Interesting Stuff

OK. Despite the overwhelming amount of stuff I still need to find homes for, I really like my new apartment. It is by far the nicest/biggest one I looked at, and I think it would be a good deal if I were renting it for $100/mo more than I am. People should stop on by sometime and hang out.

My apartment building is the one in the center, the leftmost of the two with long skinny courtyards in the middle. I’m in the northernmost corner of the building, with a balcony that looks out onto the alley.

On a related note, IKEA is absolutely amazing. Last week, the only furniture I owned was a bookshelf, a lamp, and a chair. I now have a fully furnished apartment, and most of the furniture even matches! It’s pretty sweet.

Everyone here seems quite friendly, though I haven’t met many people yet. Oddly enough, about half the tenants in this building seem to have names that begin with J (I’ve met Joanne, Jacky, Jay, Julie, J’nai, Noor, Niko, Belaji, Gary, Beatrice, Susan, and Kathleen. I’m not sure how many other people live here).

Santa Monica is beautiful and sunny most of the time, which is pretty cool. I’m also within walking distance of a bunch of stores and restaurants and the bank. It’s a wonderful apartment in a lovely place. I really can’t ask for more.

Later today, I will hopefully have a summary of DEFCON, but I should get back to cleaning/unpacking.

Well, I spent Spring Break in Santa Monica and the surrounding areas looking for an apartment. Although I didn’t get one (none of the landlords know whether they’ll have apartments available in June, let alone August), but I’m feeling a lot more comfortable about the whole thing. Yes, there are some very expensive parts of Santa Monica, but there are some surprisingly affordable places as well. I met with a friend of an acquaintance who lives there, and he gave me some invaluable information about where to look for available places, and which areas to avoid. and after looking over budgeting stuff, it looks like I’ll be able to afford such a place and still save some money for when I’m piss-broke in grad school. I’ll head out there again a couple weeks before I move out, and rent one then.

and yes, my mom (who flew out to look for stuff with me) and I didn’t get along as well as possible, but it was much better than I expected. She seems to slowly be starting to realize that I can make my own decisions, and she’s beginning te treat me like a person instead of a child.

If you’re ever in the area, go to the “Bistro of Santa Monica” for dinner. They have a live jazz pianist and absolutely fantastic food! Dinner is around $15 per person, which is surprisingly affordable for the quality of the food and the general atmosphere of the place. It’s on the corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and 23rd Street.

I know I haven’t posted news in quite a while, and rather a lot has happened. I’ll (hopefully) get around to doing that sometime soon.