Life in the city

I have seen some....how can I put this....TERRIBLE places to live. The apartment hunt continues. I know I'm staying close for some of the wrong reasons. But I'm not sold on living in Thousand Oaks just yet. I'm aiming for Sherman Oaks for now.

The thing that bothers me is the high percentage of concrete. I am going to miss grass. The place I saw yesterday in Sherman Oaks was probably the best (except for the parking - not gated). Unfortunately, someone put down a deposit on Sunday. Even though I had an appointment to see in Monday, no one told me (or showed up to the appointment for that matter). Sigh. I have to say I'm getting very discouraged with this housing search. I've seen neighborhoods with bars on the windows where I'm the only person who gets sunburned. I've seen a place where the previous tenant died in the room. I've seen hotels for WAY too much money. I've seen holes in the ceiling that are "being patched." I'm terrified I'm not going to find anything - leading to stress, problems sleeping, upset stomach, nonstop talking about apartment hunting. It's going to be much harder to look at apartments when I start my new job next Weds - I'll be working all day, when will I have time to view places?

Luckily, it looks like the family has found a replacement for me that they like. I think they're just waiting to call her references. Also luckily, her move in date is flexible, giving me more time to find a place of my own.

I am learning all the surface streets and 'bad' streets. I have mixed feelings about living in gated complexes. I've never done it before. But where I've lived safety was never a huge concern. I'm hoping that the place I saw yesterday pans out - there's a chance another unit will open up. Pretty good location (near Target, Costco, Bevmo, 99 Ranch, Ralphs...), upstairs, AC in both living room AND bedroom (at least in the unit I saw). And a middle unit will be cheaper than a corner unit. And I have excellent credit. And the guy likes me and said not having pay stubs yet isn't a problem.

I've talked myself into it.

So cross your fingers for me. I'm going to be working my butt off the rest of this week in lab, doing ad rating, and trying to find a roof. No knitting for awhile....