Who Needs Walls?

Well get this…I was actually turned down for the apartment I wanted. Now you might wonder why. Was it because I did not make enough money to afford this apartment? No, I make plenty of cash. Was it because I have bad credit? No, I have a credit number over 700. Was it because my last landlord gave me a bad recommendation? No, she said we were the best tenants she ever had. So why, you ask, could I have possibly have been turned down. Well, it's because I own a bird. Now you might wonder if it was just a "no pet" apartment. No, the ad said a cat or small dog was OK. But apparently not a bird. I fail to see how a small bird could possible damage an apartment, especially when he spends 99% of his life in his cage. Apparently the owner had a bad experience with a former tenant who had two parrots. Parrots! They made a mess. No shit! It didn't matter that my bird is one third the size of a parrot and does not make a mess. I also pointed out that my last landlord loved us and at the time we had two dogs, two cats, a bird and a rabbit. We did not destroy her house. I tried to emphasize that it's not the pet, it's the pet owner. Alas, it was not enough. So, no apartment for me, which is a little depressing as I really liked that place.

So I am back on the market for a new place. I looked at three this weekend. One was too expensive for what you got. One was to small for what the rent they wanted and was way to far off the beaten path. The third has possibilities. It's a loft near Jack London Square, which at one time was a pretty nasty neighborhood, but has recently gone through a transformation. Most of the residents are artists so it has a nice feel to it. Who knows, maybe they can explain today's art to me.

It's truly a warehouse type of loft. It's one big room. No interior walls. OK, the bathroom is walled off, I'm not crazy. I know it sounds wild, but I have always wanted a place with no walls. My ex used to laugh at me when I would suggest we tear down the walls in our house. I have always liked the idea of designing a place the way I want. I can make the rooms the way I need them and not be confined to an apartment layout.

It does need some work though and I'm wondering if I want to take on a project like this when I'm not buying but leasing the place. I could dump thousands of dollars into the place and end up moving away in a few years. Knowing me, I will definitely be moving in a few years (mental note: design apartment so I can take most of it with me when I leave). I think making this place my home will be rewarding and besides this seems to go along with the whole restarting my life theme that I've been living lately.

Now there are a few issues. There is no washer and dryer in the apartment, or in the building for that matter. There is no storage or closets (get to design my own). The neighborhood is very commercial and not much is around the building. The subway line is right out my windows. On a posative note, it's only a few blocks from the subway and right next to the Bay Bridge entrance of the freeway, so the City is but minutes away. It's almost twice as big as the other place and costs half as much to move in. There is plenty of room for my pool table, so I can take it out of storage.

I have enclosed a few pictures so you can see the actual sparseness of the place.

Building Hallway

See the train in the window?

Future home of my pool table.

Definitely re-doing the kitchen.

Bedroom, I think.

On another note, I have a few stories on the girl front to tell you. I had a woman give me her number in a bar the other night. Of course she lives in NJ and was just visiting. She is also about eight years older than me. Eight years younger than me maybe, eight years older, I doubt it. She was very nice and I enjoyed chatting with her, but I think she is too far away and too old for me. Speaking of older than me, one of the sales reps I support called me this week and wanted to fix me up with her neighbor. She sounded nice and then I asked how old she was and I was told 53. Are you kidding? Now, I am not one who would automatically dismiss someone because of age, but can’t they be in the same ballpark as me? I'm happy that my personal life continues to progress and that I'm becoming open to the idea of dating, but maybe I should establish my very own personal ad. I could add it to my business cards.

Wanted Single Female – Grandmothers need not apply.