A room of one's own, for a price
Jul. 29th, 2019 11:40 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bironic
I have a new place to live! An extra relief after seeing so many places that were either dirty/cramped/outdated/inconvenient or off the market by the time I arranged to see them. It is bigger than my current apartment and on the top floor of a standard Boston-area triple-decker house, which hopefully means it will be quiet, though costlier to heat and cool. It's got light and trees and a tiny study off the living room that has a built-in bookcase and will fit my vidding computer desk. It also ought to make my commute more straightforward; TBD. Of course, it is substantially more expensive, in part because it's been six years since I rented at market rate and in part because of the square footage and location.
I've been having more feelings about it than expected. Excitement, curiosity, regret, fear (money, the unknown), pride, guilt, etc. There are so many things to second-guess. I want to move already and tackle what needs to be tackled instead of worrying about what might need tackling. Then settle in and, please please please, be content. Fall is coming, and rumor has it the new street is a trick-or-treating hot spot, which would be amazing.
The whole unplanned and rapid process was stressful and lonely; would not recommend. I will miss my current apartment, imperfect as it is. However, friends are wonderful, offering sympathy and advice and boxes as well as couch space if things had come to that. My mom made me cry a few days ago when she called to say she was sending a check to cover the movers' fee, unasked-for. I've worked hard in the 15+ years since college to be independent and not ask anything of my parents—would not have rented this apartment and hired movers if I couldn't make the budget work—and this moment of being taken care of just sort of broke me, in the good way.
Another delicate moment on Friday, my birthday, when, at the office party we hold for every such occasion, my editor chose to cater with an ice cream treat I'd once told her my sister and I used to get when we were kids: Baskin Robbins clown cones. She drove several towns out of her way that day to the store that makes them. :,)
Now it is time to take a breath. Having booked it months and months ago, I have joined a handful of local friends in a rental house on Cape Cod; first time visiting there after almost 11 years (noncontinuous) of living in Boston. Nothing on the to-do list besides read, write, cook, sit by the shore. I went to a vidder friend's wedding on Saturday a few towns over from the rental, which was a backyard affair and really lovely. When we return, a week and a half of regular life. Then![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
fanworks. Then move-in.
If you have my old/current address and I haven't sent you the new one yet, feel free to ping me.
I've been having more feelings about it than expected. Excitement, curiosity, regret, fear (money, the unknown), pride, guilt, etc. There are so many things to second-guess. I want to move already and tackle what needs to be tackled instead of worrying about what might need tackling. Then settle in and, please please please, be content. Fall is coming, and rumor has it the new street is a trick-or-treating hot spot, which would be amazing.
The whole unplanned and rapid process was stressful and lonely; would not recommend. I will miss my current apartment, imperfect as it is. However, friends are wonderful, offering sympathy and advice and boxes as well as couch space if things had come to that. My mom made me cry a few days ago when she called to say she was sending a check to cover the movers' fee, unasked-for. I've worked hard in the 15+ years since college to be independent and not ask anything of my parents—would not have rented this apartment and hired movers if I couldn't make the budget work—and this moment of being taken care of just sort of broke me, in the good way.
Another delicate moment on Friday, my birthday, when, at the office party we hold for every such occasion, my editor chose to cater with an ice cream treat I'd once told her my sister and I used to get when we were kids: Baskin Robbins clown cones. She drove several towns out of her way that day to the store that makes them. :,)
Now it is time to take a breath. Having booked it months and months ago, I have joined a handful of local friends in a rental house on Cape Cod; first time visiting there after almost 11 years (noncontinuous) of living in Boston. Nothing on the to-do list besides read, write, cook, sit by the shore. I went to a vidder friend's wedding on Saturday a few towns over from the rental, which was a backyard affair and really lovely. When we return, a week and a half of regular life. Then
fanworks. Then move-in.If you have my old/current address and I haven't sent you the new one yet, feel free to ping me.
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Date: Jul. 29th, 2019 04:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Jul. 29th, 2019 04:10 pm (UTC)Finding decent housing
Date: Jul. 29th, 2019 04:13 pm (UTC)The clown cones are adorable. I hope the cape supplies its magic breezes and cool nights.
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Date: Jul. 29th, 2019 04:20 pm (UTC)Your mom and your editor are amazing and lovely people.
Enjoy your time at Cape Cod--you deserve the break!
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Date: Jul. 29th, 2019 04:51 pm (UTC)Enjoy the Cape! I love it so much.
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Date: Jul. 29th, 2019 05:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Jul. 29th, 2019 05:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Jul. 29th, 2019 07:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Jul. 29th, 2019 07:13 pm (UTC)Re: Finding decent housing
Date: Jul. 29th, 2019 07:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Jul. 29th, 2019 07:18 pm (UTC)Thankfully I acquired a window A/C from ~someone~ last summer! And it sounds like my dad and stepmom have an extra from when they combined households, so that's two A/Cs (and two parental favors).
Heating, we'll see - will it be warmer than the current place because it's two floors higher, or not, because it's bigger and does forced air instead of steam radiators? The fact that it was covered in space heaters and electric fireplaces when I toured it is concerning. (Current tenant has been out of the country for months.) At least forced air should be quieter than the mallet bangs of steam pipes!
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Date: Jul. 29th, 2019 07:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Jul. 29th, 2019 07:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Jul. 29th, 2019 07:38 pm (UTC)Anyway: Everything you said. <3
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Date: Jul. 29th, 2019 07:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Jul. 29th, 2019 07:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Jul. 29th, 2019 07:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Jul. 29th, 2019 09:29 pm (UTC)>>may you have some restful nights of not stressing anymore about the search
Who knew there were so many ways to dream about moving? Ha. Soon over, hope hope hope.
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Date: Jul. 29th, 2019 09:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Jul. 29th, 2019 10:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Jul. 29th, 2019 11:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Jul. 29th, 2019 11:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Jul. 30th, 2019 12:19 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Jul. 30th, 2019 01:46 am (UTC)"HUGS"
Time
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Date: Jul. 30th, 2019 11:31 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Jul. 30th, 2019 01:50 pm (UTC)Thank goodness you are keeping cool, it's been unbearable this year. Fingers crossed for the new place to be reasonably acclimatable. Who even HAS forced air, my goodness.
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Date: Jul. 30th, 2019 02:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Jul. 30th, 2019 02:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Jul. 30th, 2019 07:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Jul. 30th, 2019 07:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Jul. 30th, 2019 07:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Jul. 30th, 2019 07:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Jul. 30th, 2019 07:22 pm (UTC)In six years, will the housing bubble have burst? Or will things just keep climbing with influxes of biotech etc. until you guys are the new edge of the affordable zone? I mean, if you call Medford/Malden/Melrose today's affordable zone and then scope outward from there. Not that M/M/M are already 4x median home prices in most of the rest of the country or anything.
<3
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Date: Jul. 31st, 2019 11:40 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Aug. 1st, 2019 09:41 pm (UTC)Happy Belated!
Date: Aug. 3rd, 2019 05:08 pm (UTC)In my experience, when I lived on the top floor, I didn’t have to worry about paying more for heat as it rises and I got residual heat from the lower two floors, but definitely cooling is the challenge. I hope you enjoy your new place once you get settled.
I desperately wanted to go to Fanworks but it didn’t work out this year. I hope it runs again.