Well happy New Year!
So I have thought long and hard (for about 2 minutes) about what to do with this blog as my usage has decreased dramatically. But then I realized that I am a horrible emailer, too, when it comes to keeping in touch. I think your best bet right now is facebook. Therefore the blog stays and I pledge to blog more frequently – so say maybe once a month. 😉

OK so let’s look back to last year ( oh no, I didn’t even write a 2008 summary entry like I normally do. OK here it is: 2008 was a craaaaaaazy year! Joined the gym, lotso fun days and nights, lotso boys, firefighters!! work was good, GObama craziness, recession…. I think 2009 will be a much slower year but nonetheless really good.)
So anyway, mid December I was going to fly to Germany finally after 13 months of being away when my landlord told me 2 days before my flight that I would have to move out ASAP. Uhm grrrrrreat. Luckily he let me leave my stuff there – but I had to move everything into the little bedroom. Faantastic… not.
So I went to Germany and had a lovely time with my family and my friends and went to Berlin for my visa interview (piece of cake – easiest ever “So what do you want to do in the Unites States? OK and what do you analyze in your position as market analyst?”). Celebrated my grandpa’s 90th birthday and Christmas and New Year. Hung out a lot and well after 3.5 weeks it was time to go home again. I was getting kind of antsy sitting at my parents’ house when I had to find a place and move. I slept a bit at Frankfurt airport and had an uneventful flight next to a Hungarian lady who didn’t speak much English or German but was super sweet. Only watched one short movie and well eventually we landed and after waiting forever for my bags (had wanted to take only 1 suitcase but since I had to bring back some stuff for my new apartment I took 2) Ash picked me up and drove me to my car. M stopped by at my place to welcome me back and then I went to bed.
Most of you know how it is when you land in the US, you wake up super early the next morning. Thankfully Target opens at 8 so I grabbed a coffee from Starbucks and then went shopping for some bed linens. Since my old apartment was completely furnished, all I had was a pot and a kettle, some cups, 3 towels from when my family was here and 2 fleece blankets. Yeah. Oh and a big ass TV from Andy but that is still at my place since it’s so friggin’ heavy. So I went to Target and shopped for tons of stuff – just for my bed. Actually opened an account with them that day because saving 10% seemed like a smart idea after I saw the total (and apparently Target gives credit cards to everyone because I got approved and I did a mistake in my SS# so if you want one, go for it). So afterwards, it was around 11am by then my friend/co-worker Sauro came over and helped me pack up the stuff that I hadn’t packed yet and we moved me to his place.
It was the nicest thing, after I got kicked out of my apartment I had asked if I could stay with him for a bit until I’d found something new because I know another friend had lived with him for a while, too. He was the sweetest thing, totally agreeing from second 1 and helped me move and showed me how EVERYTHING worked and told me to use everything I wanted and then he went away to travel for work for almost a month. Perfect roommate!!!
In the mean time I started furniture shopping and apartment hunting. I wanted to live in my old neighborhood preferably with a patio or balcony and a pool and of course at a reasonable price and with lots of light in the place. Back in Germany I had surfed around a bit and found a nice apartment community close by, pool, fairly cheap and nice floorplans. I made an appointment and also another one for some place around there (just to compare and stuff). Checked out the just-to-compare place and it looked awesome! Hardwood floors, super bright (facing south and west), a balcony, good rent, 1925 building (seriously looked like an old European apartment with glass doorknobs and stuff) BUT no hook-ups for washer and dryers. Well, that did it for me, I mean duh, that’s a major no-no. College days are OVER! So I didn’t really pay attention to the rest of the place, small bathroom yadayada.
OK next up was the apartment community. We toured two more of their properties and they were all kind of dated but ok and well the place that I had looked at over the internet looked great! The model unit was awesome, lots of light, a balcony, a pool, rent was ok. So i asked which units were available here and she pointed me to the only available one. Ground level, facing north/east, no railing around the patio, kind of facing the woods. Hmmmm. I came back the next morning to check out how much sun light you would get at that place and well it wasn’t much. but still, great floor plan, pool, patio…. So out walks the guy that lives in that unit. Me: oh hey so do you live there?! he: yeah but i’m transferring up to the 3rd floor because someone just broke into my unit. OKAY! So that settled that for me.
Later that day I looked at another apartment. A little further south, not so walkable to my old neighborhood but alright, right on the lightrail, lots of light, balcony with a wide view into no where facing west (hello beautiful sunsets). Washer and dryer included in the apartment, fairly new constuction, good price. So I tell the guy, yeah I want it! He tells me yeah there are a few other people that said yes and he would let me know tomorrow. Hmm. Well of course the next day he tells me: My wife and I have decided to give the place to a couple as in these economic times we are more comfortable renting to two employed people rather than one. Blah. WHATEVER! Discrimination!!!! Ugh! I’m telling you, apartment hunting is sooo frustrating!!!
So I kept browsing Craigslist for apartment listings and told the lady from the apartment complex that I’d take any other unit but the one they had available. Luckily there’s tons of space at Sauro’s place but it’s reallllly far away from everything (except work – that’s really close by). And our friend Stani is moving in TODAY so it’s getting quite cramped. Well, so the place that I had looked at first (1925, no washer/dryer hook-ups) came back on Craigslist and wow, with washer and dryer hook-ups!!! So I called the guy and said, hey I want it. I was expecting something like yeah maybe, why don’t you fill out an application and do handstands and cartwheels and then we’ll see. But he just said OK. I was like WHAT?! Uhm, ok…. So I went and signed the lease and kept wondering about the place and trying to remember it because I had kind of zoned out after I heard the no washer and dryer hook-ups part.
Ha, eventually I got the code to the lock box and was able to go in there again and well I still really liked it. Saw some more details that I didn’t like so much, like there’s no storage in the bathroom and it’s kinda old as in dusty and nasty blinds. But oh well. Eventually they put some appliances in. First there was the range’s hood. Brand new. Ok. Next up was the dishwasher – new – really basic (like think about what my grandparents got in their kitchen but new). Yesterday when I checked out the latest development I saw the stove and refrigerator. Had a good laugh!!!! Soooooo old!!! Soooo nasty!!!! Thankfully some guys came by later and cleaned them but I’m still thinking they’re gonna die soon. LOL.
Well, I cleaned the place until 10pm last night, bought lots of curtains to cover up those nasty blinds, put the shower curtain rod and curtain up and now I just need to get my furniture. Waiting for the Italian to get over his hung-over and show up here to move my last boxes (I already moved tons of stuff by myself in the little golfie) and pick up my new sofa and table and chairs. Lala.
Yay new place! 🙂