Apartment-hunting

Yeah, you guessed it . . . another one that I need to talk myself into falling in love with.  Here we go.

Jenna and I drove up to Brattleboro, Vermont (and environs) today to look for housing for her, as she begins her new job there in two and a half weeks.  It's a four hour drive there, so we headed out early.  Still, we were only able to look at three places before we needed to head back home.  We would have looked at more, but people weren't returning Jenna's phone call inquiries.  (This is the new normal.)

What might actually be the thing I could fall in love with is getting a chance to see how other people live.  Of course, that could also be the thing that might depress the hell out of me.  Either way, it's an eye-opener.

Place #1 was very recently remodeled, and although it was small, it was certainly a plus that a new tenant would not have to deal with someone else's stains and smells and damages.  A little pricey, too, but I guess there's a price to be paid for privacy.

Place #2 was a complete disaster . . . in a gorgeous setting!  This was a basement apartment, priced way too high, and the current tenant made no bones about how terrible it is to be hearing every word that is said on the floor above.  Although her clutter was disconcerting enough, we appreciated her honesty in telling us what was wrong with the place.  (But outside?  It was beautiful!)

Place #3 was somewhere in the middle.  Larger, in-town, quiet . . . but old, rather ugly, too expensive for what it's worth.

So we did not find the perfect place.  But we got to see how other people live.  If nothing else, it makes one (or me) appreciate what one has.  I also paid attention to the fact that I have a certain standard that is not necessarily shared by everyone else.  I've lived in some less-than-desirable places in my younger days, too, but that was so long ago, I cannot even conjure up what I thought was acceptable about those places.  My digs now are not luxury digs, but they are basically clean and inhabitable and rather pleasant, if I do say so myself.

But you know what?  If Pete were still here with me, I would live in squalor, just to be with him.  So I guess it's not so much about the aesthetics of a place as it is about the inhabitants. 

I am in love with the idea that Jenna will find her place . . . in more ways than one.