I think we may have found a new home.
Really, it's more a case of process of elimination. Of the 5 AIMCO properties in the Columbia area:
1. Pine Haven Villas—no washer/dryer connections at all, and income restricted
2. West Winds—2 BR townhouses at 854 square feet?! That's a joke, right?
3. Riverwind @ St. Andrews—Snore. Low square footage for 2 br flats. Old appliances. Snore. No grilling on the microscopic decks. Next to no storage. Snore.
4. Essex Park—Creepy. Right next to Riverwind, but completely different exterior layout. Low square footage for 2 br flats. Very likely no W/D connections in 2 br. Ethnically challenging neighborhood.
Oh, I know, they're all going to be ethnically challenged; Columbia is 50/50 black/white. We're not racist; what I mean is we'd rather not have the gang-bangers actually living in our complex, and we got that feeling just from driving around. Can't be comfortable someplace, if you're always questioning your safety.
5. Quail Hollow— :)
We hit that one first, simply because it was the first one of the five as you drive toward Columbia from Aiken. Just off of US 378 in West Columbia, we wound through a subdivision of NICE houses and hilly roads to get to Quail Hollow. Got the girl to show us a TH, but we'll probably have a better shot at a flat come April. The THs run 1158 SF, the flat's are about 1200. 2 brs, washer/dryer connections, screened porches, older complex with good upkeep, 24-hour maintenance, courtesy cop on premises, brick exterior, and rates from $569 to $629. That bowled Les over, I think; we're paying $610 now for our 800 SF pit...he turned to me as we were touring the TH, looked me in the eye, and said, "I like this one." We hate putting our eggs in one basket, but we both knew from the moment we got a good look around. Plus since we're currently in an AIMCO property, they have something called Coast-to-Coast Transfer, which basically means waiving the app. fees. and security deposit and sliding right in. Thank God!
We cruised a bit more of the Irmo/St. Andrews area, and got to spend time with his Lil Sis, which was really nice. We hit the new age shop she frequents (small, but very nice...you know how you walk into some new age shops and can tell right away that they specialize in crap? Not this place; they obviously care about what they put on the shelves. I look forward to giving them more of my money :) Les and I already have anniversary or birthday ideas for each other from that place. And we grabbed a bite at Cool Beans, that coffee shop that's frequented by the campus crowd because it's like, right down the street from the horseshoe of USC. I had a blast! I get such a buzz from being around stressed-out people with laptops :)
Now what? Let's get crackin' and packin'! This trip was a shot in the arm for us both, I can tell. I have to iron out one or two things with the leasing office, but once that's done, we'll put the applications in with Quail Hollow to get ourselves on the list for end of April/top of May. I'm talking to the office about the closet and sink as well, and I'll start tearing through some areas of the apartment this week to keep myself busy while Husby is in SC.
Monday, January 29, 2007
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Addendum to the weekly priorities
Sink issue carrying over til Monday (I just love watching money drip down the drain), couch is on the back burner again as I fantasize about slipcovering and recovering it, and we're probably only doing 1 actual day in Columbia. That's ok though. I'm not ready to inquire about work up there yet; that was a pipe dream. Still have to fill out the application and copy it X number of times depending on how many I'm sending in, update the resume, and write cover letters. This visit is more about housing: if the AIMCO communities are feasible at all, and what the costs are, associated with living in those areas (utilities, high-speed Internet, cable, W/D rental, etc.) Either way, it's another chance to drive around and get more familiar with the area. Another reason why it's important that it's just Les and I; he can drive and I can take the passenger seat or vice versa. If his Mom came, she'd need the passenger seat because she gets carsick, but you don't get nearly the clear vantage point from the backseats that you do in the front, so if she tries to tag along, I'm putting my foot down. I want shotgun this trip.
Monday, January 22, 2007
Scouting Trip #1
Priorities this week:
1. Clean kitchen thoroughly, especially around and under sink, so that we can call the complex about the leak. Blasted kitchen faucet has graduated from steady drip to dribble. While we're at it, lean on them about the frickin' closet hardware.
2. Make a specific plan of where we're going on Friday and Saturday, and what information we hope to glean from the visit.
Leaving Thursday night. That's a biggie; if we put it off til Friday morning, Husby won't want to do nearly as much sightseeing on Friday, because we'll have just done 5 hours in the car getting up there. Also, figuring out how to politely, but firmly keep his mother from coming with us. She spends her weeks dealing with Grandma and Kylie, so she could crave an escape, but it would slow us down in a big way if she came with, so I'm going to gently keep stressing a specific plan of action for Friday and Saturday. Les has said that he doesn't want her with us this time either, but he's her son, so saying no ain't exactly a strong suit either.
And this ain't a pleasure trip; I've got plans. If we get done with the AIMCO apartment complexes early, then I'll want to check out Les's campus, then I'll want to look at the southside of town between I77 and Fort Jackson because it looks affordable and close to town while not so citified, then I'll want to breeze past some houses that I'll have highlighted simply for their rent rates, so that we can get a look-see at what money buys up there, then...and that's not counting hitting city hall to pick someone's brain on applying for the positions I see online and the Chamber of Commerce, because they were closed when we went there last time, and...
Cleared one hurdle this past weekend...the papasan made it to the dumpster! Of course, this meant that the couch was clear enough to sit on, which means having 2nd thoughts about getting rid of that too, because it really is a comfortable couch when you get right down to it. But we plain don't have the room, and I don't want to move it up there only to realize that we don't have the room for it there either. Another thing that makes it so appealing is how you can lean back a bit when you're sitting in it. Both the long couch and the chairs that we have are really straight-backed furniture, which I'm sure is great for the posture, but could be better from a comfort standpoint. But my couch is all torn up from the cats, and I know it'll be SUCH a relief when it's out of that spot and we can put the easy chair in its place. Just gotta keep thinking about that...
So this week, plan for the scouting trip and try to keep from alienating his mom. Small order. Going to crawl under the bed now...
1. Clean kitchen thoroughly, especially around and under sink, so that we can call the complex about the leak. Blasted kitchen faucet has graduated from steady drip to dribble. While we're at it, lean on them about the frickin' closet hardware.
2. Make a specific plan of where we're going on Friday and Saturday, and what information we hope to glean from the visit.
Leaving Thursday night. That's a biggie; if we put it off til Friday morning, Husby won't want to do nearly as much sightseeing on Friday, because we'll have just done 5 hours in the car getting up there. Also, figuring out how to politely, but firmly keep his mother from coming with us. She spends her weeks dealing with Grandma and Kylie, so she could crave an escape, but it would slow us down in a big way if she came with, so I'm going to gently keep stressing a specific plan of action for Friday and Saturday. Les has said that he doesn't want her with us this time either, but he's her son, so saying no ain't exactly a strong suit either.
And this ain't a pleasure trip; I've got plans. If we get done with the AIMCO apartment complexes early, then I'll want to check out Les's campus, then I'll want to look at the southside of town between I77 and Fort Jackson because it looks affordable and close to town while not so citified, then I'll want to breeze past some houses that I'll have highlighted simply for their rent rates, so that we can get a look-see at what money buys up there, then...and that's not counting hitting city hall to pick someone's brain on applying for the positions I see online and the Chamber of Commerce, because they were closed when we went there last time, and...
Cleared one hurdle this past weekend...the papasan made it to the dumpster! Of course, this meant that the couch was clear enough to sit on, which means having 2nd thoughts about getting rid of that too, because it really is a comfortable couch when you get right down to it. But we plain don't have the room, and I don't want to move it up there only to realize that we don't have the room for it there either. Another thing that makes it so appealing is how you can lean back a bit when you're sitting in it. Both the long couch and the chairs that we have are really straight-backed furniture, which I'm sure is great for the posture, but could be better from a comfort standpoint. But my couch is all torn up from the cats, and I know it'll be SUCH a relief when it's out of that spot and we can put the easy chair in its place. Just gotta keep thinking about that...
So this week, plan for the scouting trip and try to keep from alienating his mom. Small order. Going to crawl under the bed now...
Monday, January 15, 2007
Yeah, well, the best laid plans...
Forgot my meds not 1, not 2, but 3 evenings in a row last week, so that list I made on the 8th is carrying over to this week, big time. It was totally by accident, no conscious self-sabotage here, but as a result, I spent the weekend doing a lot of sleeping and feeling like crap.
Talked with Husby about a scouting trip on the last weekend in January, and I got that Friday off.
Talked with Husby about a scouting trip on the last weekend in January, and I got that Friday off.
Monday, January 08, 2007
Begin at the beginning
Yeah, ok........where exactly would that be? It's a significantly overwhelming prospect, putting your life in order and into boxes. I gathered all the stray paper in the dining area on Saturday, bills and such, sorted it, and succeeded in creating a new, albeit smaller pile, which then got ignored on Sunday because I treated myself to church and then felt out of whack the rest of the day, because I haven't been to church in like, a year. Glad I went, intend to go back some more before we escape, but I was at loose ends the rest of the day.
Things to do this week (this includes the coming weekend):
1. File that pile.
2. Toss the rest of the newspapers in the foyer. (a husby job)
3. Get the kitchen clean and keep it that way. (a joint husby-wifey job)
4. Toss the papasan chair...I've cut the cord on this sucker. Called 2 thrift-type places but they won't take it without the cushion, which makes sense. Besides, while it was the first piece of furniture I bought on my own, it also represents a pretty lousy time in my life. It'll be therapeutic, tossing it into the dumpster.
5. Toss the couch. Still wrapping my mind around this one...haven't sat on the blasted thing in months because we put the papasan chair on top of it when we inherited the wing chair from Terra (my knitting chair in the bedroom—sweet!). And it is still sooooooo comfy to sit on, so if I sit on it, it'll make it harder to cut the cord. But it needs to go, because we also have a matching 3-cushion couch with slightly oversized wing chair set taking up space in the living room, and if you've gotta choose, keeping the nice matching stuff makes much more sense. That chair is kick-ass to sit in for gaming, and it just makes sense to have a long couch in a living room, for hanging out and for company. We just plain don't have the room for the extra couch, and I don't see our sitch changing that much for the next year or three, so why move it up there? I've had delusions of putting a slipcover on it and redoing the pillows, but it still comes down to not having the room. The cats have torn it up on both sides, so again, thrift stores won't touch it, so I'm going to keep the pillows and cushions (for the cats and our bed, and to keep up the delusion/dream of recovering them) and toss the body.
6. Rearranging the dining area, i.e. putting the computer back on the dining room table, moving the boxes around, and tossing the corkboard. The cats have torn up part of that sucker too, and I really want the computer back on a sturdy surface. We don't eat off the dining room table right now anyway.
That only looks like a lot because I'm long-winded, so I'll also be starting lists this week. Unfortunately, it looks like we won't be updating the MS Windows XP anytime soon, so I've got to figure some stuff out longhand, which is fine. It'll take longer, but probably will make more sense in my head, when I'm looking at lists on paper as opposed to on screen. When you buy a Dell, you get what, 3 months of everything free? And then you still need to buy the MS stuff, like Word, Excel, and Powerpoint. Well, our 3 months was up before Christmas, but of course, we don't have the spare dough.
What kind of lists? If we can afford a first wave of boxes, how many and what size? Should we try to make the boxes all common sizes? Should we go through the stuff that's already in boxes, try to break it down further? Need to go to the office with the paperwork from when they tried to evict us, because I'm 90% sure that never got cleared up on the county court end, which means we could be trying to move with an incorrect eviction on our record...so gotta give them copies of our stuff to give to their lawyers and straighten it all out. As soon as we're up to date on the water bill, gotta approach the company about grandfathering into one of their other complexes. Gotta hit Columbia again and peruse all 5 of the AIMCO complexes for feasibility. Gotta find out how soon I can get financial aid info from Midlands Tech for the '07-'08 school year. Gotta finish the blasted SS paperwork, as well as the WIA paperwork, and send in the SS stuff.
So I've got a few things on my mind. Lists and writing it down further will help organize these thoughts and not make me so crazy about them.
Things to do this week (this includes the coming weekend):
1. File that pile.
2. Toss the rest of the newspapers in the foyer. (a husby job)
3. Get the kitchen clean and keep it that way. (a joint husby-wifey job)
4. Toss the papasan chair...I've cut the cord on this sucker. Called 2 thrift-type places but they won't take it without the cushion, which makes sense. Besides, while it was the first piece of furniture I bought on my own, it also represents a pretty lousy time in my life. It'll be therapeutic, tossing it into the dumpster.
5. Toss the couch. Still wrapping my mind around this one...haven't sat on the blasted thing in months because we put the papasan chair on top of it when we inherited the wing chair from Terra (my knitting chair in the bedroom—sweet!). And it is still sooooooo comfy to sit on, so if I sit on it, it'll make it harder to cut the cord. But it needs to go, because we also have a matching 3-cushion couch with slightly oversized wing chair set taking up space in the living room, and if you've gotta choose, keeping the nice matching stuff makes much more sense. That chair is kick-ass to sit in for gaming, and it just makes sense to have a long couch in a living room, for hanging out and for company. We just plain don't have the room for the extra couch, and I don't see our sitch changing that much for the next year or three, so why move it up there? I've had delusions of putting a slipcover on it and redoing the pillows, but it still comes down to not having the room. The cats have torn it up on both sides, so again, thrift stores won't touch it, so I'm going to keep the pillows and cushions (for the cats and our bed, and to keep up the delusion/dream of recovering them) and toss the body.
6. Rearranging the dining area, i.e. putting the computer back on the dining room table, moving the boxes around, and tossing the corkboard. The cats have torn up part of that sucker too, and I really want the computer back on a sturdy surface. We don't eat off the dining room table right now anyway.
That only looks like a lot because I'm long-winded, so I'll also be starting lists this week. Unfortunately, it looks like we won't be updating the MS Windows XP anytime soon, so I've got to figure some stuff out longhand, which is fine. It'll take longer, but probably will make more sense in my head, when I'm looking at lists on paper as opposed to on screen. When you buy a Dell, you get what, 3 months of everything free? And then you still need to buy the MS stuff, like Word, Excel, and Powerpoint. Well, our 3 months was up before Christmas, but of course, we don't have the spare dough.
What kind of lists? If we can afford a first wave of boxes, how many and what size? Should we try to make the boxes all common sizes? Should we go through the stuff that's already in boxes, try to break it down further? Need to go to the office with the paperwork from when they tried to evict us, because I'm 90% sure that never got cleared up on the county court end, which means we could be trying to move with an incorrect eviction on our record...so gotta give them copies of our stuff to give to their lawyers and straighten it all out. As soon as we're up to date on the water bill, gotta approach the company about grandfathering into one of their other complexes. Gotta hit Columbia again and peruse all 5 of the AIMCO complexes for feasibility. Gotta find out how soon I can get financial aid info from Midlands Tech for the '07-'08 school year. Gotta finish the blasted SS paperwork, as well as the WIA paperwork, and send in the SS stuff.
So I've got a few things on my mind. Lists and writing it down further will help organize these thoughts and not make me so crazy about them.
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