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I'm feeling so very tired after a very long day, but I am long overdue for an update I've promised people. So I'll write now, since my tired is the good kind, anyhow. :-) As a note, I WOULD have written on Thursday (soley to keep me up for a little longer, since I wasn't in a position to sleep) but Blogger was down. Bad Blogger.
Anyhow, let's start with some non-apartment type stuff. I spent last weekend in NYC with Amy. It was really nice to see her, and I gotta say, my luck was fabulous last weekend. When I decided to go, I did so thinking I wasn't going to be busy at work (my original reason for not going). That, of course, did not end up being true. :-( So, instead of leisurely training or bussing down to "The City," I decided it would be less stressful to drive. I'm not sure why 4 1/2 hours of traffic and aggressive drivers combined with finding a parking spot in Manhattan seems less stressful to me than getting to a bus or train on time, but it does. So be it. Anyhow, I left from work and it was indeed stressful. But I got there. Amy had this brilliant idea (sarcasm, or at least that's what I was thinking when she told me) for me to pick her up at a friend's and then we'd drive down to lower Manhattan together. I was not happy about the extra driving in inner Manhattan, but I did it without any problems. Amy and I then drove to her apartment, and as luck would have it (I don't think I've ever said those words before and meant them in a happy way - EVER), the city of New York that week had lifted some of the post-9/11 parking restrictions and yes, you could park on the streets on the weekends. I literally pulled into a parking spot 3 blocks from Amy's apartment - it was BEAUTIFUL. And there my car sat all weekend.
So... the actual weekend (can you tell just how excited I was about the parking) - there was lots of time with Amy and her friends. She threw a little gathering on Saturday night and I met some really cool people, including Jen (an actress), Terry (does animation for cool movies like Robots), Ann (designs clothing - shirts) and Vanessa (paralegal but still fun). I also got to see Amy's good friend Laura who is wonderful. And yummy Italian food. And yummy brunch. And discount clothing - none of which fit me, but that's okay. And I had Cuban food for lunch with Andrew Berman and it was so much fun. :-) I also bought a fabulous pink alligator print purse (leather looking, I'm sure it's fake) on the streets of Manhattan (the only place to buy purses, of course) - and I bartered for it! The guy wanted $25 and I got it for $18 - not a huge discount (Amy thinks I could have gotten a few more dollars off) but impressive still. The trip did not change my hatred for Manhattan/NYC, though, and I would not call it restful at all. By Sunday morning I was so burnt out - I hope Amy doesn't think I hate her, since I acted so antisocial all day until I left - I just needed to be antisocial. And I gotta say, compared to Boston or Chicago, NYC has no charm (at least for me). I spent at least a little bit of time in the Financial District, Chelsea, the Upper East Side and Tribeca (in that order), and they all look the same to me. Nothing like Back Bay, Beacon Hill, the Financial District, Brighton/Allston, the North End, etc... OR, the Loop, Wrigleyville, Lincoln Park, Wicker Park, etc... character/charm, I tell you. Maybe it's just me.
All right, enough of that. Let's continue with the saga of my apartment woes. It's "official" - I'm moving out at the end of May. Though I haven't found a place yet and I haven't told my roommates (who do not have the URL for this - Amy asked me that). I'm pretty sure they're clueless. Still, things are looking up. I spent several nights this week meeting potential roommates, all who have places they're looking to fill. Nothing really struck me as "have to have," though. But something great did happen - Herb introduced me to his friend Jamie, from work (do I know enough Jamies or what). She needs a new apartment for June 1st as well, and is looking to move to Davis Square. So the decision is that we're going to find a place together. I'm getting really excited about living with her and moving into a new, empty place and only having one roommate. We started looking at places yesterday and then looked at some more today. Of the 5 we've seen, there was one place that stood out as amazing, but it's a 20 minute walk to the T (we timed it today), and we've decided that it's a "deal-breaker." At least for now, I guess. We spent nearly all day together - from 1pm until after 1opm, in which we saw apartments, timed the walk, had lunch and went to her current apartment (technically the West End, basically Beacon Hill) to look at the furniture she has (good thing, since I have none). I also met one of her current roommates (Sonja), her best friend since she was in the 4th grade, and her boyfriend, who also worked at E-Ink (where Jamie and Herb currently work) but never at the same time as Jamie or Herb. It's funny because before Herb started working there in December, I had never heard of E-Ink, and now I know 2 of their employees (out of 50), one guy who used to work there and I'm meeting a third guy because he's moving out of his apartment and it's a possible place for us to get. Jamie's a lot of fun and I'm glad we had a chance to bond today. She doesn't feel like a stranger anymore, and believe me, despite not looking forward to having this conversation with my roommates (it's gotta be tomorrow - yikes!) I'd rather disappoint them than Jamie at this point.
One thing that has made me really happy this week is the way that my friends have totally come through for me. I mean, all I wanted was a few ears to listen to me (and, as I've said many times, not to tell me that "everything will work out" - I hate that). My friends went above and beyond that, though. Herb of course put me in contact with this great person and I feel like I'm making new friends - FINALLY - but Jenn from work also put me in contact with her friend Rachel from high school who needs a new roommate, and Andrew put a call out to his friends in Boston who might know people in need of roommates. I mean, I guess it wasn't a lot of work for any of them, but it says how much I mean to these people if they're not only willing to help me out, but also to put their own reputations sort of on the line by saying, hey Liz is cool and I think she'd make a good roommate. Okay, maybe they don't see it that way, but I certainly do.
There are some people in this world that no matter how many times you're disappointed, they always come through for you in the exact right way. I'm not sure how they do it or if they even realize what they're doing. Let's hope it's not just accidental fate, I guess, because it would spoil that warm fuzzy feeling I get just by thinking of it and remembering how lucky I am. I forget that all too often and it's nice that despite this all being a stressful situation that sucks, I don't feel the need to mope. This place - Somerville/Boston - is still home to me even if I have a different address because I love living here so much. I have everything I need right now.
And by everything, please include "opportunity to get a good night's sleep RIGHT NOW." :-)
- Lizzardie, at 12:57 AM
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