Day Twenty-Two: I've Fallen in Love...With an Apartment

After much stress and turmoil of my treacherous week, and a weekend full of terrible moodswings and unnecessary freak-outs, I went to see an apartment. I trudged in the rain down a quiet street towards a triplex, that the property manager had described as "an eyesore" on the outside. It was, actually, in pretty good condition. I already felt a little better. When my boyfriend and I got inside, we walked up an old staircase lined with various construction bits, including tile, wood, plaster, and tools. We arrived at the first landing, unsure of whether or not to approach the door in front if us, in this awkward corner, as my potential home. But no, we were led around a tiny corner to an old wooden door. I felt more than a little apprehensive about this place so far.

But when the door opened, we were greeted by the pungent and formaldehyde-poached smell of new carpet. The walls up the short stairwell were a blinding fresh white, as was everything else when we entered the small space. It was very, very new. The living room was big, but not too big that the minimal furniture I would end up buying wouldn't leave it sparse and vacant-feeling. The bathroom was a narrow little space, with a tiny window above the toilet, and tons of shelf space. The bedroom had a big bright window, and sloped ceilings. It was bright, and warm even without the heat turned on. There's a half-closet that serves as a couple of shelves behind a cabinet at eye-level in the entrance to the bedroom. The kitchen was almost impossible to walk into, as it was filled with pieces of countertop, wood, tools, and probably a sink...somewhere. Needless to say, it wasn't yet functional. It was small, cozy, awkward, would overheat horrendously in the summer (but had capabilities for window air conditioning), and would be extremely difficult to get large items up the stairs. There was a old-style pencil sharpener mounted inside the closet. It knew where it was going, but it wasn't done yet, and it wouldn't be perfect. It's quirky...like me.

Maybe that's why I liked it. We seemed to fit well. I don't want to live in a square apartment in a complex. I want to live somewhere with character that I can make into home despite it's little flaws. I'm going to do the responsible thing and look at a few other places, because it's obviously bad to sign on the first place seen. But it's going to be hard to live up to my first impressions of my first potential home. Maybe this isn't so bad after all.