Random bright moments

As many of you can guess, life is REALLY stressful right now. Waaaay too many things to think about, try to take care of, yadda yadda yadda. Thankfully, I'm still able to be cheerful a good bit of the time and find little moments that make my day better and help me forget about my overly tense neck where all my stress seems to have gathered.

Here's what I've had going for me lately (those of you on facebook will have seen most of this already):

- As you already know, I've got a place. Packing is going pretty well, but the essentials won't be packed up and moved until next week and by Sunday night, the 9th of May, I'll be in my own place. Crazy weird. The bright part in that statement is that I have a place. No more searching or wondering.

- My hair has been driving me crazy. It's grown out from the major chop I did several months ago and the bottom part was all wispy and flyaway and I felt like I had a stinkin' ducktail and I hate ducktails. I'd been meaning to get it cut for the last week or more, but finally, yesterday afternoon, I had some free time while my machines did some cycle testing that was going to keep them busy for about an hour. I escaped to the nearby hair cutting place that I've used for most of my recent haircuts. They trimmed the bottom layer off and up to where the next layer was now sitting, right at the bottom of my hairline. They used the little hair trimmer to clip it really short at the bottom of my hairline. That part is so nice and relaxing. I'm a happy camper to have shorter hair again and have off my neck (again).

- I've been seeing this thing called a Silly Cell Phone Holder off and on for at least a year. I want to say it's been more like two years (or more). It's funny, it's a knickknack, but it holds a cell phone, which is useful and perhaps easier than setting the phone flat on a surface and then forgetting which surface that was. If you have a holder, that's the most likely place you'll find it. Well, this one's goofy and orange. I resisted buying it for a long time, but I finally decided that I really did want it. It arrived in the mail today and I love it. I'm so glad I bought it. Well worth the $5.

I thought there were other things in my list, but for now I seem to have forgotten, so that is all.

- E5

My New Place

Here are pictures I took of my new place when I went there today to deliver the deposit check, take measurements of the space and vacuum up the little furballs on the new carpet and some sawdust under the kitchen and bathroom sinks. I might take some photos once I'm all settled in too. We'll see.

The place looks both small and large to me, all at the same time. The whole living area of my studio (including the bathroom and kitchen area) is 21 feet wide and 18.5 feet deep. I like the feel of the place and all the appliances and cupboards are new, as is the carpet and tile. I think the only thing that isn't new is the shower and it seems in fine shape.

Front of the house, and mailbox

The side gate aka my entrance

The long walk down the side of the house

There will be a shed behind the greenery here at the corner of the house soon and I can store some stuff in it.

After turning the corner, there's more house, some trees and some rose bushes.

A better view of the rose bushes.

After turning the other corner, you see my screen door, which I had left locked open.

The lawn and plants when looking out from next to my door.

The view across the lawn: my studio and the fencing that was put up as kind of a privacy screen.

Just about to go in the front door, you can see the heater, some lights and some of the kitchen area.

Looking to the left as you go in, you see the closet and heater.

Looping right, you see more of the kitchen.

The whole kitchen area, plus some of the carpeted living area.

Looking from near the kitchen area, showing windows and door and whatnot.

Both windows and the door, looking out onto the quiet lawn and plants.

The other window and area around it.

Back around to the closet.

The bathroom. Quite roomy.

The sink. Plenty of counter space and cupboard space.

The Hunt, Completed

Yesterday, I received an email from the Redwood City studio. They were extremely excited: the owners had agreed to a six month lease for me, which would then become month-to-month tenancy. A lease would be sent to me that day.

Not five minutes later, I got an email from Mark, of the Los Gatos cottage. Their chosen tenant hadn't shown up for the morning meeting to sign the lease. He was keeping me informed that if they got a hold of her and she had decided not to go with the place, they would go with me.

This was neat, but just made for more potential confusion. I had already accepted that I wouldn't get the cottage, and the studio was just as nice, in different ways, as the cottage. I was conflicted for a bit and then decided to stick with the studio no matter what, so I replied to Mark, thanking him for the info, but letting him know that I had submitted an application to another place on Monday afternoon and had been approved, so I would not be able to take up their offer of the cottage if their first choice fell through.

I had not received the lease by the time I left work, around 7. I checked my email again, around 9. Liz had emailed me the lease around 8:00. I printed it out, read it over, initialed the pages. This morning, after my annual physical exam with my doctor, I scanned the lease and emailed it back to Liz.

So, although the owner still has yet to initial the lease and I have yet to put down my deposit, I feel that I am set and have a new place to live, starting May 1st. I probably won't move most of the way in until the weekend of the 8th, but at least I can start the move-in process on the 1st. Woohoo!

Here are the pictures that were on craigslist with the listing. They're low res, but it's all the photos I have for now. It's a simple, clean layout and will fit the stuff that I need pretty easily, as far as my mind's eye can tell.

The Hunt So Far, Update 1

Didn't hear anything about the cottage south of Los Gatos over the weekend, so I went and checked out the three places I had on my list for Sunday.

1 - Sunnyvale duplex - this place became a quick no. The kitchen was alright, as was the living room, laundry room with washer/dryer hookups, and the back yard. Upon closer inspection, the shed in the back yard was chock full of stuff, there was stuff piled in the back of the garage and the garage was held closed by a metal bar leaning against it. The bathroom was just large enough for the tub, toilet and sink. The shower was only a shower by way of a handheld shower being wired to some plant hooks in the ceiling. Just next to the tub was the toilet and there was about a 1.5'x1.5' area for you to stand when drying off or room for your legs when sitting on the can. The sink was coming off the wall and the tiny cupboard below the sink was cracking white particle board. The bedroom was small, awkward to get into (had to turn a corner just after the doorway) and there was a jungle gym thing coming out of the closet that looked like it was supposed to be a closet/dresser storage system. This left very little room for a bed and how would you get a bed in there with the corner you had to take to get in there? The lighting throughout the place was iffy, and the walls were painted interesting (aka: odd) colors (slate blue, eggplant purple and terra cotta red-orange). Pick a wall, and it was probably a different color from the one right next to it. I think I was out of there within 10 minutes. I stayed long enough to catch the eye of some other prospective tenants. I raised my eyebrow and said, "It's funky." and then thanked the woman showing the place and headed out.


2 - Redwood City studio - Wow. Great place.
These are the only big cons I can think of:
- limited washer/dryer access (M-F only)
- narrow sidewalk around the side and back of the house to get the studio, but it's a well lit walkway
- there will be some houses going up nearby within the next several months, so that could be noisy

Minor cons:

- one shared wall - not expected to be a problem

- medium closet - I think I'll be okay. :)
- slightly smaller-than-normal oven - not much smaller than standard
- smallish amount of counter space and storage space in the kitchen area - should be fine
- they'd prefer a 1 year lease - they seem willing to negotiate
- No A/C - has a ceiling fan, seemed nice in there even though Sunday was a pretty warm day

Pros:
- Rent is within my price range and utilities are included in that price, except I may need to add internet service
- Fairly roomy, but yes, it's a studio, so it's not terribly roomy
- Simple, clean layout
- New cupboards and appliances - so new that there's still sawdust in the cupboards
- Granite counter, tile floor in kitchen and bath and nondescript new brown carpet
- Roomy bathroom with tub/shower

- Good lighting - some windows and plenty of overhead lights

- Ceiling fan and heater
- Nice back yard, fruit trees, and I can garden if I want
- Seems safe for Lois and they're fine with an indoor/outdoor cat
- The drive is pretty (not far from 280), counter commute, and mostly freeway (aka fast)
- Met one of the neighbors and she was very nice


3 - Saratoga cottage/studio - I finally got ahold of the owner and he agreed to meet with me. He was a nice enough guy, but the place was just okay. Nothing outstandingly good, nothing outstandingly bad. He smelled strongly of some cologne and it made me a little lightheaded. Not worth listing pros and cons. I'd rather not live there.


Monday, today -
I was told that I would hear about the Los Gatos cottage by today. Around 2:00 I sent an email saying that since I hadn't heard anything I guess they had found someone else that was the right fit, then asked them to let me know. Around 4:00, I got a reply that they had found someone looking for a longer term lease than I was looking for, so they had gone with her, though they had really liked me and thought I would have been a great fit otherwise. I thanked them for the reply, and I understand where they're coming from with that, so I don't bear them any ill will.

I promptly emailed Liz, the neighbor and contact person for the studio in Redwood City, telling her that I would like to be considered for tenancy in the studio, on a six month lease, if that was alright. She emailed back and said she thought that would be fine, but she had to double check and would get back to me as soon as possible. She said she thought I would be a great fit for the place. I received an update around 6 that her call had not been returned yet, but she expects to hear back soon. Sooo, as long as Gary and Rose (siblings that own the house and studio) are okay with a six month lease, then it sounds like I'm in.

Yes, there are a couple of cons to the place in Redwood City, but the cottage south of Los Gatos had a couple of cons too. I think they're both great places to live and worth the compromises. I would have had a hard time choosing if I had been offered my choice of the two places. They're both great in different ways.

I guess I'll find out tomorrow if I get the studio in Redwood City. If not, I guess the hunt will continue.

That's all for now.

- E5

The Hunt So Far

Places I've skipped:

There have been plenty of places I've considered, then nixed for various reasons:

- no pets (of course)

- large apartment complex

- iffy neighborhood

- too many apartments on the street

- limited parking

- contact people don't get back to me and I wouldn't want a landlord like that

Places I've seen:

There was one place I liked and applied for, but I was too slow. It was in Campbell, part a 4-plex, ground floor, with neat accents and colors and plenty of room. It had two major drawbacks: (1) The kitchen cabinet doors had been painted salmon pink. I decided it was something I could live with as they weren't a truly horrible pink, but (2) there were a number of neighborhood cats hanging out outside, so I worried that Lois would get into too many fights. I applied anyway, but someone else put in their application before me. I'm not too sad about missing out on the place.

The next place I toured was an older studio in a small community of studios. The location wasn't bad to live in, but it was bad to commute to Apple from there. It was near 280 & 17/880, which during regular commute hours is probably the ugliest traffic area in the South Bay. It's only maybe a mile or two, but it would really suck going to/from Apple every day in that. Other than traffic, the studio definitely had a solid mix of pros and cons. There were no shared walls, but the units are quite close to each other. The back yard area was fenced in and pretty sizable. It was near the freeway, but the soundwall turned the traffic noise into a background noise akin to a waterfall (and this was during the busy time of the morning). The livingroom/bedroom was small enough that putting the queen bed in there would take up most of the space. It had a cool closet and bench storage area, but the shower was poorly lit and the kitchen was narrow with a too-small oven for the baking that I like to do. All in all, too many cons to consider pursuing, though there were enough things that I liked about the place that I agonized over the decision. I just had to keep reminding myself of the cons.

I'm now limiting my searches to nothing east of Apple. Southeast, such as Los Gatos and some parts of Campbell are solid possibilities, because 85 North doesn't get too crowded in the mornings. It's certainly much better than around the intersection of 280 & 17/880.

Where I want to live:

Earlier this week, Pete and I went to check out a funky cool cottage in the hills south of Los Gatos. It looked like a really neat place, with the kitchen slightly raised from the main area, making for a storage space underneath the kitchen area. The reason Pete went with me is because it is the sort of place that you just want to see in person, but the owner indicated that he had several applicants lined up, so we had no idea if I'd get the place. That meant Pete's one solid chance to see the place was to go with me.

Getting to the cottage requires taking 17 south of 85 for a fairly short distance, past Los Gatos, and onto some fun twisty-turny roads and lastly onto a narrow road that is reminiscent of a somewhat steep, long, driveway. Parking is limited and there are a number of stairs to walk down to get to the cottage. On the walkway outside the cottage, leaning against the railing, I could hear a small stream trickling away somewhere below. It was great to just stand there listening to it. 

Inside, there were lots of windows to let light in. The previous tenant left behind a soft brown love seat and I plunked down and just looked out the windows and enjoyed the light coming in the skylight above me. Though the square footage is not too high, the owner (sounds like he built the place, and did some really neat custom woodwork along one of the walls) made good use of the space and there are at least two places to put a queen bed and still have plenty of room for other things, such as a dresser, a few bookcases, and probably a squishy chair. The bathroom has a stall shower with a built-in corner caddy. I suppose one day I'd like to have a tub again, but I rarely miss taking baths, so it's not a big negative. There were some nice small cupboards in the bathroom and a shelf high on the wall that I can't reach, but I suppose with some help (ladder, stepstool, standing on the toilet) it'd be a good place to store extra stuff that I wouldn't need too often (toilet paper, facial tissues). The toilet plumbing was kind of loud, but I'm by myself, so who cares? :) The owner, Mark, forewarned me that the septic system doesn't handle feminine products (and the like) too well. Pete and I assured him that I grew up on a septic system and never got used to chucking that sort of stuff down the toilet.

The storage area below the kitchen is large enough that the washer/dryer is in it. Rather than what you'd normally expect, though, there's only one machine: it's a combo washer/dryer. Apparently it's made by a german company. I'm quite fascinated by it. There's additional storage space right next to the washer dryer, enough for several boxes. There are some shelves on at least three of the walls, so where to put various things shouldn't be too big of a deal.

There is a heater, a ceiling fan and an A/C in the place and though I forgot to ask, I'd guess you can get a cross breeze through there too. The kitchen, up maybe four or five steps, is somewhat narrow, but has a large ceiling light, garbage disposal, a normal sized gas stove and oven, fridge, plenty of cupboards, most of the drawers slide smoothly, and a counter area with tall chairs for eating there, looking out the window at the greenery and hills.

Click here for pictures of the place. Mark and his wife posted them on Flickr.

Other highlights: 

- All utilities are included in the rent (which would otherwise be out of my price range). That includes water/garbage, gas/electricity, internet, cable.

- The stairs are lit and there's a switch at the top and bottom for ease of traversing the route at night. 

- There's a small shed across the walkway from the cottage. It's mostly full of the owner's stuff, but I'd be able to carve out a corner for some things if I really needed/wanted to. 

- The owners live a little way behind, and to one side of the cottage, just up the hill. They basically built the house they live in. I didn't get a good look at it, but I do recall a large deck and lots of large windows. 

- Since the two places are fairly close together, Mark indicated that he tries to make sure that the cottage tenant would be a good fit with him and his wife, since they'd see each other on a regular basis.

- There is a chicken coop on the property (as well as a small beehive). His wife made the coop and customized the door with egg shaped holes in it. It's very cute. Oh, and there's no rooster, so no racket to worry about.

- I asked about wildcats. He said that it is a possibility, but they let their chickens out most days and they haven't lost any and there are neighbors with indoor/outdoor cats and they've survived fine as well. There's no guarantee that Lois won't get munched, but it sounds like she'd probably be fine. I'm willing to take that chance.
- The drive would take about 25-30 minutes to get to or from Apple.

Mark said he'll make a decision this weekend about their tenant. I'm not sure if that means they'll let me know this weekend as well, or if it will be Monday before I find out. 

Other potential places:

I have an appointment to check out a duplex in Sunnyvale on Sunday. I drove by the area last night and it seems pretty quiet. I'm not sure what walls are shared and it looks like there's a bathtub and no shower… just a handheld shower device. The kitchen looks alright: gas stove and decent amount of counter space. There is a livingroom as well as bedroom, so it's roomy, and not too far from Apple. Getting there from Apple basically requires driving up De Anza and staying on it as it becomes Sunnyvale Saratoga Rd and then Sunnyvale Ave and then turning off not long after Central Expressway. Seems like Lois would do fine there. I don't recall if they mentioned animals being allowed. We'll see on Sunday what I think of it.

A second place I'll see on Sunday is a cottage in Redwood City, near 280. That'd be a nice simple drive. The place has a separate entrance, a cat would be fine, there are some fruit trees, all utilities (including cable) are included in the rent, washer/dryer access, and although the livingroom/bedroom are in one space, it looks pretty roomy such that a bed will not take up the majority of it all.

There is a third place I might see on Sunday as well. It's a cottage in Saratoga. That's all I really know. The person I've called is quite vague and has given me very little information, just asks me to call back on other days, which I do, wherein I get a little more information, then another day to call back for availability to see the place. This last time I called, I got an address, so I'll drive by soon (maybe today), to see if it's worth pursuing. They are supposedly showing the place on Sunday the 18th and I "just need to call that morning and then come on by" but I've been told something like that before. I'm not sure if it's worth my time, but I guess I'll be better able to tell once I've driven by the place.

And that's all there is to tell so far.

With any luck, I'll get a call from Mark on Saturday and I can cancel my Sunday appointments. That would be so awesome! I really really like that funky little cottage south of Los Gatos.

Black Candles

As most of you know, I'm apartment/house hunting. The other day I called about a place and met up with the owner to take a look, around 2 in the afternoon. As he was unlocking the door, it gave under his hand and a slender, redheaded businesswoman in her 40's or 50's stood inside the place. She seemed surprised that someone was coming in, just as he was surprised to see her there.

As we walked in, the owner asked why she was there, in a questioning, unsuspicious tone. The woman fumbled over her reply a little, but said that she had decided to eat her lunch there, as she found the place serene.

Upon entering the place, I immediately smelled smoke, the kind that comes from a freshly blown out candle, but for some reason I decided not to comment on it and just followed the owner around as he showed off the place. When we got to the kitchen, I noticed the woman was taking a half-burned and drippings-coated black taper candle out of a tall semi-tarnished silver candleholder.

It looked like she was trying to make her movements as inconspicuous as possible, but I watched as she settled the candle in some tissue paper nearby (not the ones for your nose, silly!) and then tucked it into her moderately sized purse. This whole thing seemed quite odd to me. The owner seemed completely oblivious and the woman took off shortly thereafter, with candlestick in hand and in enough of a hurry to leave her giant soda cup behind, with rich pink lipstick on the straw.

I found out from the owner that he tried to sell the place for four months with no luck, so now he's trying to both rent and sell the place. Whatever happens first, he'll take.

I took my leave maybe ten minutes later, pretty sure that the place did not fit the bill, but I promptly told Pete about the candle business when I got back to work. He decided to look up Wicca and burning black candles. Most of the hits mentioned encouraging positive energy and absorbing negative energy. This immediately reminded me of American Beauty: "I will sell this house today. I will sell this house today."

I can't help but think that there are plenty of realtors out there that are superstitious enough to try to appeal to whatever positive powers they think might be out there to help make a sale.

So that was my odd experience for the week. :)