apartment_hunt past today officially marked the beginning of past's 2009 apartment hunt. i gave my notice to my current landlord, who'll probably think i'm insane to move in the middle of an ottawa winter. i received my first pictures from potential landlords (the unit is beautiful: a red living room, hard wood floors, large balcony, but on the too expensive extreme of my budget). i saw my first apartment today as well. it didn't have an oven. instead there was this weird countertop thing that had two burners on it, and a toaster oven above those "for when you need to bake something." that's a deal breaker. otherwise it was cozy, perhaps too cozy after my present place which is huge, but loud and about to face onto major construction in the spring (hence late winter move, i have to go when i can still get a van up to the building). two promising leads to follow up with as soon as i can, both in my ideal neighbourhood (same one i'm in now). one more in the annoyingly yuppie neighbourhood just south of this one. here we go! 090103 ... misstree how can i figure out where i want to live if i can't figure out who the hell i am? 090104 ... Soma perhaps make where you choose to live, define who you are, instead of defining where you live by who you are. I cannot wait till I move out and get an apartment next year, even if I live on soap crate furniture. 090104 ... unhinged this last one was amazingly painless. i looked at several rental companies' websites and the very first one i looked at was so perfect in every way (price, free heat, location, cuteness) that i put it in motion to sign a lease that day. i mean the kitchen has an icebox and a milk chute. as weird as that sounds, that was the deal maker. and it is turning out to be my favorite apartment to date. every now and then the stars line up perfectly in my favor. 090105 ... slightly dampened birdmad the thought is rather tempting...i know that the complex I've been in since October 06 is crazy cheap and conveniently located, but the owner is a douche-hat who isn't nearly as intent oh honoring his obligations to his tenants as he expects his tenants to be of our obligations to him the cheap-ass patch-job his cut-rate roofers did to mend the leak over my bathroom ceiling gave way yesterday so i was on mop and bucket duty before i could go to bed i hate to think i'm paying that ass for the privilege of living in a sieve 090105 ... past looked at another yesterday, it was huge. the old chinese woman who owned it was shocked that someone of my age was single and didn't live with his mother (mid twenties). she kept muttering "so young, so young" and things in cantonese that I couldn't understand (fortunately her daughter, about my age, was there, with a pained expression, to translate). found a one bedroom house in a nice neighbourhood, just south and west of ideal, but it would be a house to myself, with my own front and back yard, for a reasonable price (though heat is not included, nor is hydro). tomorrow i'm looking at an apartment in an old house that is almost exactly in the ideal location within the ideal neighbourhood. relatively painless, so far. hopefully i can end it within the week. 090105 ... past both were beautiful and suited my needs. The idea of a house was almost overwhelming. I'm applying for the apartment. Not only did it have everything I'm looking for, is the right price (and includes utilities), it is within five blocks of the places I usually hang out, and three blocks from my current flat. Time to get the application in before someone else can!! 090106 ... no reason must first pick city, then apartment (good luck past!) 090106 ... past thanks! i dropped off the app, now i have to wait about a week as they make sure i work where i say i work, can afford it, and am not a problem tenant. this is the worst part of it. 090106 ... misstree I may have found The Perfect Place. Problem is, if I get it (which looks somewhat likely), I have no idea how the hell I'm going to afford the deposit. 090107 ... past I got it! On tuesday I'm putting down the deposit and signing the lease! 090109 ... apartment hunter i've got apartment urine on my boots, i built a blind out of a shopping center and i'm a-gonna wait here until the right one comes along... then, BLAM! 090109 ... no reason my eyes are hunting pictures of apartments and i long for them hopefullymaybe by the end of the summer 090604 what's it to you? who go blather from