Would you like a pint of blood, my right arm, AND my firstborn?

Oh the wonderful world of looking for a new place to call "The Chaos".

And I thought it was difficult getting a new car or buying a house.

Has anyone else ever been asked for 3 years worth of tax returns for a rental?

Or do I just look like such a crook that they need that sort of proof that I'm actually gainfully employed...  Usually a call to the HR department of your current position takes care of that...at least it USED to...

What absolutely KILLS me is that I know people who have had bankruptcies, evictions, unemployment, etc and have not had near this much trouble finding nice places in nice 'hoods.

I've never had any of that but the unemployment (who hasn't been unemployed) and I've got almost 13 YEARS (yes I said years - in the same place) of solid rental history.

Good grief.

Next open house is tomorrow after work.  I think I'm going to GRILL THE HECK out of any potential future landlords.  If you're going to ask me for all this, I have the right to know stuff about you too.

Jeez.

Dear Occupy San Francisco Protestors

I am all for folks exercising their right to free speech and expressing their frustration with the system.  BUT. It's probably not a good idea to yell at and insult the people who could possibly be sympathetic to your cause.  And...now that you've done just that, well, you can just shove it.  You stay over on your side of the street and I'll be on my side.  Don't talk to me and I won't talk to you.

Just because someone hasn't been camping out on the street with you and doesn't look homeless like most of you do, doesn't mean they are the "1%".

Why am I ranting?

Spencer is on his way to my place now.  He rode his bike from his Dad's place to the Embarcadero BART Station.  The Occupy folks are hanging out close by there.  For some reason, they fixated on him and started yelling that "you are the 1% you need to be brought down!"

REALLY?!?!?!?

A kid on his bike riding down the street.

"YOU NEED TO BE BROUGHT DOWN"

REALLY?!?

I think those folks have been breathing in the vehicle fumes (and whatever they have been smoking) there on the side of the street for WAY TOO LONG.  Go home, clean up and take a break.

First protestor who touches one hair on the head of me or mine draws back a bloody stump.

Really.

Didn't Get it...

...'nuf said.

We're getting close...

OK, so I went to see one of the places yesterday and the other place open house was not tonight, it's on Saturday. I totally read that posting all wrong.

Anyway...

I absolutely LOVED the place I saw yesterday.  It's a small building with only 25 units.  It seems like a cozy place with friendly people. The manager seems like a really nice lady.

The building was the oldest of the ones I'd seen so far, but good heavens, it has been well taken care of...and there is a pool.  It was clean and so was the surrounding pool area.

I swear, you could eat off the floor of the laundry room in the basement, that's how clean it was in there.  There was a nice sized folding table too.  It was spotless.

The unit itself was awesome.  It's really old with mostly the original fixtures or very old ones, but it was all clean, and they all work and there are lots of cabinets and natural light and a fireplace!  And the bedrooms even had ceiling fixtures.  Have NEVER seen that in an apartment. EVER.

The kitchen has lots of cabinets and the closets are decent.  You can never have enough storage in a California apartment.

I'll have to do without a balcony, a second bathroom, an automatic dishwasher and air conditioning - but I think I'll survive.  If they accept my application/offer, I'll be moving rather quickly, so I'll have the Winter to get used to the climate there. 

And yes, it's quite different than the climate here.  I think the Bay Area has about 9 or more micro climates.

Among the many postives, it gets a bit chilly there, so there will be much knitting and wearing of the knitting.

Fingers crossed everyone!

More to see here...

...going off to two more open houses this week.  In the same area as that very first place I looked at, actually.  The buildings do seem to be kept up better on that side of town than the other, so I'm hoping for something at least at the same level of where I am living now.  Old, but still functioning.  And NO MOLD.

Anyway, the pictures of the interiors look good, and I've checked the Google Satellite and all that, so things are looking pretty good that these will be ok.

Only problem with that is, everyone else and their 5 uncles will be there with the same sort of ideas that I've been having.

Wonder if I'll run into anyone that was at that first showing.  The two buildings are actually on the SAME BLOCK as that other one.

Let the games begin.  Sigh.

Reigning in the Chaos...a little at a time...

This past week has been a doozy, but I sit here today typing, so I obviously survived the dooziness.

A lot of things have changed lately, from where I sit, for the better.  Here are a few tidbits:

1. I was starting a new online shop.  I've cancelled it for now.
2. I was whole-hog on the looking-for-a-new-place.  I've slowed down.
3. I had signed up to do a local craft fair (at my complex, this weekend actually). I cancelled.
4. I felt like crap all the time.  I've changed my eating habits and I'm moving again (as in easing back into something that can be called exercising). 
5. I was trying to remember too much with a memory that isn't as good as it used to be.  I've emptied the extras out onto paper and left other things forgotten. If they were important, I'll find out soon enough.  Then I'll add them to my calendar or my notes.

All of them important changes that add up to me being able to sleep again.  Not stressing over where I should be and what I should be doing or when things should be done or how many things still need doing.

Life is complicated enough, I really don't need to make it more so.

There were many things (both big and small) that signalled me that I really needed to change my ways.

The two most obvious things:

1. My body was screaming for mercy.
2. I sat down in front of some very pretty sparkly jewelry supplies, had a zillion ideas in my head about what to do with all those pretty sparkly things and could do nothing but look at the pretty sparkly things and think "ooh, pretty sparkly things, aren't they pretty and sparkly?".

When my body talks so loudly (or in this case just about whacks me over the head with a baseball bat) and my creativity STOPS, I know there is something wrong.  Not only has something been wrong for a long time, but I've been ignoring it.  Bad Donna. Bad.

This time, I sat back and looked at ALL aspects of what was going on, not just the one that was complaining the most.  I unloaded the unnecessary things, rearranged the necessary things, and added some new very necessary things.

I am by no means done, but I have a very good start.

Now if I could just get back all those lost hours of sleep, I'd be golden. :)

Note: I know I am moving in the right direction.  I was able to sleep last night even after having 2 earthquakes yesterday that scared the living daylights out of me.

Well...it's been a few weeks, hasn't it?

And still the Chaos is in the same place.  There has been no forward movement on moving.  I'm pretty much stuck in a loop.

Search ads online...call poster to set up appointment...go look at disappointing apartments.

Good grief, you think I have looked at hundreds, don't you?

There have been only 3 so far.  Three.  It seems like I have already looked at hundreds.  I think it's just because I check the adds about 10 times a day.

Once something gets posted you have to jump on the phone, so whenever I get a chance, I am checking to see if anything new has shown up.

I'll be honest here and say I did actually see an awesome place.  That very first one I went to see after work.  I did not get it.  Disappointed to the max, but there are lots of people out there looking for the same things I am and at the same price points (lowest possible of course) that I am.  it's tough out there.

The last two were awful.  I'm am not a picky person by any means.  And for me to say they were awful...well they just were.  The last two apartment buildings were "born" in the 60's - just like me.  I think I'm holding up a lot better than they are, and that's really not a compliment.  Not at all.

Cracked and peeling formica on the counters, peeled and warped under sink areas (can you say water damage?), one washer/dryer for a floor of 13 apartments.  Really?  Those poor overworked machines looked older than I did.  A pool that hadn't been cleaned in MONTHS, probably longer.  An exterior that probably hadn't been painted in 20 years.  Carpet older than the hills, cabinets that didn't close, moldy caulk in the showers.  And these places were "ready for immediate occupancy".  The musty/mildew/moldy smell was unbearable in the last one I saw today.

It's really a shame too as these places have such potential.  Too bad the owners won't put out the money to do a few necesary repairs and upgrades.  The managers mean well and can only do so much.  I just can't see myself living in a place like this and don't really know how others do it.

The worst part?  Large closets, fireplace, ROOMY living areas, kitchen with a ton of cabinets and EXTRA CLOSETS.  O.M.G. The storage possibilities in all these places were amazing.

I'm just very very bummed that they won't work for me. :(

So...when I publish this post, I will check the ads again and see if anyone did any late night posting.

This is going to take some time...sigh.

On a happier note: Things going out from the Chaos.  LOTS of things.  The Chaos is shrinking.  Now if I could only get my waistline to shrink as easily and quickly as the Chaos!