new apartment

I just moved into a new apartment. New place, new people, new surroundings. It's quite getting used to.

Moving out was a nightmare. There was a time in my life that I seemed to change apartments about every few months. I'd lug all my stuff to a new apartment, unpack, and settle down, and then lug my stuff to a different apartment, and unpack, and settle down. If I were an elephant, my elephant wife would whine, "But what's wrong with THIS particular puddle of mud??" (Coz elephants always move, you see. I just saw Animal Channel.) It was just so exhausting.

So, when I moved to Chicago, I reaaaaaaally wanted to settle down. And I found me a nice quirky apartment. The landlady's a monkey, but hey, whatever. I got me a job, amassed some money, and started buying and owning household items such as, you know, brooms and the like.

And then came time to move to greener pastures. And I discovered that I just have sooo much junk! I mean, really, six waterglasses?? I have only one mouth, so how did I end up with six matching-set glasses? Eleven tupperware containers?? Eight china plates?? Sheesh. But, hmm, I might need them. Just in case. Yep.

And I never, ever, ask for anybody's help. Even when offered. Coz that's just me. If my friends ask me to lend a hand when they were moving out, I'd say yes in a heartbeat. But when I'm moving out, I just refuse any assistance. Partly I suppose, because I'm being macho, - and I am - that I think I could manage well enough by myself - and I do. But partly also because I find that people seem to think you are in their debt and pleasure after they give help. And that I hate.

So, how does the new apartment fare compared to the old one? Here:

Advantage:

• I now pay for rent, garage, and utility bills, all for far less than I'd pay for just the rent at my previous apartment.


• New apartment has a first class alarm system - a big plus coz now I can guard against people trying to steal, you know, my cups and stuff.


• Highway 290 and 90/94 are just minutes away, and that'd cut my commute to work by more than half. Saves gas. And traffic headache.


• I have my own garage space, so no more street-parking, no more brushing away leaves that fall like flies on the car, and no more scraping off five-feet of snow in the middle of a minus-twenty-degrees winterstorm.


• Housemates! After living alone for two years, it's really refreshing to come home and actually have a conversation with a living human being, instead of talking to the doorknob.


• Blocks away from the el train station, so it'd be easy when a girl - any girl- would want to visit me. Ooo-yeah, uh-huh. Like that will ever happen.

Disadvantage:

• Miles away from a golf course, which before was just outside of my doorstep. (but, hey, since I'd now play golf less, I could really use all the money I'm saving to get that $399 titanium driver I've been eyeing for, and the $109 Nike golf shoes, and the $149 iron set, and the $99 Tiger Woods All-Weather jacket, and, and, and...)


• No walking distance to the public library. UIC Library is nearby, though, but I'm not a student, so I can't become a member. Downtown Public Library is a little further away, but parking there is a biyatch. 25 cents for five minutes??


• No more early morning drive up the Northbound Lake Shore Drive, which I promise you is the BEST sunrise view in Chicago, rain or shine or snow.


• No cats! (*sniff* I missed Tabitha sooooooo much)


• Less privacy. I can't yell at the tv anymore, can't leave the radio on loud just because, can't rock-out my guitar to my heart's content, can't cook smelly food without opening the doors and windows and possibly rooftop.


• Nowhere near stores that sell halal chicken. Very important.


• Dominicks is only ten minutes drive away, but that's hardly a concession of ten minutes jolly-walking before.


• Still can't find a store that sells 99 cents for a big-ass bottle of diet coke.