to walk along the beach from the bridge to Fisherman's Wharf. All 6 miles of it.
  4. I recovered from a sunburn while it rained and saw some of the sights of Jon's hometown.
  5. We kidnapped Jon's little sister and went to see Alice in Wonderland.
  6. Jon, Me, and kidnapped little sister all went to a fun center where we played miniature golf, drove Go-Karts, and played in the archade. I got to know Jon's family and some family friends. and also learned that you should never give Jon a slingshot and a tennis ball when there's a toddler around.
  7. Second day of San Francisco. where we explored and were yelled at in Chinatown, rode the trollies and explored Pier 39 again.
  8. So in the process of trying to fix a hydrolic pump...they managed to break the door to the compartment. Thus began a nearly 4 hour flight delay which in the end, we got back on the same plane.
I truly wish that the vacation wouldn't have ended, but all too soon, it was time to get back to reality and my old standby of roommate/apartment hunting.
Perhaps you will remember my last 2 searches were long, extensive, frustrating and a billion other negative adjectives. When Kelsie decided that she was moving out, it left me with little choice. Since the rent had gone up (rather a bad business choice in this economy if you ask me) i had to start looking for another apartment. Craigslist just left me in despair, roommates.com left me depressed and the newspaper ended up in a ball in my fireplace.
But out of the blue, a friend told me to checkout a new sight. A rather interesting flash based search engine similar to google maps. By mistake, or perhaps by fate, i entered in my limit for what i had thought was my half of the rent.

Lo and behold. There was a single bedroom apartment in my price range very close to my work, friends, family and downtown. I couldn't believe it.

A week later, and I have my own apartment. One that comes without a roommate, tension, drama, and people to destroy my cutlery and cooking pans.

It also comes with a slight catch. The move in date, isn't until about a week after the end of my lease. Thankfully i have family and friends nearby to put me up until the move in date. Ironically just about the only thing on my mind is that i'll get to use the Red Couch of Awesomness again!