Tales from the Shoebox.

Spent yesterday in Seattle, apartment hunting.  After a few duds (too far from the city/great location but awful inside/wow, is that a crackhouse next door?), we went to look at one last place.  It was gorgeous – 3rd floor in a building on Queen Anne Ave., hardwood floors, lots of light, plenty of closet space, the whole 9 yards.  Unfortunately, it was a 1-bedroom place.

I asked the guy about the 1 bedroom + “bonus room” place that had drawn me to the building initially, and he said an application had been put on it.  As we’re going down the stairs, he gets a call: it’s the people who put the application in for the basement apartment.  They don’t want it anymore because bad credit means they have to put down 1st AND last month’s rent and that’s too much.  Hey, do we want to see it?  Umm, YES, please.  So we do.  And it’s awesome.  Technically, it’s not the basement because QA Ave. is a giant hill, it’s just called the basement because it’s below entry level.  The “bonus room” is a fairly well-sized bedroom, but it has no windows so it can’t be called a bedroom.  Perfect for a playroom.  The previous tenant lived there for 20 years – TWENTY YEARS – and moved out into a retirement home.

The carpet (the only part that disappointed me, I really wanted hardwood) is new, the linoleum in the bathroom & kitchen is new, they’re replacing the bathroom vanity.  The apartment really is so nice.  Yeah, it’s coin-op laundry (I’d prefer a place with its own machines) and there’s no dishwasher (Llamaface’s desire), but the location more than makes up for it.  It’s 2 blocks from Trader Joe’s, Safeway, and the Metropolitan Market which, as far as I can tell, is Seattle’s answer to Whole Foods.  It’s down the street from an independent bookstore, within walking distance of not one but TWO yarn shops, there’s restaurants and the bus line and all kinds of awesome right out our door.

We take possession on April 1 and the current plan is to sell all our stuff (craigslist virtual garage sale here), move Boogermonkey & me up there with the necessities, then Llamaface when he’s done with working at Mierda Shack (he has to give 30 days notice) or when they transfer him to a new Mierda Shack up there, whichever comes first.  We’ll use the money we get from selling our stuff to buy whatever we can’t get free from Freecycle or Craigslist.

All this means a few things.
1.    I need your addresses.  If you ever want to get another package from me ever again, I need your address.  E-mail it to me.  jen[at]gonzopants[dot]com, even if you’ve sent it to me before.  Chances are I wrote it on a post-it that either Booger or the demons ate tried to eat.
2.    The Lent party (is anyone coming to that?) will coincide with our yard sale which will coincide with the Craigslist virtual sale, and the whole shebang will be full of food that I’m cooking to empty our cupboards.  I’m pretty sure there are a few jars of peanut butter from my mom that I don’t want to eat (TJ’s organic creamy has spoiled me) that I’ll turn into peanut butter cookies and/or vegan peanut butter fudge which will then be sold at the yard sale.  As my friends, of course, you get it for free
3.    If any of you are in Seattle (besides Elias, hi Elias!  Thanks again!), I’d love to get together when we’re in town.  If you know of anyone who wants to pass on a couch, a bed or two, a desk, a bookshelf or three, a dresser or three, and a dining table with at least 2 chairs AND is willing to drop them off after April 1 (we don’t have a truck), send them my way.  Can’t really afford to pay much (if anything at all), but I cook really well and would be willing to cook food in trade.

I am terrified and excited and terrified all at once.  I’m going to be Llamaface’s official job hunt liaison, searching for jobs and e-mailing resumes while he’s slaving at Mierda Shack.  I’m also going to be finishing school work loose ends (research paper due 3/19, research paper due 3/23, survey analysis due 3/23, master’s project edited & turned in whenever my advisor agrees to a revised due date), packing (anyone have boxes?), cleaning, and generally losing my mind.  Feel free to stop by whenever and lend moral support if nothing else.

And don’t cry for me Argentina, because train tickets are cheap and I’m considering budgeting a monthly or bi-monthly Amtrak trip down south, once jobs & finances are all sorted out.