apartment hunting

work has been taking a toll on me lately. i ended up pulling some 15 hours shifts last week and last night. on top of this busy gig, i've begun apartment hunting. just thinking about it stresses me out. i can only hope that apartment hunting is no where as painful as it is in new york.

last weekend, i looked at a one bedroom apartment that's a co-op. it's really nice, particularly for its price, but it was still a little too much for my budget. also, it's another 4-story walk-up. my current place is a 4-story walk-up already, and the idea of at least another year of climbing the stairs, especially after a long day of work, is not appealing.

earlier this week, i looked at a studio that was in the basement of a building. it was dreadful. i'm already short, and yet, i felt suffocated by the low ceiling. d, who accompanied me, kept expecting his head to hit the ceiling. there were only 2 tiny windows, one of which would be looking out into trash collecting area for the entire building. i felt a bit of vomit in my throat just thinking about the odor that would seep into the place, particularly in the summer heat. the place made me a little angry because it was obviously not a suitable space to create loft. the owner of the building basically forced it into some resemblance of an apartment. it's inhumane.

today, i had lined up two places to check out. the first place had an open house 2p-4p. we arrived at about 2.30p. not only did someone already put down a deposit but there were 10 other people in line ahead of me who wanted to be on standby, in case the first person doesn't work out.

the second place was a little less intense. i'm probably also about the 10th person who looked at the place, but it was more of a bit of an interview. the couple who owns the house is renting out a studio on the first floor. they wanted to meet all the potential tenants before choosing one so at least the pressure isn't as great.

tomorrow, i have potentially three apartments to look at. i hope i find some place decent that's situated in a safe neighborhood and affordable. only in new york is it so tough.