Holes In Thoughts

Friday, January 18, 2008

A Clean House

Rachel and I didn't get a chance to go to the Phoenix Suns game today, but strangely I'm glad it didn't happen, because we got a chance to do nothing but clean the place the whole day. We didn't even finish, but we did a lot of the little things that had only been kind-of put away. She sorted out her ribbons with a neat way of hanging them on the wall, and I tied up the wires to the little bedside stereo to be a little less messy, allowing me to have a real place to put my wallet and phone charger at night.

Little things like that are why I always have said that it takes a solid year to really move into a new place. Unfortunately, I've paid rent in 11 places in the last 10 years for a variety of reasons:

1. 1998: Moved from home to Cochise dorm. Lived in the funny-smelling place with Eric, and proceeded to do terribly in school. I'm still convinced that my aversion to the lead-tasting water lead to dehydration through the entire year. Moved because I was kicked out of UA for bad grades.
2. 1999: Moved to my first apartment over the summer, and Joe moved in as roommate. It was so very tiny, but he just had a few bags and I didn't have a lot, either. We moved to have our own rooms.
3. 2000: Moved a 2-bedroom place with horrible furniture and a landlady that smoked approximately twenty billion cigarettes. Moved because the landlady was scary.
4. 2001: Moved into a nice 2-bedroom place with a backyard with Joe. Bought my own furniture for the first time, and had one of the better years I've ever had. Tension over my leaving to Japan and not being able to pay rent for summer forced Joe and I to get separate places.
5. 2002: Moved into a small, 1-bedroom place run by a completely neurotic Indian man. Met Rachel that year, who moved in just to avoid my Ex, who was her roommate. Tough times, but made better with Rachel. Moved because the landlord (seriously) wanted to evict us for trimming the bushes that prevented us from getting in the front door.
6. 2003: Joined Rachel in a big house with Sean and Gayle. We were all broke, all the time, but we threw some good parties and had an awesome place. Moved because Rachel and I were getting married.
7. 2004: Lived in a somewhat dilapidated guest house, which was nice except that the landlords were going through a loud, messy divorce, and their favorite place to argue was our front yard. Moved for that reason.
8. 2005: Found a nice duplex in an apartment complex that was nicer than the not-great neighborhood it was in. Had the luxury of sharing the duplex with AZ & Tasha, but were next door neighbors to crack dealers with small children. Moved out of fear.
9. 2006 (1): Lived with Mom while teaching in Phoenix, but that didn't work out and we had to move for two months into a tiny duplex just south of the UA. Only had it during the summer before the new tenants moved in for the school year, but it was a godsend because we were destitute.
10. 2006 (2): After that, we were miraculously making better money and moved into a nice second-floor apartment very close to Rachel's work. Had a very cranky downstairs neighbor, who didn't appreciate our construction projects. Resolved to get a place without stairs and with a carport.
11. 2007: Found a great little duplex that we currently have. It was dirty and had next to no heating, and an absentee landlord, but it feels very much like a home. And now, it's fairly organized, as well! I am fervently hoping that we don't have a reason to move out next summer.

Labels: apartments, house, landlord, To-Do

posted by Steve @ 11:28 PM 0 comments

About Me

Name: Steve
Home: Tucson, Arizona, United States
About Me: I like to think about things, and I occasionally like to write what I think.
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