trying to lock down this place

via e-mail, to the lady who's in charge of getting me this apartment

Just making sure that you got my income breakdown. Let me know if it's ok, or if I need to make any changes. Thanks.

bluff city

I'm here. I'm exhausted, but I'm here.

Seems like a nice place so far. I did see a woman with a full out mustache in the grocery store - like, thicker than what I can grow in a couple of weeks. And, when I went to the deli counter to get a half dozen fried shrimp, the guy working there kept loading them in the container (I think I ended up with ten or so), saying, "I ain't even countin', 'cause that's just how we do things 'round here."

More stories to come, I am sure. Now I'm going watch some Sunday Night Football (it's been a CRAZY day in the NFL so far) and sleep. I totally busted my ass this weekend.

oh dear

I really am a bad blogger.

In my defense, though, I've got a lot going on.

In case you don't remember, I'm leaving on Sunday for what I'm going to call Bluff City. I'm doing a show there for seven weeks. So I have to pack for that. And, theoretically I'm moving into a new apartment when I get back in December. So I also have to pack for that.

That's a lot of packing.

Add to it temping (which I've been doing about 20 hours a week for the last couple of weeks) and working at my other job (10 hours) and trying to see my girlfriend...well, let's just say that a lot of my blog posts are sitting in my notebook. Or on my phone.

Fortunately for the two or three of you who have hung in there with me, I'm going to have LOTS of free time in Bluff City. So that means more posts! (I think.)

OK, I have to go do some laundry - so that I can continue to pack.

big news

via text message to The Hot Wing

Looks like i'm going to be your neighbor.

More on this later.

moving is hard work

I built up my moving karma today, helping my dear friend (I can't remember if I called her "The Brooklyn Squirrel" or "The Flying Squirrel") move.

She moved out of one fourth-floor walk-up into another fourth-floor walk-up.

She had over two dozen boxes, plus a bed and dresser and table and bookcase.

I am pooped.

I have to say, though, that I actually had a fun day. Maybe it was because she bought me drinks and food, or maybe it was because she let me drive the U-Haul, or maybe it's because I got to hang out with a kick-ass all day. It was a great time.

And now, bed.

stuff

I just shared this thought with my dad about an hour ago:

I think it's very strange that, during my time in undergrad and grad school I accumulated all of this stuff - sheets, towels, furniture. Seven and a half years worth of life. And then, poof! I move across the country to Sleepy Hamlet, and I leave my previous life (and most of my stuff) behind, and I start to collect more stuff. Three years' worth.

Then I was kind of homeless for a year, wandering from city to city, and so I mailed some of the West Coast stuff back to my parents' house, where my East Coast stuff had been gathering dust. And it all sat in their basement.

So now I've got some of it with me in New York, and some of it is all over my parents' place, and some of it has disappeared into the ether. But sometimes I stumble over something, and it's like discovering an artifact from the Dark Ages. I remember places and faces and moments, and sometimes it's sad and sometimes it's nice. But it's always thrilling.

It's funny where stuff can take you sometimes.

moved!

So I spent all day yesterday moving upstairs into my new room. It was exhausting, and it wasn't helped by the fact that it was POURING in NYC yesterday - one of those storms where you know that your umbrella is basically keeping your head and shoulders dry, because the wind is whipping the rain around enough to soak the rest of you. My umbrella (ella, ella, eh, eh) turned inside-out two or three times.

ANYWAY, I've got almost everything in here - and out of the basement - and my beautiful new bed is here. I keep joking with my parents that, with the delivery of my bed and the impending arrival of my new couch, I finally feel like a real boy. It's kinda true. And it's about time.

Time to stop procrastinating and get to work; I have a workshop to plan.

short post

The roommate is leaving on March 1, which makes me happy. I'll get into the story later, maybe on Monday. Still trying to figure out who will take his place - you know anyone interested?

Right now I'm getting fired up for a weekend of playoff football. The Steelers play at 8 - keep your fingers crossed for them, please.

oh yeah

Totally forgot to tell you guys - I solved my apartment woes!

I had a mini-epiphany on Saturday afternoon, after looking at another crappy apartment in a less-than-desirable location. What were the biggest problems with the place I was in now? I liked the location, and I liked the price. After mulling it over, I came up with two:

1. Not enough sunlight.

2. My 22 yr old roommate.

Problem #1 could be easily solved. My cool roommate (a faithful reader of this blog) is moving out next month. I could just move upstairs and take her room. Done.

But what about #2? He's been there since September, and he's been planning to take over the lease. And he's got another friend from college that he wants to move in - and having another one of him would just drive me CRAZY.

Then I realized - he's not on the lease now.

I am.

It's my apartment.

So, I'm going to ask him to leave. Done.

I'll go into further detail about this later (since I'm obviously going to need things to post about).

apartment hunting

I hate it.

Desperately, desperately hate it.

I don't want to live in a crappy, far-away, unsafe neighborhood. But, because of my chosen profession, I can't afford to pay $1000/month for a place - there's just too much uncertainty, you know? So right now I'm just tearing my hair out.

(Actually, my hair is pretty short right now, so if I actually wanted to physically tear out hunks o' my locks, it would be pretty unsatisfying.)

Going to go look at three places today. I'll let you know if any of them are mildly interesting...

still here

Wow, I haven't posted in what feels like forever. I was purposely holding off, though, because I thought I was going to be moving into a glorious new apartment, and I didn't want to jinx it.

Unfortunately, I didn't get it. So I can blog again.

OK, it wasn't just that. I also had a ridiculously busy few days - auditions and workshops and work and seeing friends off and parties. I am a socialite - what can I say?

Need to take my contacts out - I was stalling to see if Hot Wing and I were going to have a drink, but she's still working, so I'm going to bed. Until t'm'row...

must get out

Day 2 of my "light" week. Looks like I've started the apartment/job search full bore. What else do I have to do?

Plus, my 12 yr old roommate is driving me crazy. (He's really 22, but doesn't always act it.)

What makes it worse, I think - the noise and the instruments everywhere and sleeping on the couch every Monday 'cause his dad stays with us, which he didn't bother to tell us about when he moved in - is that he's completely oblivious to all of it.

So I think it's best that I live with a more...mature individual, and that I have a bedroom with a door on it. I mean, really... (When I move out, I'll show you the pictures of my old place - you'll understand a bit better.)

Off to look at a place now...

no soup for me

I was all excited earlier in the day because I thought I was going to be moving into a new two bedroom apartment. I had to do a lot of leg work to get everything lined up, but now I had finally gotten everything into position. Now I just had to call the landlord to officially see the apartment (which was still being prepared to be put on the market) and I was set.

Except, when I called the landlord, he said, "Oh, that apartment's gone."

Um, what?

"It was rented. Where were you last week?"

Um, I CALLED YOU. AND YOU SAID IT WAS OFF THE MARKET.

"Well, I'm sorry. I have a one bedroom in that building for $1100."

That's eleven hundred dollars per month. No thank you.

So...back to square one.

i have a sinus headache...

...which is making me grumpy. Because I'm grumpy, you're getting a bullet-point, quick-hitting kind of blog entry. Sue me. (Wow, I am grumpy.)

- I'm finally unpacking. Even though I want to move out.

- Went back to work last night. It wasn't that bad.

- Why do Hot Wing and I always start drinking at 1 and finish at 5?

- I'm glad to have my room to myself, but I'll miss living with StefStar.

- I'm hoping that I can go to the Steelers-Jets game t'm'row.

- I'm starting to get worried about money. So maybe I won't go to the game.

- I need more Swiffer pads. I wonder if my roommate is hiding them in her room...


More room cleaning to do. A cheerier post t'm'row, hopefully.

moving again

Looks like I'm starting another apartment hunt.

There are some great things about the place I'm living now - most notably the fact that it spans two floors and I have the whole bottom floor to myself. And I have a spiral staircase.

But my roommate situation is a little unsettled - one of my roommates is in love, and she's probably moving out within the next six months, and the other roommate is new and young, and he wants to bring in one of his friends, I'm not sure that I want to be living in an apartment with two early-twenties guys. I've done it before. It's called "college".

And there are other negatives. The heat doesn't always work in my room. The super is painfully slow to react to any problems. There is very little sunlight in the apartment, which drives me crazy. And the kitchen is very small, with hardly enough space for pots and pans and food for three.

I know that I want to stay in Brooklyn, and I would prefer to live alone, but I don't think I can pay $1000/month. And I don't particularly want to live in the 'hood, or ridiculously far from Manhattan. And there are only a couple of people that I would consider living with at this point.

I suppose the one beam of light shining through these various clouds is that, for the first time in my New York life, I'll be able to actually choose the place that I want to live. Even if it's not in the neighborhood I want, or if it isn't too big, or I end up paying more than I want, I will be the one who made the choice. And that's kind of exciting.

So, if you hear of anything opening up, let me know!

leaving AGAIN

Just put up yesterday's post. I was crazy busy all day, and had zero computer time. But I did write something (see below). So...that counts, right?

The reality of heading out soon is finally staring me in the face. I just packed up a big plastic bin of my shit, which UPS will pick up at some point tomorrow afternoon - hopefully it shows up at my hotel in the middle of next week.

(I actually found out that instead of staying in The Burbs, where the theater is, I'm actually staying in Valley City, which is the big brother of Rockport - where I spent my summer. So I am a very happy camper right now.)

Part of me is really sad to leave the BK - it's been nice being home, if only for a minute. But I've really felt adrift here - rarely sleeping in the same place two nights in a row - so it will be nice having my own place for a few weeks.

Off to see Maxine do some street theater. More t'm'row - for reals this time.

my "ideal" BK 'hood is...

My roommate and I are thinking about moving. I'm pretty loyal to the BK, so I know I want to stay here. She took a little quiz on her website about where she should like, and I decided to do the same. I find these things kind of fascinating.

(By the way - can anybody help me fix this? I'm tired of my picture/quiz posts looking all retarded.)

You scored as Boerum Hill/Cobble Hill/Carroll Gardens, You should live in Boerum Hill, Cobble Hill, or Carroll Gardens! Don't go to the broker who bills it as BoCoCa -- he is trying to rip you off! These neighborhoods are lovely places for 30 somethings who are a little more settled, and have a little more income to pay the rent and eat out at great restaurants. There are plenty of places for you to drink your beloved microbrews, but when you want to indulge your hipster side, you can still grab a PBR at Brooklyn's only landlocked yacht club. Get it? It's ironic. Boerum Hill/Cobble Hill/Carroll Gardens 73% Prospect Heights 73% Coney Island 70% Fort Greene 67% Redhook 60% Sunset Park 57% Greenpoint 53% Williamsburg 53% Brooklyn Heights 43% DUMBO 40% Navy Yard/Clinton Hill/Bed-Stuy north 37% Park Slope 36% East Williamsburg/ 33% Manhattan 13% What Brooklyn Neighborhood Should You Live In? created with QuizFarm.com

More later.

workin'

Evenin', ladies and gents. I'm here, safe and sound in Rockport, hard at work already.

I got only an hour and a half of sleep on Saturday night - had to wake up at 4am to take the train out to JFK to make my flight. I'm still trying to catch-up.

I've been running around for three consecutive days, so I'm pretty wiped. I'm hoping that I have a bit more energy tomorrow - hopefully I'll have time to write more. Guess we'll see.

Right now, though, my makeshift king-size bed is calling me.

pop quiz

Sorry it's been so long since I've posted anything - trying to get my NY life in tip-top shape before I take off for the summer. I finally found a sublettor - who was willing to pay all three months up front, which is awesome - thanks for the help that several of you offered.

I actually wrote this post on a piece of paper on Wednesday afternoon, after an adventure of mine on Tuesday night. All quizes will count towards your final exam. All questions should be answered as if you were The Rover.

1. If alcohol didn't exist, I would be:
a. ten pounds lighter
b. less fun
c. rich
d. the 40-year old virgin

2. Making out with someone with a significant other is only ok if:
a. s/he has decided they want to end the relationship
b. s/he has a history of being unfaithful
c. you had a previous encounter/relationship together
d. one or both of you are leaving town
e. it's not - you are a horrible person

3. Sleeping with a Republican makes me:
a. a bad person
b. a uniter instead of a divider

sublet hell

I'm SO frustrated.

For the past couple of weeks, I've been trying to sublet my room, with little success.

Part of the problem is my schedule - I've been really busy, and I haven't been available to have people come by.

Part of the problem is my roommates - they have busy schedules, and getting them in the same place at the same time is difficult.

And part of the problem is luck.

I showed the place to a guy last week. He liked it, but he needed to talk to the roommate that wasn't present, and he wasn't sure about the money. He said no on Friday.

I cancelled a trip out of town to show the place to a woman on Saturday morning. She loved it. She needed to talk to the roommate who wasn't present. But, an hour after she saw the place, she called to say that she found another place, and it was equally suitable, and they could commit to her right then, so she was taking it.

Now I have an open house scheduled to start in ten minutes. I sent out info to 20 people. Four replied that they were coming. One just cancelled.

Both of my roommates aren't coming (which REALLY aggravates me, since this is the whole reason I'm doing this on Sunday night, because they both said they would be there).

I leave in two weeks, and I just want to get this over with, so that I can deal with the million other things on my plate.