I've moved a lot of stuff down to the new apartment already. I'm making another run tonight, with some of the dishes, the dining room chairs, and some other bulkier stuff (like my M:TG cards, which I still haven't gotten around to selling yet but are now apparently worth $3000-$6000).
This weekend is the big one: a coworker is (supposed to be) helping me move my bed and dining room table, and I'll move my computer chair and the rest of the dishes as well as whatever clothes and such I have left (I've been wrapping the dishes in shirts and such, since that seemed like less of a waste than using newspaper or buying packing material). After this weekend, I'll be "officially moved" and living down in Westwood, even though I'll still have some clean-up and such to do at the old apartment. Like, I still have to make an e-waste run to Good Will.
Tomorrow will likely be my last day taking the train into the office (I'm planning on driving on Friday). That feels a little weird to me.
A whole lot is obviously about to change, and I'm starting to get nervous about it. It'll work out - beyond that, it'll be great - but change is always disruptive and anxiety-inducing, even when we're looking forward to it. The things that I'm spending the most time thinking about are dumb things, though.
Like, I've gotten into a routine for the last few months where I hit the same few restaurants on weekends. There's a place I go for nachos by work, and a couple of burger joints I hit at various points. I'm obviously not going to be getting those nachos much any more, though there appears to be a location in the same chain to the south of the new place. And the Village has a lot of restaurants that are great, including more than a few that I've been to in the past. Beyond that, it wouldn't kill me to eat at home more.
But that's the kind of thing my mind latches on to, generally. I'm good with the "big stuff"; it's the little details that I stress about.
Like, one thing that has been going back and forth in my mind: I have a regular bedspread, but I also have a hand-knitted blanket my mother made as well as an electric blanket. I obviously don't use all of them at any point and only use two when it's pretty cold in the dead of winter; generally speaking, the ones not in use are just piled in the corner of my room. I don't have that much space in the new place, so I need to come up with a different way of storing them.
But storing which? The electric blanket is harder to take on and off, obviously, because it's got the cables (though I usually just leave those plugged in). The spread is bulky, and anyway, I think that's the one I'd most like to keep on the bed (as it matches the decor best). But my mom's blanket is just awesome and, lately, is what I've been using most (as it's been generally too hot for either of the other two). Again, it's a silly thing to worry about and it'll get figured out, but it's annoying me.
Anyway, I notified one bank and the DMV of my address change; I'm doing the other bank today. I've already re-registered to vote in the new address, so that's handled. I need to set up my internet service, which I'll probably start today; the complication with that is getting to a place to pick up the modem, but I'll manage. Gas and electricity are already on. And I've already got a couple of my text books for the quarter.
Oh, I also got a scholarship from the state for about $1700 a quarter, which is awesome. That's just under 40% of my costs, which means less pulled out of my IRA. I got *that* part set up as well, so when I'm ready to transfer the funds, it should be easy. The market's been doing better, and of course pulling out less means less of a long-term impact.
It also means that 1) I may be able to get away with not withdrawing anything else from the IRA after this quarter (if I behave) and 2) I can probably get the notebook PC I really need to have for school (which flies a bit in the face of (1), but is really something I ought to do). I've found one I like through Costco, so it's not as expensive as it would be otherwise, and with staying at full-time hours in September but already being at the lower rent, I'll have extra funds that I wasn't planning on for the month.
All in all, things are (so far) working out pretty well. I just need to get through this weekend.
Lay of the land
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So, here's a rough plan of what my new place will look like:
The bathroom, closet, and kitchen aren't exact; I didn't measure those out, as there's no furniture going in them. But the rest is pretty close to the plan, including the colors. Most of my stuff right now (furniture, sheets, etc.) is blue, grey/silver, or black, hence the colors. The existing carpet is that typical light-tan used everywhere, so it won't clash. Even my dishes are a blue/black.
Entryway is on the right in that little hook area there. It steps into a (probably fake) wood area that is 4 feet wide by about 4.5 feet long. As you enter, off to the right is the bedroom area. Right now, I'm only planning my bed (with its headboard), a small leaning shelf, a larger but short media center table, and my rowing machine (the weird pointy thing there; it'll be folded up most of the time, probably, but I wanted to check for spacing). The large grey shag rug I already have; it's in my dining room at the current place but is too large for the area in this one The striped runner rugs I've just purchased; they'll essentially line the right side of the place. I'll have to get some bathroom rugs later, but those are easy (come to think of it, I bought one for the guest bathroom; I can just use that for one at least; I did that bathroom as a kind of sea foam blue/green, so it should mesh with the fixtures in the new bathroom).
You step down two steps to the living room area, which is why the runner here is divided a bit. Straight ahead is the gas fireplace. I just bought the big "circles" rug as well, so that'll be getting delivered maybe by the end of the week. In the living room, I'll put my computer chair near the top; it's hard to describe, but it's a brushed-steel pipe frame "lounge" (no, I didn't pay that much for it) that I've mounted my monitor and such to using movie-set clamps. The case itself is black and glows blue. Behind that, along the left wall, is my bookshelf, which I also already have (basically, two of these with shelves between them, so it's one long unit).
The big area will, at some point, probably have a small table and a couch or chairs. I haven't exactly decided yet. I've actually got a coffee table that C&D gave me; it's two wooden levels with black supports on the sides. It's a little worse for wear, but if I can figure out how to disassemble it, paint it, and maybe put a glass top on it (replacing the center wooden panel), it would be suitable. I have an idea to recess some lighting in it, but I don't even know if I can take it apart easily yet.
Passing the fireplace, there's a little "bar" type divider to the kitchen, then the "dining room" (which leads to the patio). I was worried that my table wouldn't fit, but it should be fine. I only have the two chairs, and I don't exactly entertain much. So, for now, I'll probably have it like shown; if I need to, I can pull it away from the wall for more friendly dining. I'll want to get a rug for this area and a mat for the kitchen too, but again, those are pretty easy to do.
I've got three big lamps I can bring, one of which matches with the bookshelf pretty well (which is why I have it and where it currently stands). The other two are those "branch" kinds of lamps with bulbs and shades at the end, one in my bedroom and one in the guest room. I'll probably just bring one, though I'm not even sure if I'll use it. I also got a new lamp for my birthday from my mom's friend; that actually fits the style/decor pretty well too. It can't really be on a switch, though, as the way it turns on is a little weird, so I'll probably try replacing the light over my bed with it.
I didn't draw out the patio. It's not terribly large. I'm probably going to look into getting some "fake grass" as an outdoor rug for it, then maybe use some of my planters. I'd *really* like to get some kind of climbing ivy or something for the railing, especially a flowering variety, but that would mean taking care of it. There's always fake stuff, but that fades/gets dusty. I may see about some kind of screen or something. I don't want to block airflow through the railing, but I also don't want to scandalize the neighbors across the way if I'm walking around naked in my place, and a bit of a screen or partial covering of the railing would do the trick (they're actually slightly below me, so I don't need much).
I'd also like to get some artwork for the walls. My current place doesn't have anything in it, but there are a few of my shots I'd like to print out. I've got a gorgeous panorama of Mt. Shasta that would look great as three (or even five) separate panels - I think I figured out once that at 2 feet high, it would be about 20 feet long. But I've also got others that would look great in various areas. I also want to get more plant life in the new place; it'll be more temperate in general, so there'll be less of an issue with extremes, even if I'm leaving the door open for airflow.
I've got the keys andmay will start moving stuff down this weekend. I'm actually tempted to see if I can get the dining table apart and moved myself; I just need to be careful of the glass. I have to see if it'll fit in my car with the hatch down (just a matter of measuring). If not, I'll probably stick to boxing up my books and moving them and the shelf down. That would probably be at least one trip and maybe two, but it would also be the first big chunk out of the apartment. If the rugs show up, I'll probably move them instead (or at least first) so that I have them in place for later. Those *will* fit in my car, even the 9x12; heck, the corners for the bookshelf are over 7 feet and rod iron, and those fit without much of an issue if I lean the seat back. That's how I got it home in the first place, though granted that was just a couple of blocks away.
One concern is the closet. I don't have all that much stuff to go in there, since I've basically just got the two closets at my place. But part of what does need to go in there is my camping gear, and that's kind of bulky. I've also got my emergency water tanks, which aren't tiny (and I have two of them). I think they'll all fit without problem, but it may take a little bit of shuffling. Clothes-wise, I've gotten rid of a lot of stuff that I haven't worn in ages. Most of that hangs anyway (the rest goes in the drawers under my bed).
UPDATE: So, took the small table mostly apart last night. Turns out the center section I want to remove is held in place by all the sides, and I'm not entirely sure how to remove them. It looks like a slot joint, with a kind of plug hammered in at one end, but it's really hard to tell. I may see if I can remove the plug from the one side without doing too much other damage; I can always fill in that area with epoxy or something later (I know there are clays or such for this purpose, and it's a small little spot). Otherwise, I may just end up repainting it and leaving it at that.
Entryway is on the right in that little hook area there. It steps into a (probably fake) wood area that is 4 feet wide by about 4.5 feet long. As you enter, off to the right is the bedroom area. Right now, I'm only planning my bed (with its headboard), a small leaning shelf, a larger but short media center table, and my rowing machine (the weird pointy thing there; it'll be folded up most of the time, probably, but I wanted to check for spacing). The large grey shag rug I already have; it's in my dining room at the current place but is too large for the area in this one The striped runner rugs I've just purchased; they'll essentially line the right side of the place. I'll have to get some bathroom rugs later, but those are easy (come to think of it, I bought one for the guest bathroom; I can just use that for one at least; I did that bathroom as a kind of sea foam blue/green, so it should mesh with the fixtures in the new bathroom).
You step down two steps to the living room area, which is why the runner here is divided a bit. Straight ahead is the gas fireplace. I just bought the big "circles" rug as well, so that'll be getting delivered maybe by the end of the week. In the living room, I'll put my computer chair near the top; it's hard to describe, but it's a brushed-steel pipe frame "lounge" (no, I didn't pay that much for it) that I've mounted my monitor and such to using movie-set clamps. The case itself is black and glows blue. Behind that, along the left wall, is my bookshelf, which I also already have (basically, two of these with shelves between them, so it's one long unit).
The big area will, at some point, probably have a small table and a couch or chairs. I haven't exactly decided yet. I've actually got a coffee table that C&D gave me; it's two wooden levels with black supports on the sides. It's a little worse for wear, but if I can figure out how to disassemble it, paint it, and maybe put a glass top on it (replacing the center wooden panel), it would be suitable. I have an idea to recess some lighting in it, but I don't even know if I can take it apart easily yet.
Passing the fireplace, there's a little "bar" type divider to the kitchen, then the "dining room" (which leads to the patio). I was worried that my table wouldn't fit, but it should be fine. I only have the two chairs, and I don't exactly entertain much. So, for now, I'll probably have it like shown; if I need to, I can pull it away from the wall for more friendly dining. I'll want to get a rug for this area and a mat for the kitchen too, but again, those are pretty easy to do.
I've got three big lamps I can bring, one of which matches with the bookshelf pretty well (which is why I have it and where it currently stands). The other two are those "branch" kinds of lamps with bulbs and shades at the end, one in my bedroom and one in the guest room. I'll probably just bring one, though I'm not even sure if I'll use it. I also got a new lamp for my birthday from my mom's friend; that actually fits the style/decor pretty well too. It can't really be on a switch, though, as the way it turns on is a little weird, so I'll probably try replacing the light over my bed with it.
I didn't draw out the patio. It's not terribly large. I'm probably going to look into getting some "fake grass" as an outdoor rug for it, then maybe use some of my planters. I'd *really* like to get some kind of climbing ivy or something for the railing, especially a flowering variety, but that would mean taking care of it. There's always fake stuff, but that fades/gets dusty. I may see about some kind of screen or something. I don't want to block airflow through the railing, but I also don't want to scandalize the neighbors across the way if I'm walking around naked in my place, and a bit of a screen or partial covering of the railing would do the trick (they're actually slightly below me, so I don't need much).
I'd also like to get some artwork for the walls. My current place doesn't have anything in it, but there are a few of my shots I'd like to print out. I've got a gorgeous panorama of Mt. Shasta that would look great as three (or even five) separate panels - I think I figured out once that at 2 feet high, it would be about 20 feet long. But I've also got others that would look great in various areas. I also want to get more plant life in the new place; it'll be more temperate in general, so there'll be less of an issue with extremes, even if I'm leaving the door open for airflow.
I've got the keys and
One concern is the closet. I don't have all that much stuff to go in there, since I've basically just got the two closets at my place. But part of what does need to go in there is my camping gear, and that's kind of bulky. I've also got my emergency water tanks, which aren't tiny (and I have two of them). I think they'll all fit without problem, but it may take a little bit of shuffling. Clothes-wise, I've gotten rid of a lot of stuff that I haven't worn in ages. Most of that hangs anyway (the rest goes in the drawers under my bed).
UPDATE: So, took the small table mostly apart last night. Turns out the center section I want to remove is held in place by all the sides, and I'm not entirely sure how to remove them. It looks like a slot joint, with a kind of plug hammered in at one end, but it's really hard to tell. I may see if I can remove the plug from the one side without doing too much other damage; I can always fill in that area with epoxy or something later (I know there are clays or such for this purpose, and it's a small little spot). Otherwise, I may just end up repainting it and leaving it at that.
Go West
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There are a lot of apartment-for-rent sites out there: a handful of big-name places, a few social media kinds of sites that also offer housing listings, and then a whole crapton of no-name smaller sites which usually just link back to the bigger names.
Places like Aparments.com, Rent.com, Trulia, Zillow, and Craigslist have most of the listings. Others like radpad or padmapper just aggregate those together. So, searching multiple sites usually means seeing the same places over and over in different formats. Then, of course, you have all the major apartment complexes with their own websites and listing information.
I don't even remember how I got to it, but for some reason I ended up on a random, no-clue-who-this-is rental site. Something like aparment-homes-rental-listing-for-you (not the actual name). I shrugged and just looked to see what was there, which was about 99% what I'd seen before.
And then one place that I hadn't seen. You see, after you look at the maps for days on end, you get to recognize the listings just by locations. "Oh, that's Tiverton Court. That one's Gayley Manor." This was off to the side, near everything I recognized but in a spot I hadn't seen before.
I clicked on the ad, and there was a listing for a studio for $1400. Okay, that's pretty good pricing; usually means a 300-400 sq ft place with no parking, often with only an efficiency kitchen, but it was worth looking at as it was about a half mile from campus. I went a bit deeper: not only does it have a full kitchen and including parking, but it's 600 sq ft and has a fireplace.
... Seriously? A fireplace? And that size for that price? Okay, what's wrong with it?
To put this in perspective, I have a 1050 sq ft 2b2ba in Pasadena. Market rate is $2600 for my place, about $2.50 a square foot. A 2b2ba in Westwood, within a half mile of campus, is usually 3400-3800 for1000 sq feet - about $3.40 or more a square foot. Studios I've been looking at have been even more, usually $4+ a square foot. At $1400 for 600 sq feet, this place is cheaper than my current apartment and anything I've seen in the area at all. So what's the catch?
I started looking for reviews of the building. There were a lot on the UCLA student sites, mostly stating that the building was okay, the apartments were great, and the manager was hell on wheels. Reading more, I read various lists of complaints about mistreatment and strict rules and such, with a handful of people saying, "He's really not that bad - he was actually really nice to me and quick to fix things."
The common factor in the good reviews was that they were written by older people or non-students. The common factor for the bad reviews was that they were almost all written by younger students. Okay, so the guy may have a problem with young college students; that's understandable, even if it sucks. But it meant I should keep an open mind on it.
I was still really worried about why it was only advertised on one podunk website with low traffic, but I held that to the side and contacted the leasing office. Yes, the place was available; yes, the listing information was correct. So I scheduled a visit the next day.
The manager was actually really nice to me - a bit abrupt, sure, but he's also foreign (the reviews mostly said "Arab"; I think he's actually Slavic of some kind, maybe Russian or eastern European, but I haven't asked). The apartment was almost exactly as pictured (the layout was half-reversed; everything else was the same). Sure, the elevator and hallways needed from TLC - a scrubbing, maybe a paint job - but the inside of the apartment was pretty good (the rug has stains, but I'll be covering that mostly anyway).
He walked me down to the garage and talked about his "rules". They centered around the fact that it was a "quiet building" - "No one rents here to party; if they want that, they can go two block that way" (waving towards Frat Row which was, in fact, two blocks away). "I have a lot of students, and 99 percent of the time, mom and dad pay the rent. That's fine. If they want to have people over to watch football, fine. Enjoy the game, enjoy your drink, enjoy your pizza, but half an hour later, it's quiet time again."
Most of the rules that people were complaining about made total sense to me. One was a no-sublease clause: a lot of students sublease their places for quarters when they aren't in class and go back home, but that makes it a lot harder for management to know what's going on in the building. Similar for parking spaces: yes, it may seem weird to restrict parking, but a lot of students don't drive and then rent out their spaces to other students, which also makes it hard for management to know who is coming and going from the building. And the "quiet building" restrictions weren't actually any worse than I heard at my current place, which is mostly young professionals.
I told him a little about me, handed over copies of my pay stubs, and he looked a little surprised. But from that point on, he essentially treated me as if my moving in was a done deal. I paid the holding deposit (which goes towards the security deposit), got the formal application to fill out, and let him know that I'd be moving in "piecemeal" since I didn't have to be out of my place until 9/15. "Is okay," he said, "Come by next Friday and pick up your keys. You can start whenever; the place is empty anyway. I'll get you a temporary parking spot near the elevator so you can unload more easily."
The final price for the place is actually $1500 a month. When he was typing up the receipt, I noticed it said $1600. "I thought it was $1400," I said, and handed him the ad. He looked at it, said that it shouldn't be correct - "they're losing money" - but then kind of shrugged. As he started re-typing the receipt, he paused and said, "How about $1500." I agreed - it's still an amazing deal. Heck, if he'd insisted on $1600, I would have gone with it. I did pull up the ad on my computer to show him where it was listed so that he could take the info back to the leasing company.
So, that's that. I've got a place in Westwood, my own place for less than I was expecting to pay. I dropped the application off on Saturday, and I'm supposed to call him today or tomorrow and let him know when I'll be coming by on Friday (probably 3:30-4; I'll take a half day off of work, since I need to hit the bank and get a certified check for the remainder of the deposit and first month's rent). My official move-in is 8/15, but when I visit Friday, I'm supposed to get the keys and remote for the garage. I'll also take my tape measure to figure out the exact dimensions of the place (I have a rough idea, but I want to start planning furniture and rugs and such). I'll also take some photos, for documentation of the condition as well as my own interests.
7 weeks and counting until school starts. I'm actually doing this.
Places like Aparments.com, Rent.com, Trulia, Zillow, and Craigslist have most of the listings. Others like radpad or padmapper just aggregate those together. So, searching multiple sites usually means seeing the same places over and over in different formats. Then, of course, you have all the major apartment complexes with their own websites and listing information.
I don't even remember how I got to it, but for some reason I ended up on a random, no-clue-who-this-is rental site. Something like aparment-homes-rental-listing-for-you (not the actual name). I shrugged and just looked to see what was there, which was about 99% what I'd seen before.
And then one place that I hadn't seen. You see, after you look at the maps for days on end, you get to recognize the listings just by locations. "Oh, that's Tiverton Court. That one's Gayley Manor." This was off to the side, near everything I recognized but in a spot I hadn't seen before.
I clicked on the ad, and there was a listing for a studio for $1400. Okay, that's pretty good pricing; usually means a 300-400 sq ft place with no parking, often with only an efficiency kitchen, but it was worth looking at as it was about a half mile from campus. I went a bit deeper: not only does it have a full kitchen and including parking, but it's 600 sq ft and has a fireplace.
... Seriously? A fireplace? And that size for that price? Okay, what's wrong with it?
To put this in perspective, I have a 1050 sq ft 2b2ba in Pasadena. Market rate is $2600 for my place, about $2.50 a square foot. A 2b2ba in Westwood, within a half mile of campus, is usually 3400-3800 for1000 sq feet - about $3.40 or more a square foot. Studios I've been looking at have been even more, usually $4+ a square foot. At $1400 for 600 sq feet, this place is cheaper than my current apartment and anything I've seen in the area at all. So what's the catch?
I started looking for reviews of the building. There were a lot on the UCLA student sites, mostly stating that the building was okay, the apartments were great, and the manager was hell on wheels. Reading more, I read various lists of complaints about mistreatment and strict rules and such, with a handful of people saying, "He's really not that bad - he was actually really nice to me and quick to fix things."
The common factor in the good reviews was that they were written by older people or non-students. The common factor for the bad reviews was that they were almost all written by younger students. Okay, so the guy may have a problem with young college students; that's understandable, even if it sucks. But it meant I should keep an open mind on it.
I was still really worried about why it was only advertised on one podunk website with low traffic, but I held that to the side and contacted the leasing office. Yes, the place was available; yes, the listing information was correct. So I scheduled a visit the next day.
The manager was actually really nice to me - a bit abrupt, sure, but he's also foreign (the reviews mostly said "Arab"; I think he's actually Slavic of some kind, maybe Russian or eastern European, but I haven't asked). The apartment was almost exactly as pictured (the layout was half-reversed; everything else was the same). Sure, the elevator and hallways needed from TLC - a scrubbing, maybe a paint job - but the inside of the apartment was pretty good (the rug has stains, but I'll be covering that mostly anyway).
He walked me down to the garage and talked about his "rules". They centered around the fact that it was a "quiet building" - "No one rents here to party; if they want that, they can go two block that way" (waving towards Frat Row which was, in fact, two blocks away). "I have a lot of students, and 99 percent of the time, mom and dad pay the rent. That's fine. If they want to have people over to watch football, fine. Enjoy the game, enjoy your drink, enjoy your pizza, but half an hour later, it's quiet time again."
Most of the rules that people were complaining about made total sense to me. One was a no-sublease clause: a lot of students sublease their places for quarters when they aren't in class and go back home, but that makes it a lot harder for management to know what's going on in the building. Similar for parking spaces: yes, it may seem weird to restrict parking, but a lot of students don't drive and then rent out their spaces to other students, which also makes it hard for management to know who is coming and going from the building. And the "quiet building" restrictions weren't actually any worse than I heard at my current place, which is mostly young professionals.
I told him a little about me, handed over copies of my pay stubs, and he looked a little surprised. But from that point on, he essentially treated me as if my moving in was a done deal. I paid the holding deposit (which goes towards the security deposit), got the formal application to fill out, and let him know that I'd be moving in "piecemeal" since I didn't have to be out of my place until 9/15. "Is okay," he said, "Come by next Friday and pick up your keys. You can start whenever; the place is empty anyway. I'll get you a temporary parking spot near the elevator so you can unload more easily."
The final price for the place is actually $1500 a month. When he was typing up the receipt, I noticed it said $1600. "I thought it was $1400," I said, and handed him the ad. He looked at it, said that it shouldn't be correct - "they're losing money" - but then kind of shrugged. As he started re-typing the receipt, he paused and said, "How about $1500." I agreed - it's still an amazing deal. Heck, if he'd insisted on $1600, I would have gone with it. I did pull up the ad on my computer to show him where it was listed so that he could take the info back to the leasing company.
So, that's that. I've got a place in Westwood, my own place for less than I was expecting to pay. I dropped the application off on Saturday, and I'm supposed to call him today or tomorrow and let him know when I'll be coming by on Friday (probably 3:30-4; I'll take a half day off of work, since I need to hit the bank and get a certified check for the remainder of the deposit and first month's rent). My official move-in is 8/15, but when I visit Friday, I'm supposed to get the keys and remote for the garage. I'll also take my tape measure to figure out the exact dimensions of the place (I have a rough idea, but I want to start planning furniture and rugs and such). I'll also take some photos, for documentation of the condition as well as my own interests.
7 weeks and counting until school starts. I'm actually doing this.
Oh-plus-one for five
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I swear to LEGO, I'm starting to understand why people buy property.
So, I contacted a couple of different major apartment complexes last week asking if I could do tours or such of the units. All of them are only open business ours (9-6 M-F); that, from the start, is a problem - hello, you want renters who can pay the bills but won't be open when people with day jobs can stop by? - but whatever. I took Friday afternoon off and figured I'd wander around the village a bit checking places out.
I had 5 places I wanted to visit. I had ads from them on various sites and, in a couple of cases, had spoken to *someone* over the phone about the property. One place I wanted to stop by was the apartment that I still think would be awesome but the property manage hasn't responded to any emails or voicemail in two weeks; I stopped by just to see if there was an office or something, but nada.
The other four had listed open hours, and I even had an actual tour time at one. Stopped by there first; I was really hoping for it to work out, because it sounded awesome. First issue: floor plan is different than what was online. Second: no kitchen ("they're all bachelors; doesn't it say that?" no, it doesn't; it actually mentions kitchens). Third: parking was completely different than mentioned. I just thanked them for their time, turned around, and walked out.
The next three weren't any better:
So, one maybe and a bunch of nos (and still nothing from the one I really want to hear about).
I found a couple more potential roommate situations I emailed about today. One is one that I messaged last month, but I assumed that was because he was looking for someone quickly. I guess he hasn't found anyone yet, but we'll see if he gets back to me on it. Another is a huge (absolutely massive; 21' by 16', almost an apartment by itself) master room in a 3b3ba place even closer to campus, but that involves an international student, so I'm going to play it carefully in case it ends up being a scam. It's from FB, and I don't think it's a scam, but I'm still going slowly.
Also got an offer from a coworker to help me move (he's got a big pickup). Since I don't have all that much stuff that won't fit in my car (and will hopefully be moving in stages rather than all at once,), that would save me having to rent a van. I'll probably pay him for gas and crap, but he owes me favors anyway (he arguably has this job because of me).
I know that I'll likely get into a building somewhere and be put for three years or more, and that's good. Because if I had to do this again in a year, I'd strangle someone. I hope the roommate thing I saw on Friday works out (other than being a 30-minute walk to campus - yes, there's a bus, but I was hoping to walk - it's pretty much perfect), but I told him that I have to keep looking just in case, which he said he completely understood.
So, I contacted a couple of different major apartment complexes last week asking if I could do tours or such of the units. All of them are only open business ours (9-6 M-F); that, from the start, is a problem - hello, you want renters who can pay the bills but won't be open when people with day jobs can stop by? - but whatever. I took Friday afternoon off and figured I'd wander around the village a bit checking places out.
I had 5 places I wanted to visit. I had ads from them on various sites and, in a couple of cases, had spoken to *someone* over the phone about the property. One place I wanted to stop by was the apartment that I still think would be awesome but the property manage hasn't responded to any emails or voicemail in two weeks; I stopped by just to see if there was an office or something, but nada.
The other four had listed open hours, and I even had an actual tour time at one. Stopped by there first; I was really hoping for it to work out, because it sounded awesome. First issue: floor plan is different than what was online. Second: no kitchen ("they're all bachelors; doesn't it say that?" no, it doesn't; it actually mentions kitchens). Third: parking was completely different than mentioned. I just thanked them for their time, turned around, and walked out.
The next three weren't any better:
- Building was being (loudly) worked on, but I got hold of the central office back east somewhere. Mentioned was was on the ad. "Er, no, I don't think we have any units for that price." Me:"It says here available 9/5 for both." "Yes, that's right, but they're <$200 more than listed> there, maybe there's a move-in special." On-site manager called me later, nope, advert is wrong "and I'm trying to find out who placed it; we don't handle the marketing."
- Nice building on a quiet side street. Call the number for a viewing. "We don't have any studios available right now; I've actually got a wait list until November or so; you'd be number 7 on the list." Me:"The ad says available now. Specifically. Even lists a couple of apartments." "Sorry. Nothing's available."
- Next place, similar. "No, that price isn't right. I'm not sure who handles the ad, but it's incorrect.""
So, one maybe and a bunch of nos (and still nothing from the one I really want to hear about).
I found a couple more potential roommate situations I emailed about today. One is one that I messaged last month, but I assumed that was because he was looking for someone quickly. I guess he hasn't found anyone yet, but we'll see if he gets back to me on it. Another is a huge (absolutely massive; 21' by 16', almost an apartment by itself) master room in a 3b3ba place even closer to campus, but that involves an international student, so I'm going to play it carefully in case it ends up being a scam. It's from FB, and I don't think it's a scam, but I'm still going slowly.
Also got an offer from a coworker to help me move (he's got a big pickup). Since I don't have all that much stuff that won't fit in my car (and will hopefully be moving in stages rather than all at once,), that would save me having to rent a van. I'll probably pay him for gas and crap, but he owes me favors anyway (he arguably has this job because of me).
I know that I'll likely get into a building somewhere and be put for three years or more, and that's good. Because if I had to do this again in a year, I'd strangle someone. I hope the roommate thing I saw on Friday works out (other than being a 30-minute walk to campus - yes, there's a bus, but I was hoping to walk - it's pretty much perfect), but I told him that I have to keep looking just in case, which he said he completely understood.
What's age... it's just a number, right? Yeah...
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(Title from "Beautiful Thing")
Unfortunately, it seems a lot of student don't agree. I've had several responses from potential flatmates stating various (polite) versions of, "Sorry, you're too old."
Now, I do understand where some of this is coming from. I'm twice the age of some undergrads; there's not only a potential "creepy old guy" aspect, but it's simply the case that my approach to life is going to be different. If they're looking for party types or whatnot, then chances are, I'm not it.
But while I understand that, I don't agree with it. I'm *not* like most 40-year-olds. I'm not going to be anyone's dad or act like a parent in the house. I've got my LEGOs and my computer and will probably be busy enough with my own crap that I won't have time to try and babysit anyone else. I also don't look my age and certainly don't act parental anyway.
And that's not to mention how flatly illegal age discrimination in housing is, but frankly I'm not going there.
Anyway, it's been pretty frustrating. I'm now focusing more on getting my own place in the village; I've found a management company that runs multiple properties in the area, including several studios that I can afford and are two blocks or less from campus (with parking). I wrote the realtor this morning, so we'll see if I get a response back (if not, I'll probably call tomorrow afternoon).
But the whole ageism thing aggravates something I ran into at orientation on Monday (oh, yes, I'm officially a Bruin now). While the group I was running around with were all engineers and were pretty nice, I felt definite walls from a couple of them that didn't seem to get thrown up against anyone else (there were 7 guys, 3 of us aerospace, one mechanical, and three electrical).
At PCC, I was the oldest guy in most of my classes (including the professors in a couple). It wasn't really an issue. Other than some friendly teasing with students and banter with the profs (usually about "the old days"), no one cared. I actually made several friends who I hung out with at various points.
Even if it's just limited to socializing, I'm going to be annoyed if I get put into a box by my fellow students. Oh, sure, I expect that I'll make "friends" in the sense of having people who want to work with me on projects and such (assuming I'm actually competent and doing well), but that's different from catching a movie or just goofing off on a weekend. I frankly don't expect to want to socialize in most of the ways the students will, since I'm not a party guy anyway, but I was hoping to at least not be totally cut off from the social scene.
That hope is somewhat diminished at the moment.
Anyway, orientation was fairly fun, though less informative for me than probably for most people. The school threw a couple of curve balls at me regarding my course credits: one good, in that I totally wasn't expecting to get credit for my Diff Eq class and they gave it to me. The other two are classes I'm petitioning to count; one almost certainly will and may have just been left out because it's mostly redundant. The other is more of a long shot, but it's worth trying.
However, the two schedules I'd gone in with were based around either taking the DE class I thought I'd need or taking an upper div class that had one of the others as a pre-req, so I had to improvise. I'm still taking two engineering classes, but I'll also be taking one of my GE requirements (ancient civs). I'm looking forward to it, but the schedule ended up being 8 am to 6 pm Tuesday and Thursday, with a long gap in the middle of the day. So, no sleeping in for me.
But it does mean I'm officially able to do the two-days-at-the-office thing, so that's good. I also had some conversations with both student and academic advisors, and they both assured me that the engineering school was *very* accommodating when it came to needing to make class schedules around work schedules. They even said I'd almost certainly be granted entry into closed or wait-listed classes if needed (as long as it was reasonable). So, that's pretty cool.
My mom also decided that the best way for her and my step-dad to give me money was for us to open a joint checking account; since I needed a new one anyway to extract money from my IRAs, we opened it Tuesday. She's scheduled transfers to it 4 times a year at the start of the months when tuition will be due. That's one less thing to worry about.
If I can just get housing sorted out, I'll be all set for the fall.
Unfortunately, it seems a lot of student don't agree. I've had several responses from potential flatmates stating various (polite) versions of, "Sorry, you're too old."
Now, I do understand where some of this is coming from. I'm twice the age of some undergrads; there's not only a potential "creepy old guy" aspect, but it's simply the case that my approach to life is going to be different. If they're looking for party types or whatnot, then chances are, I'm not it.
But while I understand that, I don't agree with it. I'm *not* like most 40-year-olds. I'm not going to be anyone's dad or act like a parent in the house. I've got my LEGOs and my computer and will probably be busy enough with my own crap that I won't have time to try and babysit anyone else. I also don't look my age and certainly don't act parental anyway.
And that's not to mention how flatly illegal age discrimination in housing is, but frankly I'm not going there.
Anyway, it's been pretty frustrating. I'm now focusing more on getting my own place in the village; I've found a management company that runs multiple properties in the area, including several studios that I can afford and are two blocks or less from campus (with parking). I wrote the realtor this morning, so we'll see if I get a response back (if not, I'll probably call tomorrow afternoon).
But the whole ageism thing aggravates something I ran into at orientation on Monday (oh, yes, I'm officially a Bruin now). While the group I was running around with were all engineers and were pretty nice, I felt definite walls from a couple of them that didn't seem to get thrown up against anyone else (there were 7 guys, 3 of us aerospace, one mechanical, and three electrical).
At PCC, I was the oldest guy in most of my classes (including the professors in a couple). It wasn't really an issue. Other than some friendly teasing with students and banter with the profs (usually about "the old days"), no one cared. I actually made several friends who I hung out with at various points.
Even if it's just limited to socializing, I'm going to be annoyed if I get put into a box by my fellow students. Oh, sure, I expect that I'll make "friends" in the sense of having people who want to work with me on projects and such (assuming I'm actually competent and doing well), but that's different from catching a movie or just goofing off on a weekend. I frankly don't expect to want to socialize in most of the ways the students will, since I'm not a party guy anyway, but I was hoping to at least not be totally cut off from the social scene.
That hope is somewhat diminished at the moment.
Anyway, orientation was fairly fun, though less informative for me than probably for most people. The school threw a couple of curve balls at me regarding my course credits: one good, in that I totally wasn't expecting to get credit for my Diff Eq class and they gave it to me. The other two are classes I'm petitioning to count; one almost certainly will and may have just been left out because it's mostly redundant. The other is more of a long shot, but it's worth trying.
However, the two schedules I'd gone in with were based around either taking the DE class I thought I'd need or taking an upper div class that had one of the others as a pre-req, so I had to improvise. I'm still taking two engineering classes, but I'll also be taking one of my GE requirements (ancient civs). I'm looking forward to it, but the schedule ended up being 8 am to 6 pm Tuesday and Thursday, with a long gap in the middle of the day. So, no sleeping in for me.
But it does mean I'm officially able to do the two-days-at-the-office thing, so that's good. I also had some conversations with both student and academic advisors, and they both assured me that the engineering school was *very* accommodating when it came to needing to make class schedules around work schedules. They even said I'd almost certainly be granted entry into closed or wait-listed classes if needed (as long as it was reasonable). So, that's pretty cool.
My mom also decided that the best way for her and my step-dad to give me money was for us to open a joint checking account; since I needed a new one anyway to extract money from my IRAs, we opened it Tuesday. She's scheduled transfers to it 4 times a year at the start of the months when tuition will be due. That's one less thing to worry about.
If I can just get housing sorted out, I'll be all set for the fall.
I am here and it is now
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So, 11 days off ended today. Boy howdy that was needed. I mean, I didn't actually "do" much or go anywhere all that exciting, but there's something about taking more than a long weekend that just flips a switch in my head and says, "Yes, you actually can relax this time."
The first day off was Thursday the 28th, my birthday. I slept in a bit but not too late - out of the house by 11 so I could head down to Westwood. I called one person I was looking to rent a room from, met her, and then wandered around campus and the village a bit looking at other things.
There was one point, walking down the main drag past the engineering buildings and into the medical school area, where I actually stopped and thought, "This is my place now. How cool is that?!"
I then headed down to the Abbey for a late lunch/early dinner. I got to bump into a couple of guys that I've known for years but hadn't seen since last year. There was a part of Aussie lesbians sitting next to me, one who had the same birthday (I didn't mention mine), who were having a grand ole time and periodically pulling me into it (with no regrets).
When I left, it was about 5, and I was suddenly struck by the need to visit the ocean. Knowing exactly how absurd it was to drive down to PCH during rush hour (it's one of the most congested roads), I did it anyway. I made it all the way toGinger Will Rogers State Beach and then pulled into the lot. I always have a bathing suit, flops, and a towel in the car for when I go visit C&D in Fontana, so I took off my shoes, put on the sandals, and wandered out to the shore. I actually got my feet (and, eventually, knees - waves were a bit erratic) wet in the Pacific for the first time in over two years. Eventually, I just hung out a while, watching the sun set and listening to the waves.
I don't think I can describe what the smell of sea salt or the sound of ocean waves does to me. All I ask is a tall ship...
Friday, I just stayed home. I spent a portion of the day cleaning stuff in the apartment, mostly going through old clothes to toss or donate (some of which I'd started going through in the process of moving it... yes, seven years ago). Saturday I totally goofed off, and Sunday I drove out to Palm Springs.
I was expecting it to be busy; it was. I was expecting some of the people I ran into last year to be there again; they were. I was also expecting it to be boisterous; it actually wasn't. Everyone was pretty chill and low-key for three days; it got a little busier Tuesday afternoon and then Wednesday before I left. I guess the more active crowd was coming in after the holiday rather than before it.
But I got a tan (no burns), more blonde, and pretty relaxed. I used my tablet a fair bit for housing-hunting and such, but I didn't actually use the laptop at all during my stay there. I've also got fingernails for the first time in my life, a fact I first noticed before my vacation and which now means I need to determine how short I want to trim them. Historically, this hasn't even been a question due to biting my nails. I'm actually pretty curious as to what has led to the cessation of that habit; there's all sorts of speculation.
In PS, the weather wasn't at all bad - 108 as the high, about 78 at night, with very low humidity. That's almost perfect for pool weather (a little too intense at mid-day, but otherwise pretty decent). When I got back, the heat wave hit, and it actually reached 114 in Pasadena on Friday and was still 106 on Saturday. Both days, the AC couldn't quite keep up with the heat (I live on the top floor and have a south-facing wall). Mostly, I just stayed inside.
Oh, one thing I did was drop the car off at the shop again as requested last week (they couldn't tell where the leak was coming from last time, and my impression was that they were just really busy and didn't have time to deal with it on short notice). This time, they decided the oil pan had somehow gotten pushed in, likely by a valet or someone (not me; I know better) driving it onto one of those parking dividers. So, that's being fixed now, along with where the filter attaches, so hopefully that's the main issue. More expensive that I would have liked, but them's the breaks. Or at least the oil pan.
Still haven't found "the place" yet, still sending out feelers, and still remarkably not at all stressed about that. I do have my new student orientation next Monday (all day), and I'm really looking forward to it - it'll mean not only registering for classes (I've got two potential schedules that will work with my work schedule and still have seats open) but also getting my student ID. The combination means being, in however more official a way, an actual Bruin and UCLA student.
I signed up for a few dating apps, since I'm going to want to start back into that once I move. I figured I'll just see how things go for now. But I get to list myself as an engineering student under "occupation", which is totally awesome.
(Grindr has a crappy interface. Jack'd is a little better.)
(And what's with all the guys my age - or, really, late 30s to late 50s - deciding that they have to grow facial hair? Plenty of guys have older pics without, then newer pics with beards or even mustaches. I *hate* facial hair - I'm not saying someone needs to be hairless all over, but for whatever reason, facial hair is just an immediate turn-off for me. It's not even a daddy thing; my dad looked great without it and crappy with it, so he's subject to the same effect. Oh well.)
Anyway, this is a photo I took to update FB (since my profile shot was from just after moving in to the apartment).
A friend mentioned he liked the other pic, but said this was decent.
Oh, and I'm cooking again. Made blackened shrimp last night, with rice and veggies. Probably do a stir fry tonight. Kikkoman makes an awesome brown sauce that works really well, and I still have dried hot peppers I can toss in for spice.
Anyway, I should get back to getting back. Far less was waiting for me at work when I returned this time, but I think that was mostly due to better planning before I left. But "less" isn't the same as "nothing". Sure, I could put some of it off until later in the week (and will, in some cases specifically because people need to learn not to expect things instantly from me), but there's no time like the present.
I am here, and it is now; everything else is negotiable.
The first day off was Thursday the 28th, my birthday. I slept in a bit but not too late - out of the house by 11 so I could head down to Westwood. I called one person I was looking to rent a room from, met her, and then wandered around campus and the village a bit looking at other things.
There was one point, walking down the main drag past the engineering buildings and into the medical school area, where I actually stopped and thought, "This is my place now. How cool is that?!"
I then headed down to the Abbey for a late lunch/early dinner. I got to bump into a couple of guys that I've known for years but hadn't seen since last year. There was a part of Aussie lesbians sitting next to me, one who had the same birthday (I didn't mention mine), who were having a grand ole time and periodically pulling me into it (with no regrets).
When I left, it was about 5, and I was suddenly struck by the need to visit the ocean. Knowing exactly how absurd it was to drive down to PCH during rush hour (it's one of the most congested roads), I did it anyway. I made it all the way to
I don't think I can describe what the smell of sea salt or the sound of ocean waves does to me. All I ask is a tall ship...
Friday, I just stayed home. I spent a portion of the day cleaning stuff in the apartment, mostly going through old clothes to toss or donate (some of which I'd started going through in the process of moving it... yes, seven years ago). Saturday I totally goofed off, and Sunday I drove out to Palm Springs.
I was expecting it to be busy; it was. I was expecting some of the people I ran into last year to be there again; they were. I was also expecting it to be boisterous; it actually wasn't. Everyone was pretty chill and low-key for three days; it got a little busier Tuesday afternoon and then Wednesday before I left. I guess the more active crowd was coming in after the holiday rather than before it.
But I got a tan (no burns), more blonde, and pretty relaxed. I used my tablet a fair bit for housing-hunting and such, but I didn't actually use the laptop at all during my stay there. I've also got fingernails for the first time in my life, a fact I first noticed before my vacation and which now means I need to determine how short I want to trim them. Historically, this hasn't even been a question due to biting my nails. I'm actually pretty curious as to what has led to the cessation of that habit; there's all sorts of speculation.
In PS, the weather wasn't at all bad - 108 as the high, about 78 at night, with very low humidity. That's almost perfect for pool weather (a little too intense at mid-day, but otherwise pretty decent). When I got back, the heat wave hit, and it actually reached 114 in Pasadena on Friday and was still 106 on Saturday. Both days, the AC couldn't quite keep up with the heat (I live on the top floor and have a south-facing wall). Mostly, I just stayed inside.
Oh, one thing I did was drop the car off at the shop again as requested last week (they couldn't tell where the leak was coming from last time, and my impression was that they were just really busy and didn't have time to deal with it on short notice). This time, they decided the oil pan had somehow gotten pushed in, likely by a valet or someone (not me; I know better) driving it onto one of those parking dividers. So, that's being fixed now, along with where the filter attaches, so hopefully that's the main issue. More expensive that I would have liked, but them's the breaks. Or at least the oil pan.
Still haven't found "the place" yet, still sending out feelers, and still remarkably not at all stressed about that. I do have my new student orientation next Monday (all day), and I'm really looking forward to it - it'll mean not only registering for classes (I've got two potential schedules that will work with my work schedule and still have seats open) but also getting my student ID. The combination means being, in however more official a way, an actual Bruin and UCLA student.
I signed up for a few dating apps, since I'm going to want to start back into that once I move. I figured I'll just see how things go for now. But I get to list myself as an engineering student under "occupation", which is totally awesome.
(Grindr has a crappy interface. Jack'd is a little better.)
(And what's with all the guys my age - or, really, late 30s to late 50s - deciding that they have to grow facial hair? Plenty of guys have older pics without, then newer pics with beards or even mustaches. I *hate* facial hair - I'm not saying someone needs to be hairless all over, but for whatever reason, facial hair is just an immediate turn-off for me. It's not even a daddy thing; my dad looked great without it and crappy with it, so he's subject to the same effect. Oh well.)
Anyway, this is a photo I took to update FB (since my profile shot was from just after moving in to the apartment).
Me: Well, the other is almost 7 years old, so it was about time for something new.Since I cleaned things up a bit, I also started back up on the rowing machine. First time nearly killed me - also happened to be Friday, when it was hottest - but I've been okay since then. I need to work back up to a decent routine on it, now that I'm not putting in 20 hours a week on top of work. I'll never be a 9 in anyone's book (I have no interest in putting that much effort into exercising), but if I can get to an 8 or 8.5, I'll be happy with myself.
Him: ... dammit, don't you ever age??
Oh, and I'm cooking again. Made blackened shrimp last night, with rice and veggies. Probably do a stir fry tonight. Kikkoman makes an awesome brown sauce that works really well, and I still have dried hot peppers I can toss in for spice.
Anyway, I should get back to getting back. Far less was waiting for me at work when I returned this time, but I think that was mostly due to better planning before I left. But "less" isn't the same as "nothing". Sure, I could put some of it off until later in the week (and will, in some cases specifically because people need to learn not to expect things instantly from me), but there's no time like the present.
I am here, and it is now; everything else is negotiable.
Plannning Ahead
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Apparently, I'm insane. Who knew?
I'm in the process of looking for a place to live in Westwood. This is turning out to be difficult - but not for reasons that one would at first assume.
I mean, Westwood is expensive. There's no denying it. But I'm actually being pretty reasonable in my expectations: $1000-$1400 a month for a private room in a shared apartment, or $1300-$1600 for an efficiency or small studio by myself. These are actually pretty realistic, and there are a fair amount of listings proving such.
The problem is that everyone wants someone now, not mid-August (or later). I can totally appreciate that: people leaving school want to get on with their lives, so they need out in June, and thus their replacements need to be in for July. But, seriously, is it all that insane to be planning something as major as a move 2 months in advance? I've seen only a handful of listings with a move-in of 9/1 or later, and they're all management companies for larger buildings (and thus at the higher end of my window for smaller places or with issues; they *could* work, but they're things I'm not enthusiastic about). I mentioned this to one advertiser, and they came back like I'd sprouted a horn and was farting rainbows.
Really, if the place is cheap enough (say, ~$1000 a month), I could afford to overlap it with my current apartment for a couple of months without much of an issue. I mean, I'm not saying it would be fun, financially, but it would be doable in a pinch. But it looks like I'm going to have to give notice on my current place without having something lined up for the new one (I have to give 60-days' notice).
Oh well.
I've started cleaning my place up/out. I did about 7 loads of laundry on Saturday and ended up putting aside about four bags of clothes to toss (old/torn/useless) or donate (decent shape, just not stuff I wear anymore). Doing so, I realized I actually need more good black or gray socks, as while my dark-sock-drawer had a lot of stuff in it, most of it was stretched out completely or had holes. I'm going to try to tackle the rest of my closet this week, as well as start in on the south wall of my bedroom (which is probably the worst area in the apartment at the moment).
But I'm also going on vacation this week, starting Thursday - which is my birthday. I figure I'll spend the day wandering around Westwood looking for apartments and such or even exploring campus a bit, then head down to West Hollywood for the first time in ages just to hang out for a while. Of course, all that's dependent on getting my car back; it's in the shop right now, as it seems to be leaking oil again (I don't drive much, but the oil pressure light started flickering when I was idling on Saturday). They haven't called me to tell me what's up, so that's either good news (and it was just an oil change and a leaky valve or something) or they haven't looked at it at all.
Sunday, I drive out to Palm Springs for three days, then I'm back on the 4th and still off of work until the following Monday. So, more apartment hunting and cleaning, though I'll probably also take a day or two and just goof off. We all need down time, even us crazy folks.
On the plus side, just sent my final transcript off to UCLA. I'm officially leaving my school with a 4.0.
I'm in the process of looking for a place to live in Westwood. This is turning out to be difficult - but not for reasons that one would at first assume.
I mean, Westwood is expensive. There's no denying it. But I'm actually being pretty reasonable in my expectations: $1000-$1400 a month for a private room in a shared apartment, or $1300-$1600 for an efficiency or small studio by myself. These are actually pretty realistic, and there are a fair amount of listings proving such.
The problem is that everyone wants someone now, not mid-August (or later). I can totally appreciate that: people leaving school want to get on with their lives, so they need out in June, and thus their replacements need to be in for July. But, seriously, is it all that insane to be planning something as major as a move 2 months in advance? I've seen only a handful of listings with a move-in of 9/1 or later, and they're all management companies for larger buildings (and thus at the higher end of my window for smaller places or with issues; they *could* work, but they're things I'm not enthusiastic about). I mentioned this to one advertiser, and they came back like I'd sprouted a horn and was farting rainbows.
Really, if the place is cheap enough (say, ~$1000 a month), I could afford to overlap it with my current apartment for a couple of months without much of an issue. I mean, I'm not saying it would be fun, financially, but it would be doable in a pinch. But it looks like I'm going to have to give notice on my current place without having something lined up for the new one (I have to give 60-days' notice).
Oh well.
I've started cleaning my place up/out. I did about 7 loads of laundry on Saturday and ended up putting aside about four bags of clothes to toss (old/torn/useless) or donate (decent shape, just not stuff I wear anymore). Doing so, I realized I actually need more good black or gray socks, as while my dark-sock-drawer had a lot of stuff in it, most of it was stretched out completely or had holes. I'm going to try to tackle the rest of my closet this week, as well as start in on the south wall of my bedroom (which is probably the worst area in the apartment at the moment).
But I'm also going on vacation this week, starting Thursday - which is my birthday. I figure I'll spend the day wandering around Westwood looking for apartments and such or even exploring campus a bit, then head down to West Hollywood for the first time in ages just to hang out for a while. Of course, all that's dependent on getting my car back; it's in the shop right now, as it seems to be leaking oil again (I don't drive much, but the oil pressure light started flickering when I was idling on Saturday). They haven't called me to tell me what's up, so that's either good news (and it was just an oil change and a leaky valve or something) or they haven't looked at it at all.
Sunday, I drive out to Palm Springs for three days, then I'm back on the 4th and still off of work until the following Monday. So, more apartment hunting and cleaning, though I'll probably also take a day or two and just goof off. We all need down time, even us crazy folks.
On the plus side, just sent my final transcript off to UCLA. I'm officially leaving my school with a 4.0.
Planning to plan
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So, today is the last day of regular classes at my community college. I've already got two confirmed A's; I need a 50% or so on the final for the third to get an A (I have a B if I get zero on the final). But really, it means that I'm done with late night classes - possibly forever, but at least for a few years.
It'll be novel to be able to actually cook and have a somewhat normal life for a change, for however short a period that is.
I need to kick the apartment hunt into high gear. I have to give notice at the end of the month: they require 60 days, so if I want to be out in early September, I have to tell them at the end of June or early July. I'm debating making the official day the middle of September, with a planned actual move-in early in September. That would give me a week or two to juggle between places and move stuff as well as clean the apartment once I'm out. Not that I'm too worried about the latter: I've been there for over 7 years and I know for a fact they're going to replace almost everything (carpet, appliances, etc.) since they've done that for every other apartment in the building while I've been here.
But arranging the new place has a different purpose, too: right now, I can't get excited about UCLA, because I still have the anxiety of finding a place. Once that's taken care of, I'll be mentally ready to start really thinking about the rest of the process.
So, that's the main focus right now: getting through the last week of school and getting the whole moving thing locked down.
It'll be novel to be able to actually cook and have a somewhat normal life for a change, for however short a period that is.
I need to kick the apartment hunt into high gear. I have to give notice at the end of the month: they require 60 days, so if I want to be out in early September, I have to tell them at the end of June or early July. I'm debating making the official day the middle of September, with a planned actual move-in early in September. That would give me a week or two to juggle between places and move stuff as well as clean the apartment once I'm out. Not that I'm too worried about the latter: I've been there for over 7 years and I know for a fact they're going to replace almost everything (carpet, appliances, etc.) since they've done that for every other apartment in the building while I've been here.
But arranging the new place has a different purpose, too: right now, I can't get excited about UCLA, because I still have the anxiety of finding a place. Once that's taken care of, I'll be mentally ready to start really thinking about the rest of the process.
So, that's the main focus right now: getting through the last week of school and getting the whole moving thing locked down.
On with the show
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So, Caltech is a no. As I told a friend, you can't be too angry at not winning the lottery.
But that means I'm narrowing down - and mostly focusing on UCLA. UCI's financial aid portal changed from planning to release their financial aid info from "mid-May" to "shortly", so maybe it'll be out this week. I have no idea if any of the Reagents scholarships have been awarded yet, so I don't know if that would be included; I know UCLA won't announce their transfer Reagents winners until and of this week or next week (they do it after the first week of May).
I've already started getting the paperwork needed for things like disability accommodation and such. I'm also applying for some UCLA-specific scholarships that I didn't have access to until recently; those are due by the 15th, but that shouldn't be an issue.
As much as I feel like I should be bummed about Caltech, I'm actually more excited, since it means I'm that much closer to *actually registering* and making it a real thing.
At work, it sounds like we're planning on making my hours 28/week starting in September. We still have to discuss a few things, and there's at least one complication. My boss works remotely most of the time (she's on campus two days a week); one of my coworkers comes in about 9-9:30, leaves at 4, and works from home or is out sick a lot. Between the two, there's a bit of resentment in some areas of the department. It's part of why I don't work from home more, even though I'm allowed: I've felt and even heard directly off-hand comments about why some of us get special privileges.
Now, my job is such that almost all of it can be done remotely (my coworker not so much). My boss is in a similar situation. But most of the department are involved in direct patient care and therefore have to be here; there's no way they could work from home. So, they resent it a bit, albeit irrationally.
Now, it's not going to be a huge issue - all three of my bosses are the ones who originally suggested this plan, and I know they're on-board with it. It's just a matter of finding a way to present it so as to reduce friction.
Anyway, that's all for the future. I've got a quiz in a couple of hours and a test a couple hours after that, so I should go start getting ready. I need to make sure I'm prepped to be a Bruin (or an Anteater).
But that means I'm narrowing down - and mostly focusing on UCLA. UCI's financial aid portal changed from planning to release their financial aid info from "mid-May" to "shortly", so maybe it'll be out this week. I have no idea if any of the Reagents scholarships have been awarded yet, so I don't know if that would be included; I know UCLA won't announce their transfer Reagents winners until and of this week or next week (they do it after the first week of May).
I've already started getting the paperwork needed for things like disability accommodation and such. I'm also applying for some UCLA-specific scholarships that I didn't have access to until recently; those are due by the 15th, but that shouldn't be an issue.
As much as I feel like I should be bummed about Caltech, I'm actually more excited, since it means I'm that much closer to *actually registering* and making it a real thing.
At work, it sounds like we're planning on making my hours 28/week starting in September. We still have to discuss a few things, and there's at least one complication. My boss works remotely most of the time (she's on campus two days a week); one of my coworkers comes in about 9-9:30, leaves at 4, and works from home or is out sick a lot. Between the two, there's a bit of resentment in some areas of the department. It's part of why I don't work from home more, even though I'm allowed: I've felt and even heard directly off-hand comments about why some of us get special privileges.
Now, my job is such that almost all of it can be done remotely (my coworker not so much). My boss is in a similar situation. But most of the department are involved in direct patient care and therefore have to be here; there's no way they could work from home. So, they resent it a bit, albeit irrationally.
Now, it's not going to be a huge issue - all three of my bosses are the ones who originally suggested this plan, and I know they're on-board with it. It's just a matter of finding a way to present it so as to reduce friction.
Anyway, that's all for the future. I've got a quiz in a couple of hours and a test a couple hours after that, so I should go start getting ready. I need to make sure I'm prepped to be a Bruin (or an Anteater).
2 of 2, 2 remaining
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Got accepted to UCLA last night. No scholarships or grants in the financial package (just loans), but since I don't qualify for any needs-based stuff, that's not surprising. I don't think any of the merit-based stuff has been announced, and there are others I can apply to after I register for a school.
Still haven't heard from UCSD (which is really freaking people out) or Caltech (which probably means "no", but I'll email them Monday and find out). Nor have I gotten my financial package info from UCI yet, but that shouldn't come until May.
If Caltech is a no and none of the UCs give me any (or more than trivial) financial incentive, then I'll probably end up at UCLA. Which is still totally awesome, since I've always wanted to live in Westwood anyway. I mean, I would still prefer Caltech, and if UCI or UCSD wants to give me a full ride, it'll be hard to turn down. But none of those are necessarily likely, and that's okay.
I really need to start taking down the apartment. A coworker is going to take all my planters and such, since I'll almost certainly have no room or time for them at school. I really need to just take each weekend and tackle one project or area in the apartment. It's really mostly going to be a matter of tossing out junk or giving it away; I don't have all that much stuff, but things like old homework or clothes that I've been meaning to toss/donate that have just been piles for ages.
Not sure what I'll do with my dining table and chairs; they won't really compress for storage. Of my other big furniture, I need to get rid of at least one bed (and maybe both), and the small table that C and D gave me when *they* moved (but that can probably just be tossed). The remaining stuff would be my big bookshelf, the smaller shelf in my room, my computer/chair, a couple of night stands, and the printer table. Oh, and my rowing machine and weight bench, but both of those can fold up and go in a closet or under the bed.
I've also got my camping stuff, which is new since I moved, but that's all pretty well organized. Everything else could be boxed up. And that's everything in my 2-bed 2-bad apartment. It won't take long to make a huge impact, but I need to get started on it.
On a completely different note, I bought some awesome underwear. All my life, I've just done white or black undies, usually briefs or boxer-briefs, but in a weird mood, I bought a multi-color pack from an Asian company online. They're fantastic: can't feel the seems, fit right (even if they are weird sizes vs what we're used to), and for some reason the colors have just struck my fancy.
This is my favorite pair at the moment. I have a shirt the exact same color that I love too, so that's probably part of it. But they're just fun to wear.
(Yes, I'm hairy, and yes, I need to lose about 10-15 lbs. Too bad.)
Guess if I'm going to UCLA, I'll just need to get a gold pair to go with them...
Still haven't heard from UCSD (which is really freaking people out) or Caltech (which probably means "no", but I'll email them Monday and find out). Nor have I gotten my financial package info from UCI yet, but that shouldn't come until May.
If Caltech is a no and none of the UCs give me any (or more than trivial) financial incentive, then I'll probably end up at UCLA. Which is still totally awesome, since I've always wanted to live in Westwood anyway. I mean, I would still prefer Caltech, and if UCI or UCSD wants to give me a full ride, it'll be hard to turn down. But none of those are necessarily likely, and that's okay.
I really need to start taking down the apartment. A coworker is going to take all my planters and such, since I'll almost certainly have no room or time for them at school. I really need to just take each weekend and tackle one project or area in the apartment. It's really mostly going to be a matter of tossing out junk or giving it away; I don't have all that much stuff, but things like old homework or clothes that I've been meaning to toss/donate that have just been piles for ages.
Not sure what I'll do with my dining table and chairs; they won't really compress for storage. Of my other big furniture, I need to get rid of at least one bed (and maybe both), and the small table that C and D gave me when *they* moved (but that can probably just be tossed). The remaining stuff would be my big bookshelf, the smaller shelf in my room, my computer/chair, a couple of night stands, and the printer table. Oh, and my rowing machine and weight bench, but both of those can fold up and go in a closet or under the bed.
I've also got my camping stuff, which is new since I moved, but that's all pretty well organized. Everything else could be boxed up. And that's everything in my 2-bed 2-bad apartment. It won't take long to make a huge impact, but I need to get started on it.
On a completely different note, I bought some awesome underwear. All my life, I've just done white or black undies, usually briefs or boxer-briefs, but in a weird mood, I bought a multi-color pack from an Asian company online. They're fantastic: can't feel the seems, fit right (even if they are weird sizes vs what we're used to), and for some reason the colors have just struck my fancy.
This is my favorite pair at the moment. I have a shirt the exact same color that I love too, so that's probably part of it. But they're just fun to wear.
Guess if I'm going to UCLA, I'll just need to get a gold pair to go with them...
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