Apartment Search

Yesterday afternoon I had an appointment to look at an apartment complex in Gunbarrel. I left work early and went straight there. The drive took about 10 minutes (at 3:30 in the afternoon) and it was a little under 4 miles away. And the drive was on a little two lane road through open, grassy, little "country" areas. It was definitely more enjoyable and relaxing than the car-packed, crowded streets through the middle of Boulder.

The woman I met at the complex was very friendly and welcoming. She told me that she broke her tailbone recently and that she wouldn't be able to walk too fast around the complex with me. Then she told me that there was a major water pipe that burst under the complex. The city of Boulder was actually doing some work, and I guess when they turned the water back on, the pressure was too hard and the pipes burst. Or something like that. I was just hoping that it wasn't an omen.

Anyway, she took me on a tour of the place to see a 1 bedroom apartment. We walked through the grounds and things seemed pretty quiet and peaceful. We passed a few people along the way and most of them seemed older (my age or older) and it seemed like there were a few families or couples with very young children. I'm hoping that this is a sign that there aren't too many students in the complex. It's also a dog-friendly complex, so I saw puppies on the balconies and people walking their dogs.

The apartment she showed me was pretty nice. This complex was built in the 1970s, so they are sort of old (like me!), but they are also in the process of renovating things. The 1 bedroom apartment is much larger than what I have now. Right now my apartment is only 500 sq. ft. For some reason I thought it was more than 600. It's not. I measured it. So a 925 sq. ft. apartment would be a nice change. Everything was bigger--bigger living room, dining room, bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen. The unit I looked at was on the second floor and it had a nice balcony. I think I would prefer the second floor with the balcony. The first floor apartments have patios that are enclosed by a fence. They are tall fences so you can't really see over them, and I'd be a little worried that if someone were to try to break in, a tall fence would make a great hiding place. (At least if I were to break into an apartment, I'd use a tall fence as a shield!) But lest my parents get worried, it looked like a very safe complex.

A part of me wishes that the apartments were a little more modern and up-to-date, but it looks like they are working toward that with all of the renovations. But, on the other hand, I would be getting a lot for the price I would be paying if I were to sign a lease at this place. Rent is really going up in Boulder, and there are some places where a studio runs well over $900. In my opinion, a 400 sq. ft. studio apartment shouldn't cost that much.

I took all of the paperwork home with me to think about things before I put my name on a waiting list. Throughout the night, one of my neighbors next to me was screaming at the top of his lungs in his apartment. Then he walked out of his apartment (slamming the door) and started talking to himself and yelling at no one in particular. And then it sounded like the neighbor on the other side of me was continually slamming something into the walls. And trust me, it's not what you might think it is! And she's doing it again, right now, as I type. I really have no idea what she is doing... So these things made me think a little harder about the new apartment complex.

We shall see, as I think about things a little more...

Current mood: glad it's Friday
Current music: Lisa Gerrard (apparently I'm in a Lisa Gerrard phase)
Current drink: Remy Martin VSOP Cognac (obviously I'm always in a Cognac phase...)

This and That

So far this has been another busy week at work. As I've written in several posts recently, this is one of our busiest months where we have the most and the biggest deadlines. These are times of high stress and long working hours. I was at the office until about 7:00 last night, and I also took some work home with me. Fortunately, though, things are falling into place, and I'm getting all my books to press on time. Some are even early! And, in spite of all the stress I'm going through now, at least I know that in a few months I'll have a bunch of cool new books to add to my shelves. ...except for one book, but I won't talk about that one...

With the excitement and advice of some of my friends, I'm getting more interested and encouraged to look into the other apartment complex I have been looking at. Tomorrow I'm going to make an appointment to take a tour of the place sometime in the next few days so that I can see what the apartments look like from the inside. If I really like it, hopefully I can get an early start on all of the paperwork and planning that goes with moving into a new place. It will be a bigger place, and that will be nice if I want to have more friends over more often. It will be in a quieter place, but still close to Boulder. Actually Gunbarrel is still technically Boulder but it is just a little outside of the "city." I don't know. We'll see what happens, but maybe by July I'll be writing this blog from a new place. Or I'll be drinking wine while sitting out on my little patio or balcony...

I've sort of fallen off my workout routine, because I've been working so late. But next month I'll be able to get back on track. I'll be back to eating better, building muscle, and trying to gain some healthy weight. Other than that, life in general is great. I can't complain too much, because I'm happy and doing well.

Current mood: tired but relaxed
Current music: Lisa Gerrard
Current drink: Ravenswood Napa Valley Zinfandel

Torn...

I'm torn right now. My lease on my apartment expires at the end of July, and I'm torn on whether I should renew my lease or look for a new place. Right now my apartment is in a good location in the middle of Boulder. It's my little cabin, and it's cute and has a certain charm to it. But it is starting to feel like it is getting to small for me. I'd like a bigger kitchen--one with more than one drawer and just a few cabinets. I'd like more than one closet. I'd like a bigger bathroom. In general I just need more space for all of the stuff (mostly books) that I've accumulated over the years.

I looked online and found what look like good places in Gunbarrel, which is just a few miles northeast of Boulder. One place I'm interested in would be more expensive than what I'm paying now, but it will have more amenities. It would be much bigger, and I'd be going from a 600 500 sq. ft. apartment to one that is about 925 sq. ft. There would be a living room, bedroom, and a dining room. There would be a much bigger kitchen with newer appliances. Some apartments have ceiling fans and fireplaces. And it has walk-in closets! It would still be only 4-5 miles from the office. Etc., etc., etc. It sounds pretty tempting. I don't know. I've only looked at it online, so I'd have to see it in person to make a real decision. Maybe I'll make an appointment this week to check things out...

Last Day

My last day at work was rather quiet and anticlimactic, quite honestly. My first boss had his last day on Friday of last week, so our going away parties were combined into one day. Then I had to come back to work for one more week. This week was thrown into disarray because our department moved our offices. I had my exit interview on Thursday, but still had to come back to work for one more day today. Because we were in a completely different building essentially by ourselves, I didn't really see anyone before I left. We had a nice, quite department lunch, but no wild parties after work. I slipped out of the office somewhat early, I picked up some dinner on the way home, and I've been enjoying a quiet evening since then.

This is all very different from when I quit my last job. At my last job I walked out of the office with a feeling of triumph as if I just won a major gladiator match. Then I walked out to the cheers and congratulations of the crowd (my coworkers). At this job, I simply said goodbye to the people in my department, and then I slipped out quietly. It felt odd, as if I were just leaving for a normal weekend. What seemed like a big, exciting day for me was just another day to the rest of the world. I suppose it is nice to slip out quietly, though. What has been done is done. One chapter is closed, and a new chapter is about to begin.

New Winds

It seems like some winds of change might be blowing in my direction in the next few weeks. I have a lunch date next week with some good friends to talk about things. Let's just say it seems like I am being courted. I'm intentionally being ambiguous because I don't want to expose too much and I don't want to curse myself. I just wanted to share this with my loyal readers...and I know who you are! Well, there are a few out there who I can't pin down.

Meanwhile, I have a busy weekend ahead with cleaning, shopping, and freelance projects. Maybe I'll have some fun too...

Current mood: optimistic
Current music: Dixie Chicks Taking the Long Way
Current drink: coffee

Mountains and Change

Mountains: Late in the afternoon I went out to run a bunch of errands. While I was driving home, I looked toward the mountains and they seemed especially large today for some reason. Living in Boulder you are practically at the foot of the mountains, so they always seem large, but today they seemed more towering. Maybe it was the light. The sun was just starting to set behind the mountains, so the sun was blinding me. With the sun falling as it was, you could barely make out the features of the mountains, but instead you could only really see their silhouette. Maybe this is what made them seem so large. Maybe I was just looking at it differently. Maybe I was just feeling smaller. And when I say smaller I am not saying smaller in the sense that I feel insignificant, or lonely, or overwhelmed, or lost in any way. I mean smaller in the sense that you suddenly remember how big the world is around you. It is something I tend to notice every day, but today the feeling felt especially strong. There was just something breathtaking and majestic about it. Too bad I didn't have my camera!

Change: Seeing the mountains around me always reminds that I live in Colorado and that reminds me of change. When I look back on the past ten or fifteen years, it amazes me that I am here in this place. Even more amazing is how much I have changed over those years. When I graduated high school, I was majoring in business, economics, and accounting. I thought I would stay in California. After a few years at a junior college where I met some wonderful professors, I realized that I really enjoyed English and literature. After eventually getting a degree in English from Cal State Fullerton, I realized that I wanted to specialize in Classics, and the only way to do that was to go to a new school to get another degree. When the time came to pick a grad school, my top choices were UC Santa Barbara and Colorado. I came to Colorado. While in grad school I thought that I would go on to another school to get a Ph.D. and after that I would teach somewhere as a professor. At the end of grad school, I wanted a break from school, and that brought me to the publishing industry. And here I am. Four schools, four degrees, one career later...

I've certainly seen growth in terms of my education and career. But I think that I have just grown and changed in general over the years. I don't think that I could ever go back to high school or ever attend a reunion. In spite of everything that has happened in my life and as much as I've grown, I really don't think I would have anything to say. I don't think anyone would recognize me. I am so different from the person I was back then. Maybe physically I would seem familiar, but I am a completely different person in terms of my thoughts, emotions, and attitudes. Each year has brought me more adventures and more growth, and I like to think that I've been getting better with each year, but that also depends on who you ask. But I've never been happier or more content with what I have in my life right now. I love the career path I've chosen. I have wonderful and beautiful friends. Love is always at the center of my life. What more could you ask for?