We got the apartment!
I'm really relieved. I didn't think we would, to be honest. There were so many hoops to jump through, and it was hard to get in touch with the landlord and the letting office, probably because of lockdown. However, we finally did manage to sign the lease and pay the three months' rent that lets us off the hook for getting a guarantor, thanks to me finally cashing out the shitty stocks that my dad transferred my shares into. It was only $2500, but that was enough. I know I sound spoiled for complaining about that, because at least I had stocks, but the thing was, they used to be much better. My mom and grandparents set them up for me and my siblings as a sort of college fund. And then my dad basically blew all of it because he wanted to transfer them into more "ethical" options, i.e. gold and silver, which tanked in 2008. I believe they'd been going downhill before that as well, but that was the nail in the coffin. Xander is the only one who's not in debt from undergrad, and that's only because he got a full scholarship (he's in debt from Juilliard, though). Talia has more than I do, but poor Anselm-- he has basically nothing. It's pretty annoying, because if Mom had been left in charge of the money, we'd probably have everything paid off by now. Instead, we're all in debt.
It's okay, though. I'm really glad that I had just enough money to pay for the three months' rent, and Emily has enough for everything else until I can find work. I think I'm on the right track with that, as two people have emailed me back asking for more information. Hopefully, I can get something quickly! We're moving on Saturday, and I couldn't be more excited to have a place to ourselves. It's going to be so nice to feel comfortable in my house. I'll be able to get juice in the middle of the night without putting on pants! I'll be able to shower whenever I want to! I'll be able to chill without worrying that my housemates secretly hate me! And since I'm on the lease, I feel like I'll have more confidence. This is going to be really good. Oh, and I won't have to deal with our annoyingly loud neighbor anymore. He's been doing construction on the house next door for the entire year that we've been here, and it's really loud and disruptive and obnoxious. Right now, he's using some kind of power drill outside. It sounds like an accordion being fed through a wood chipper. That being said, I'm sure there will be annoying people in our new apartment as well, but at least they'll be new annoying people. Oh gosh, I hope there's not a baby, though. It's terrible, but I don't like the sound of crying babies. Which is something I have to deal with, because Emily and I do want kids, and I'm not going to be one of those asshole parents who treats a defenseless infant badly for something they can't even help, but in spite of what my logical brain tells me, my emotional buttcheeks still clench up when I hear that incessant wailing. If I can get through that stage, though, I get to watch the kid grow up and acquire language. I'm very excited about that. Think of all the firsthand experience I could gain for research! I intend to keep detailed logs and recordings, and of course, I'll share those with the kid when they get older as well, and hopefully, they'll think it's cool. Linguistics aside, though, I really am excited to raise a child. I want to show them all the love I never received and make them happy every day. I think it will be very rewarding!
I feel weirdly mopey today. I'm not sure if it's the heat, or the impatience of wanting to move, or feeling obligated to hang out with some people I'm not too crazy about, but I'm restless, and I want to lie in bed and sulk. I'm not going to do that, though. I purposefully went on my laptop instead of my phone, and I drank a Red Bull so I won't go back to sleep. Everyone else went into town, but I declined, because it's so hot, and I think I might melt like the Wicked Witch of the West (Coast) if I venture outside. I don't know how I'm going to manage when summer comes for real, but I do know that I'm going to buy several fans the first chance I get. Maybe I will install a little fan-filled fort in the corner of the living room with sheets and pillows to sit on, and I can go in there and be cool. I could put some fairy lights in there, and have it be all nice and cozy and cute. Actually, that's a pretty good idea. Maybe I'll do it. Omg! I'm so excited to be living with Emily! I've never lived with only one other person before (except for one semester in Ohio and one quarter at UCLA, and that was in a tiny dorm both times), and I can't even imagine how wonderful it will be to have the kitchen all to ourselves. All that refrigerator and cabinet space? A dream! We can finally have a dedicated spice cupboard, and I won't have to spend five minutes digging through canned goods and packets of instant ramen in order to find the oregano. And we can put things in the refrigerator without having to worry about someone randomly throwing them away! It'll be so nice. I think I'm going to buy some new pots and pans when I can. We need a new skillet, because even though ours works okay, it's very worn-out, and we need a soup pot, because the one I've been using doesn't belong to us. Of course, I'd love a beautiful matched set of Le Creuset cookware, but since I don't have thousands of dollars lying around, I'll just have to put it on the wedding registry and hope that a distant uncle wins the lottery and feels like contributing to our future home. For now, I'll settle for a medium-sized Dutch oven, a couple of saucepans, a non-stick skillet, and a rice cooker. Can you believe I've been cooking all my rice stove-top for a whole year? It's so stressful. Emily doesn't see the problem, but this is not the way I was raised, thank you very much! I'll try to find a cheap one, though.
Now I feel like planning the set-up for the new place. I wonder if there's a website for that, like a site that allows interior designers or artists to visualize room space? I feel like that's the sort of thing that should exist. Maybe I'll go looking. I know Emily doesn't care so much about aesthetics, but I do, and as long as we both agree on it, it should be fine. And I'm willing to spend all the time arranging and decorating things, so I don't think she'll mind too much. I also really want to rearrange our closet. I'm incredibly excited for that, actually. I packed up all our clothes yesterday (except for the outfits I set aside for us to wear this week), and we really do have some nice pieces. Not that I don't want more, of course, but for now, we have enough. Okay, I'm off to look for room design websites and drool over household appliances on Amazon! Wish me luck!