Home Sweet Home

I've been in my new apartment now for a couple weeks. My old place feels like a distant memory now, but that might just be because my new place is so much nicer. Here are a few of the things I have learned to love about it:

A bedroom! After a year of living in a studio, my bed is once again enclosed by four walls.

And since I have a bedroom, it called for an air conditioner. Last year when I moved into the new place, it was on the hottest day of the year. The following week was miserable as well. This year, the first week I stayed in my new place it was in the 90s, but this year I could take it thanks to the window unit.

The living room also is much, much larger - about half the size of my old place, or maybe not. I can't really tell because the ceilings are so high it seems even bigger than it is.Also great about the living room is a built in shelving unit. It's much larger than my old bookcase so I ditched that with the move. It holds everything from my high school diploma to my most recent photos albums, and as I found with my first visitor (thanks, Jenny!) it holds hours of entertainment in the form of my old journals.

Aside from the sheer lack of space in my outdated studio, there were a lot of little things I'd gone a year without. Like hot and cold water that came out of the same faucet. My old bathroom sink had two separate faucets located on opposite sides of the sink. At the new place, I get hot and cold water out of the same faucet. (Really, it's the little things.)
Oscar likes the new bathroom sink too... at least as much as he liked the old one. (And no, he has not been spotted yet. I think it's because he sleeps all day.)

Keeping along with water, my kitchen is a lot better, namely the sink. I moved partially on account of my old kitchen sink circa 1918. So the fact that the new place has a deep sink AND a nozzle sprayer means I am over joyed. I still don't like doing my dishes, but I also don't hate it as much as I used to. The kitchen also is big enough to fit a kitchen table. Whereas in my old place, the chairs were scattered and the table top was propped up against the back wall in my closet, it's fully assembeled in the new place.

And now for the ultimate selling point for me....

An outdoor oasis (ok, maybe a stretch) to call my very own.



That's all I have for pictures. I hope they are inviting enough to make you want to come visit.

Never Own a Cat

All of the students who went through Central Michigan University’s journalism school had to take photography. During my required semester of it we had a former alumni now working in the biz come speak to us. I forget his name but do remember three pieces of advice he gave us. His words of wisdom, meant to fall on the ears of undergrads about to try and make it at the journalism game were:
- Luck is when preparation meets opportunity.
- Knees do bend. (In reference to getting interesting angles for photos.)
- Never own a cat.

His reasoning for the cat comment was that when you’re young and starting out, you don’t want a cat holding you back. At the time, I wrote off the cat advice, but held on to the others. As of Saturday, the cat advice set in.

I have been searching for an apartment for over a month now. Not wanting to settle for the same type of place I currently have or worse, I admit I have been a little selective. So when the end of this week hit and I still hadn’t seen anything I considered suitable, I got VERY nervous. I had seen apartments out of my price range that were very nice and apartments within my price range that were not nice. Forgive me, but I had a hard time picturing my orange couch set against red wall appearing to be covered in splattered blood. I know, I know. I’m picky. So when a realtor I worked with Thursday called me Saturday morning to say he’d found the perfect place, I was incredibly skeptical. Regardless, I met Jonathon at 10 a.m.

And what Jonathon showed me was a spacious one bedroom on a quiet tree-lined street with a back porch. I was almost immediately sold. After seeing so many places that did not work, I could tell this one would. There was one catch though. Jonathon forgot to check the status of pets. A quick call to The Apartment People confirmed my fears. No pets allowed. “But he’s only one cat. And he’s de-clawed,” I said in protest.

Never own a cat.

Now Jonathon may or may not have said this. I will never confirm either one. But allegedly some people who own cats sometimes don’t let their landlords know they do. They allegedly move into new buildings, bring their cats and once a landlord may or may not find out, the tenant usually won’t get kicked out for having said alleged cat. I also heard from some sources that neither the landlord nor the maintenance man lives in the building. So I may or may not be saying that I may or may not sneak Oscar into the building under a blanket in the dead of night once I move in.

Aside from that, I will confirm that I did get the apartment. The Apartment People called me today to inform me that I got the place. Now all I have to do is meet with the landlord and sign the papers. I will be moving in August 1 and I may or may not have a cat. If I do though, he’s going to have to learn to be realllllllly quiet.

Just Chillin'

I have faced the elements thus far in my apartment search. On Saturday, it was blazing heat. Tuesday, I trudged through a torrential downpour only to miss an appointment with a realtor. With round three, which is to take place Thursday, I won’t be surprised if I’m met with hale or gale force winds. The weather may have something to do with the fact that I haven’t found a place yet. It’s that or that I’m too picky.

But in the meantime, Oscar and I are making do with what we have. It’s been pretty hot the past few days, so unfortunately, the Sayre/de la Hoya household has fallen on some hard times. Luckily, I can get away from the heat by heading down the street to Borders, Starbucks or Bed, Bath and Beyond – anywhere with air-conditioning really. I’m not too picky. My strategy is basically to go where I feel I can stay the longest without the staff starting to monitor my activity.

However, Mr. de la Hoya isn’t so lucky. My poor Oscar isn’t welcome at such places, so when I do return home to the stifling heat of my studio, I immediately feel guilty. He still greets me but lately it’s with a sort of a pissed off, where-the-hell-have-you-been meow. I have found one way to relieve both my guilt and Oscar’s heatstroke though….


Yes, that’s my cat in my freezer. And after I did it the first time, I learned he likes it. So I’ll continue putting my cat in the freezer (never with the door shut!) until one of two things happen: it cools down in the Chi or we get new apartment with air. Lord knows I’m trying to find one.

The Search Is On

Amenities not in my current apartment:
- Airconditioning
- Cable
- Windows that fully close
- Dishwasher
- Washer and dryer
- Internet

What I have in their place:
- A fan
- Tin foil which allows me to get basic channels
- Blankets (to stuff in my windows during the winter months)
- Liquid soap, a scrub brush and my hands
- Two of the three washers and dryers in the scary basement of my building (the other ones do not work)
- A stolen wireless signal (which I haven't connected to in three months)

It is my hope that with a new aprtment I will be able to get a little more than I currently have. However, I'm finding that I can't get as much bang for my buck as originally thought. I am apartment hunting today in 90 degree heat. I hope to find something suitable, however I know no matter what happens I will be returning to my unairconditioned home.