movin' on up (to the east side?)

it was only a matter of time. dominique and i are searching for a new apartment.

we want to stay in the same general area because it's close to her work. i have a 20 min ride, which i don't mind. i enjoy the time in the morning to wake up and listen to a little music.

but this apartment has really gotten to me (us). in the beginning, much to everyone's surprise, i was patient about everything. in the first couple months, dominique already had the foresight to dislike certain aspects of the living situation. i had the same foolish optimism that i so often mock, insisting that things would get better. and to some small extent, i was right. it did get a little better. but that doesn't mean it ever became good.

certain things about the apartment are good. it's big. it's in a decent location/neighborhood. the rent is cheap and includes heat. but the sucky is starting to outweigh the good.

the parking sucks. it's a daily pain in the ass (sometimes at least twice). parking cars, getting cars out of the driveway. having to call people you dont want to call, people who don't want to be called. and vice versa. staying up late every weeknight. our daily routine has become an adjustment to suit other people. at first it was just a new experience. it was living in the city. now that the novelty has worn off, it is what it is--a pain in the fucking ass. everyday. every goddamn day. right now even. this very second as i type, dominique is receiving disappointing news on the phone from the neighbors. oh great, one of the dumb cunts parked in the middle of the fucking driveway and then went out drinking. her roommate doesn't know when she'll come home, or if anyone else will. right now all the cars left would fit in the driveway, unless others come home. it's not that i necessarily want to go to sleep now, but i'd like to go to bed. maybe watch the daily show/colbert report, or good eats. whatever. but i don't want to be sitting here on the couch waiting for some drunk slut to come home to pass out. on a monday. this is our fucking daily routine.

besides that, there are landlord issues. they don't affect the day-to-day stuff, but they're there. promised improvements or repairs that have never happened. a feeling that she's the type to try to fuck us out of the security deposit. when we moved in, she charged us first month/last month/security deposit, which is technically illegal here. landlords cannot require all 3. that's just as much our fault for not knowing the law at the time as it is hers for either not knowing it or ignoring it. the last month money is already gone, so now that it's paid it'll be nice when the last month comes and we don't need to pay the rent.

given my general distaste for complete strangers, i think i've survived fairly well in the city. and we'll still live here, or in this general area. but we'll find a place with more privacy (hopefully). if nothing else, we hopefully will not have to call someone to get our car out to get to work in the morning. or dealing with people asking to use our new grill then not covering it or scraping the shit off or showing any sign of appreciation or respect for someone else's shit. or having people throw cigarette butts out the 2nd story window to our front steps and where they know our dogs walk. or all of this together. everyday.

and the real kicker is that overall, we might have even been a bit lucky with the neighbors we had. it's obvious we need our own place. a more private one. i mean, between the alcoholic movie-stealing mexicans in south carolina, mary in pennsyltucky, and this, i have quite a track record with neighbors.