Finding My Way Home

Oh, Granny! How I'll miss your linen closet!

I know that it's been awhile since I've posted anything.  Now that the excitement around here has died down, I can tell you all what's happened.  Basically, this spring I was in a 3-car accident that left me bruised from my knees to my chin.  Nothing's been (majorly) broken, but I do require some physical therapy and other treatments.  After several visits to several doctors, it's been decided that I've developed fibromyalgia and some neurological issues from the accident.  The past few months have required me to slow down and take it easy.

Right now, I live in a house with a couple of levels.  The stairs have evolved from a nuisance on the days where my knee or hip flares up, to a huge hardship.  So, I guess the motivation to move came in good time.

....and your kitchen! :'(

To tell you the truth, I've lost count of the houses and apartments that Mr. Manly and I have gone to see (alone and together)!  I think it's somewhere in the neighborhood of 7 or 8.  You may remember "Granny's" from my last batch of pictures; well, that was the one that had truly won my heart with its 1100 square feet (only half the space I'm used to now!), central A/C, luxurious walk-in closets (one was almost a room in itself!), and a glass-door shower with a seat.  Yes, it seemed to be just what I needed.  It was in a cluster of small, quiet, privately-managed buildings that were big enough to provide timely service and good maintenance, yet small enough to feel like a nice little community.  I was so excited to live there, and the moment I went to see it, I had begun pinning my hopes and dreams on Granny's.  Unfortunately, no vacancies were available -- each month, the manager encouraged me to call back next month to check, and faithfully, I did every single time.

A cool kitchen for cool people who don't cook (or eat?)

Apparently, their backs don't hurt while sitting on this cool toilet, either.  Check the back ledge!

This didn't stop me from looking at other apartments, though.  I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to "Super Cool Urban Estates," of the stainless steel appliances and a granite countertop in what seemed to be the perfect haven for hip young professionals -- despite the total lack of closets (aside from one 2.5-foot deep alleged "walk-in"), it was modern and chic, with each unit bragging its own washer and dryer!  Yes, it was overpriced and small, had no closets for linens or coats, but it was close to all the good restaurants -- and did I mention the washer and dryer?  I put it on my "maybe" list. 

How lovely, the Walgreen's is in bloom!

I also found some real hope in "Sophisticated Auntie's Place" -- it actually had an elevator with each floor sharing washers and dryers.  Not bad!  Again, I found tasty central A/C at Auntie's, a wrought-iron decorated balcony with a breathtaking view of the local Walgreen's (conveniently located for late-night soda runs when I'm up and feeling productive), and pretty hardwood floors which I couldn't decide were a blessing or a curse.  This was a larger complex with many daunting buildings, yet the 2-bedroom 2-baths which I'd selected were in the tiniest "baby sister" building which was slightly apart from those others, enjoy the same privileges but also a bit more privacy and intimacy among the neighbors.  "Sign me up!" I exclaimed, only to find out that there was one unit left -- oh wait, nope, it was filled an hour ago!  DAMN!

Cars are forced to slow down so the People Farm can have access to more fresh victims.  Please don't make me live here, OK?

Then there was "The People Farm" which was down the road from and managed by the same company as Auntie's, yet not even close to the same in style or friendliness.  The place was HUGE.  I think there were half a dozen buildings, each with like 7 floors.  It was like a creepy, slightly rundown hotel for folks who had nowhere to go.  In the middle of the complex was a pool that seemed to be the size of a football field, with about a thousand people inside and around it on that summer Sunday that we'd come to inspect a unit.  It turned out that the unit I needed wasn't available there either, though there would be vacancies come fall.  I put it on my "last resort" slot, and prayed.

Granny's looked like a possibility... a bunch of times, in fact.  People kept deciding to move, then changing their minds.  Some folks applied for mortgages (just a formality, really!) and when shit fell through, guess who got left holding the bag?  "Trust me," the manager said.  I tried hard to do just that, but with so many disappointments -- and a mere 6 weeks to homelessness -- trust was a luxury that I just couldn't afford.

Half the old tenants' furniture around during the Shoebox walkthrough. 

After many hours scouring rental sites, Googling, calling realtors, and (gasp!) resorting to Craigslist while praying not to get too many genital pictures from fellow Craigslisters, eventually "Shoebox Sweet Shoebox" was found.  As luck would have it, this building is owned by an old "friend" -- the company who owned the apartment from just before I'd moved out to the country 7 years ago.  There are pros and cons, of course.  On the plus side, I like having a history with my landlord, also quite a bit of closet space, and the building is located in a quiet and low-traffic annex situated nicely between several bustling and busy city roads, so it's like having a hundred square yards of small-town living snuggled inside an urban area.  There are only 3 floors and my place is on the second; but there's an elevator and laundry facilities on each floor, so hopefully that won't be a problem.   Also, a little balcony for growing my bunnies some tasty herbs, and a 5x6 storage unit for all the crap we can't fit into the apartment.  The cons:  The place is MINISCULE.  I'm in the middle of doing my floor plan now, and so far I've calculated about 600 square feet; that's including the closets, but without the master bedroom.  My minimum was 1100 square feet, so crapola to that!  But, another pro is even more important: I am no longer homeless.  (And I've also packed NINE boxes for donation this week!)

Official moving day will the the 22nd of this month, but the lease begins on the 15th which provides a bit of time for moving some stuff in advance.  I'll probably be posting a bit more 'til then!

Hope that everyone else is doing well! :)