The Final Frontier

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Space... in the "floor" sense.

So, I'm in the final stages of leasing. I've been approved, they've verified my information, etc. I'm waiting for a copy of my renter's insurance to prove my liability coverage; I'll likely have that this afternoon or tomorrow morning. Then, I sign the lease.

It's a decent place. Not perfect, but I never expected perfect. Still, it covers all the bases, and it's in a pretty nice building: salt water pool, rec room with pool table and foosball, weight room, dry sauna, laundry facilities on every floor (just outside the apartment, actually). I'll be on the top floor in an inside corner with a small balcony. It's also about half a mile from Old Town Pasadena, which is nice.

Speaking of, it's got a walk score of 85, which is really what I was most looking for. Not only are there four grocery stores (Whole Foods, Trader Joes, Gelson's, and Vons) within a half-mile, it's a couple blocks from the metro station going downtown or to work, and only 10 miles from the office if I decide I want to bike.

That's a huge thing for me: I'd like to be able to drive only when I want to head to LA or something. On a day-to-day basis, I can walk or bike everywhere. Don't get me wrong, I love driving and I love my car. This isn't even really an environmentally-conscious thing (though that's a nice bonus). Mostly, I just want to be more centrally located in an urban environment. We'll see if the reality lives up to the expectations.

I also wouldn't be moving in until July 9th, but that's not a huge issue. I'll be getting back from my birthday vacation on the 4th, so that's pretty good timing.

Kind of funny timing, actually. Five years ago, I bought myself a car for my birthday. This year, I'm getting an apartment. Nothing like thinking big, eh?

Assume the position

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So, tomorrow's the rapture. I've heard accounts that it's going to take place at 6 p.m. local time. Bummer; I'll be in the middle of Pirates then. Not that I necessarily expect to go to heaven. If the fundies are right about God, then I wouldn't want to go - the old "laugh with the sinners" thing.

Of course, the best thing would be if all the fundamentalists got pulled up to their place of perfection and just left the rest of us the hell alone.

I woke up this morning to some kind of rash under my eye. The only thing I can think of is that I was looking at this awesome hibiscus plant at an apartment complex last night; maybe I got some pollen or something on me. However, I played with hibiscus in Maui and never had an issue.

Regardless, I'm staying home a bit to see if it goes away; the last thing I need is to have this get worse and not be able to drive or such.

Always something new.

Slow-motion capture

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Bah, been too long.

Well, not really. Nothing new or interesting to report. I'm still apartment-hunting. The funds I'd been waiting for didn't come in until late April, so that delayed things a bit. Now it's a matter of finding the right place at the right price; it's not impossible, and I have a few leads, but it's a slow process.

Beyond that, it's been same-old same-old. The consulting job I've probably mentioned has ramped up a fair bit in intensity; that's the main reason I haven't been blogging: I've just been too busy with that. It's not interesting work, and unfortunately it's getting to be downright annoying as over and over things fail to happen when they should. All the timing pressure eventually gets dumped on my shoulders, but I'm a big enough boy to dump it right back.

Since I still haven't moved out, my moratorium on spending money is still in effect. As such, I haven't booked anything for my birthday yet. This may mean limited options when I do get around to it, but, well, I made this rule for a reason... blowing it now would be counter-productive.

I'll try to get back into posting regularly. Hope folks are still out there.