Here, help me decide.
(Well, not really. I'm mainly just writing this to put my thoughts in some sort of coherent form. I don't think I'm done looking at apartments yet, but I'm certainly in a better position to eat the deposit than I used to be.)
So I drove all over Bloomington today and looked at three apartments. They are all owned by the same management company, and the rent is the same for all of them (a number I can live with). All of them are all-electric and have onsite laundry and off-street parking, which is nonnegotiable for me, and bathtubs, which are nice but can be dispensed with if need be. Nothing happens until I kick in my application, along with application fee and a deposit; if they reject me, I get the deposit back. (The leasing agent told me they're a little more concerned about my criminal record, which makes really boring reading, than about my credit, though I'm sure that'll play in too.) If I am accepted but opt for different arrangements, I eat it. I don't particularly want to eat the deposit, but if I find something I like a little better, I'm game.
Also, none of these apartments have a patio or balcony (which means I couldn't garden) and I could not bring my table to any of them. (I have a large table that my father made for me in happier times. It's a great table/desk and the only thing he made that held together for longer than a couple of years. While my father is a very intelligent man, he fails to think basic shit through, and one of the things he failed to think through in the making of this table is that it is so unwieldy that doors have to be taken off their hinges to get it in and out of places. My own bedroom door is one thing. Someone else's door, for which I might be charged, is another. I did have my table when I lived in the Bachelor Pad, but it had a patio with a screen door so we just walked it around the building and brought it in that way.)
The Apartment of Straw: I think this one is right out. The location (11th Street; for those of you who don't know Bloomington, this is about a 10-15 minute walk to campus, which will be a concern) is great, and it's on the bus line if there's a bad winter and I opt out of driving. The apartments themselves, while bigger than the ones I looked at 2 weeks ago, are still pretty small; they consist of basically two rooms, an attached bath, and a kitchenette rather than a kitchen proper. Again, I'm fine with getting rid of some of my stuff, but I don't think I should have to get rid of all of it, which is essentially what would happen if I leased one of these. Also, most of the tenants are 10 and 12 years younger than I am, which I don't give a shit about in and of itself, except the young people tend to make noise.
The Apartment of Sticks: The location is a little more problematic (South Rogers, which is not as quick a walk to campus but still doable, and is a noisy intersection); on the plus side, it's close to a couple of gas stations, the hospital should I have a medical emergency, and it's across the street from a Kroger (large chain grocery store, for our friends in foreign lands and outside the Midwest). It's also on the bus line, should we have a bad winter and I opt out of driving. The apartments are bigger and much more workable (more of an open plan), and there is a kitchen proper, although not a large one. On the minus side, the laundry arrangements are right in the hall, and while you gotta have clean clothes, I don't know that I want to hear the washer and dryer going in the middle of the night (or do that to someone else).
The Apartment of Brick: OH GOD I REALLY LIKE THIS APARTMENT AND IT'S KILLING ME. (Read on.) Buildings are really pretty. The apartment is quite spacious for the amount of money I'd be paying (which is the same as for the Apartment of Straw and the Apartment of Sticks), and while I might have to jettison some of my stuff, I'd still be able to keep most of it. There is a kitchenette and not a proper kitchen, but it's big enough to be lived with; I think there is not a dishwasher, which licks butts but isn't the end of the world since I am not lazy. That said, since nothing is perfect, the location is a real problem. The Apartment of Brick is on Kirkwood, which is one of the main shopping/dining drags and goes right on up to the Sample Gates (entrance to the IU campus), but it's on the far west end of Kirkwood, meaning that it is not in one of the heavily trafficked areas and would not be a safe walk at certain hours (like the odd ones I tend to keep). It is also not on the bus route; the nearest stop would be a few blocks eastward. I can still be in town in five minutes from there if I drive, and it's practical for me to have an IU parking pass anyway, but one of the things I like about Bloomington is that I can walk everywhere. The other problem with the location is that I wouldn't be nearby a grocery store (the Kroger wouldn't be that far away); there's a gas station within a couple minutes' drive so that's not too bad. So, basically, there are workarounds.
Also? The Apartment of Brick overlooks a cemetery on one side. (Perfect for dressing up in velvet capes and staging a photoshoot like high school Goth kids! Haha NO THAT'S DISRESPECTFUL AND I WILL HIT YOU IF YOU SUGGEST IT. I will also hit you if you're like OMG LEE GHOST-HUNTING!, which is also assy and rude.) There is no workaround for this. I'm not really bothered by the prospect of sharing my space with the dead (odds are none of them were evil during their lifetimes and I don't think death will have substantially changed that), and the view would certainly make a great conversation piece. (There is the possibility that I would be in the other building, where the cemetery would not be visible, but no guarantees.)
CONTEXT TO THE FOREGOING PARAGRAPH: I believe that the dead are aware of what we do, although it's not the same awareness the living possess. I cheerfully admit that there is zero evidence for this belief and it's more just a feeling I have than anything else. No one else is required to believe this, but for our purposes, know that I do, and that this belief informs my attitudes towards possibly having to see a cemetery every day.
You guys, I hate house-hunting. I think I'd rather have to undergo a Pap smear every day for a month. This is exhausting and a tedious, horrible chore. I don't know how the hell my parents did it THIRTEEN TIMES in the 23 years they were married (and they had requirements I don't - because I'm childfree, I don't have to concern myself with school districts). But I can't live in a refrigerator box under the 10th Street bridge (dangerous, also would have to get rid of all my stuff), so I'd better make some kind of arrangement.
So I drove all over Bloomington today and looked at three apartments. They are all owned by the same management company, and the rent is the same for all of them (a number I can live with). All of them are all-electric and have onsite laundry and off-street parking, which is nonnegotiable for me, and bathtubs, which are nice but can be dispensed with if need be. Nothing happens until I kick in my application, along with application fee and a deposit; if they reject me, I get the deposit back. (The leasing agent told me they're a little more concerned about my criminal record, which makes really boring reading, than about my credit, though I'm sure that'll play in too.) If I am accepted but opt for different arrangements, I eat it. I don't particularly want to eat the deposit, but if I find something I like a little better, I'm game.
Also, none of these apartments have a patio or balcony (which means I couldn't garden) and I could not bring my table to any of them. (I have a large table that my father made for me in happier times. It's a great table/desk and the only thing he made that held together for longer than a couple of years. While my father is a very intelligent man, he fails to think basic shit through, and one of the things he failed to think through in the making of this table is that it is so unwieldy that doors have to be taken off their hinges to get it in and out of places. My own bedroom door is one thing. Someone else's door, for which I might be charged, is another. I did have my table when I lived in the Bachelor Pad, but it had a patio with a screen door so we just walked it around the building and brought it in that way.)
The Apartment of Straw: I think this one is right out. The location (11th Street; for those of you who don't know Bloomington, this is about a 10-15 minute walk to campus, which will be a concern) is great, and it's on the bus line if there's a bad winter and I opt out of driving. The apartments themselves, while bigger than the ones I looked at 2 weeks ago, are still pretty small; they consist of basically two rooms, an attached bath, and a kitchenette rather than a kitchen proper. Again, I'm fine with getting rid of some of my stuff, but I don't think I should have to get rid of all of it, which is essentially what would happen if I leased one of these. Also, most of the tenants are 10 and 12 years younger than I am, which I don't give a shit about in and of itself, except the young people tend to make noise.
The Apartment of Sticks: The location is a little more problematic (South Rogers, which is not as quick a walk to campus but still doable, and is a noisy intersection); on the plus side, it's close to a couple of gas stations, the hospital should I have a medical emergency, and it's across the street from a Kroger (large chain grocery store, for our friends in foreign lands and outside the Midwest). It's also on the bus line, should we have a bad winter and I opt out of driving. The apartments are bigger and much more workable (more of an open plan), and there is a kitchen proper, although not a large one. On the minus side, the laundry arrangements are right in the hall, and while you gotta have clean clothes, I don't know that I want to hear the washer and dryer going in the middle of the night (or do that to someone else).
The Apartment of Brick: OH GOD I REALLY LIKE THIS APARTMENT AND IT'S KILLING ME. (Read on.) Buildings are really pretty. The apartment is quite spacious for the amount of money I'd be paying (which is the same as for the Apartment of Straw and the Apartment of Sticks), and while I might have to jettison some of my stuff, I'd still be able to keep most of it. There is a kitchenette and not a proper kitchen, but it's big enough to be lived with; I think there is not a dishwasher, which licks butts but isn't the end of the world since I am not lazy. That said, since nothing is perfect, the location is a real problem. The Apartment of Brick is on Kirkwood, which is one of the main shopping/dining drags and goes right on up to the Sample Gates (entrance to the IU campus), but it's on the far west end of Kirkwood, meaning that it is not in one of the heavily trafficked areas and would not be a safe walk at certain hours (like the odd ones I tend to keep). It is also not on the bus route; the nearest stop would be a few blocks eastward. I can still be in town in five minutes from there if I drive, and it's practical for me to have an IU parking pass anyway, but one of the things I like about Bloomington is that I can walk everywhere. The other problem with the location is that I wouldn't be nearby a grocery store (the Kroger wouldn't be that far away); there's a gas station within a couple minutes' drive so that's not too bad. So, basically, there are workarounds.
Also? The Apartment of Brick overlooks a cemetery on one side. (Perfect for dressing up in velvet capes and staging a photoshoot like high school Goth kids! Haha NO THAT'S DISRESPECTFUL AND I WILL HIT YOU IF YOU SUGGEST IT. I will also hit you if you're like OMG LEE GHOST-HUNTING!, which is also assy and rude.) There is no workaround for this. I'm not really bothered by the prospect of sharing my space with the dead (odds are none of them were evil during their lifetimes and I don't think death will have substantially changed that), and the view would certainly make a great conversation piece. (There is the possibility that I would be in the other building, where the cemetery would not be visible, but no guarantees.)
CONTEXT TO THE FOREGOING PARAGRAPH: I believe that the dead are aware of what we do, although it's not the same awareness the living possess. I cheerfully admit that there is zero evidence for this belief and it's more just a feeling I have than anything else. No one else is required to believe this, but for our purposes, know that I do, and that this belief informs my attitudes towards possibly having to see a cemetery every day.
You guys, I hate house-hunting. I think I'd rather have to undergo a Pap smear every day for a month. This is exhausting and a tedious, horrible chore. I don't know how the hell my parents did it THIRTEEN TIMES in the 23 years they were married (and they had requirements I don't - because I'm childfree, I don't have to concern myself with school districts). But I can't live in a refrigerator box under the 10th Street bridge (dangerous, also would have to get rid of all my stuff), so I'd better make some kind of arrangement.