TWO BIG THINGS!

Today's events:

This morning I got a text from cousin Jesse:
"So, if I were to theoretically show up in Boston on say Wednesday, would you be able to pick me up at the train station?"

WHAT?

While trying to think of how to say "YES" best, I got a phone call from a realtor saying we got the apartment we applied to this weekend!

WHAT?

This all happened in literally the same minute.

So Wednesday Jesse will be coming to Massachusetts, and in the middle or end of March we are moving out of the dump into our new apartment. Two Big Things!

Here is one pic of our new place. I don't want to post a lot of images of the tenant's home!!

Likes: allows pets at no additional fee, 10 ft ceilings, big apartment, many windows, walk in closet, three closets, upgrade on kitchen from current, bathtub, and safe/nose-in-the-air Melrose. Not my dream loft, but this place is right.

BOWLADROME

Paul and I have this thing... We don't eat out much or go on many dates, but then we'll make up dates for random events. Saturday we did a make-up-for-Valentine's Day Date at the Bowladrome for instance. [We stayed in on V-day for a movie in on our pull-out couch.]

We've driven past the Bowladrome so many times, and every time say we should go. Every time, though, the parking lot is packed––even to the streets! When we drove by on Saturday to see the lot was nearly empty, it was a definite must.

I did a little research on the place ahead of time to get the gist on prices. $16.00 for an hour up to four people, including shoes. That's a decent price. Reviews said the place was retro, and hadn't been touched since it was built––in a cool, clean way! Some people come from Boston to bowl here for the candlestick bowling and retro feel.

Now, I never heard about candlestick (or candlepin) bowling and just assumed the reviews were commenting on some cool atmosphere term I was unfamiliar with. I didn't know it was an actual type of bowling. We were surprised to see the place: little bowling balls and skinny pins.

WIKIPEDIA SAYS:
Candlepin bowling is a variation of Bowling that is played primarily in the Canadian Maritime provinces, Ontario, Quebec, and the New England states of Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire, where it is more common than ten-pin bowling....


Candlepin bowling was developed in 1880 in Worcester, Massachusetts by Justin White, a local bowling center owner, some years before both the standardization of the ten-pin sport in 1895... MORE

The main difference is that you throw three times in a turn, the balls are only one size without finger holes (a little bigger than a bocce ball), and the pins look like sticks. The lanes are shorter I guess, and there are some other differences I don't care to share because quite honestly they're boring. When we played we didn't know any of the rules, so we just bowled like normal. I think my high score was 59. Paul's was in the 60s/70s. If we would've played right we obviously would've done better!! Three turns would've at least bumped my score to 75!

Bowladrome Pics:

Landon, look forward to the Bowladrome when you come out here!!

NEWS: Another random date we celebrated last week was "not signing a lease date." / We have two showings booked for those apartments I mentioned on Saturday. / I'm starting to look at dogs again :) We are expanding our dog search now (before we were only looking at Tcup dogs to keep a secret from our landlord). I still like Tcups and mini dogs, but I added a puggle to my want list. / I called the police on my neighbor the other night. I wouldn't say that turned out to be helpful. She hasn't changed. That was a huge act of courage because I have never called the police before!

THE UGLY CITIES

I fell in love!! This weekend Paul and I were booked with apartment searches. Frustrated with the Crazies (which has multiplied over the last week for some reason), we were desperate! Desperate times call for desperate measures, yes? So I considered some pretty ugly cities for an escape out of the nuthouse.


And, I fell in love! If you know me at all, I love all things "home." Luxury Lofts? Sign me up!! Here are the places we went to.


Monarch Lofts (obviously my favorite):

This would be our apartment too!! Paul said we should hang a hammock between the beams. Deal. Love the exposed brick, 16 ft ceilings, 12 ft windows, granite countertops, open layout, wood floors, dog running path, yoga room, rooftop patio, across the street from the T, etc., etc. Check out the website: http://www.monarchlofts.com/


The other places (took pics but don't want to post all them) are below:
Washington Mills: http://wmlofts.com/

Hamel Lofts (Haverhill): http://hamelmilllofts.com/

After careful consideration of the lofts in Lawrence (shriek from the locals) we decided to do some further research into the city to see what all the fuss it about. 

Things that should make you scared about ghetto Lawrence:

"The last time I went there, I went to fillup my car, and noticed the gas station was different than most - you couldn't walk inside, and gave your money to the attendant protected behind thick bulletproof glass through a steel drawer." -MassYankee

"If someone wanted to live in a former mill city, maybe in a converted-to-lofts building, certainly Lowel is a much better choice. Or even Nashua. I can't see any reason to move to Lawrence on purpose." -brightdoglover

"The police chief of Lawrence gets more airtime on Boston television than any other Massachusetts official - including the governor." -beachcomber4

"Good luck whichever you choose, but please make an informed descision for the sake of your family! There are reasons why it it so cheap to live there." -LMMEGNA

And some good signs (these are from 2008/09):

"South Lawrence (on the Andover side) never took the tumble much of the rest of the city did. And now, at least along the river in the downtown area, there are indeed signs of real and lasting revival." -goyguy

"Many of the former mill buildings are in the midst of a transformation to hopefully breath some new life into the city. Home to Malden Mills (producers of Polartec--google Aaron Feuerstein for an amazing but true story), a New Balance factory outlet, Monarch on the Merrimack (luxury geothermally heated condos, Salvatore's Restaurant, All Things Sicilian (cooking classes!)... 

Lawrence is a gritty, blue-collar (no collar?) city. It's not for everybody, but I've worked with people who love it for what it is... If you're anywhere near the area, take a driving tour to judge for yourself." -Valerie C

More here

After a day and a half of discussion and prayer we had decided on Monarch, but still had a few uncertainties. On Sunday, we still had some questions about our decision. We decided to take a walk around Wakefield's lake, and came to the realization that we were crazy to think about moving from our beautiful, safe little town. It was just what we needed––to see just what we love about what we DO have here. Yes, there are some downs, but we can go outside, play tennis, run around the lake, take walks together, and even go to the shops and restaurants. We would never be able to do that in Lawrence. In Lawrence, we would be too scared to go walking on the streets.


So we have decided to stay put until we find a place that is a little closer to home (Wakefield Home). We are going to be patient and not rush into things. I would LOVE to find a loft, but we will probably have to compromise. We will get less of a house for a good town. 


Good evening,
Amber


NEWS: Two leads on apartments in the next couple weeks. One in Stoneham. One in Melrose. Both neighboring towns that are very nice.

WAKEFIELD FUNDED FOR MENTAL HEALTH COMMUNITY

I came across this article just now and had to share! Please read about my nuthouse apartment and my crazy town:
"The Wakefield Police Department is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a $40,000 Jail Diversion Grant through the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health and Human Services... will be used to further our partnership with Elliot Community Human Services and Riverside Community Care to better serve our mental health community." More Here.

I am about half-way through the article (honestly) and all of a sudden hear my neighbor coming up the street. "Blankity-blank-blank-blank... You need to get a job!     Get A JOB.....  Jes.. C.. Ohhhhh, that person behind the dooooor... she's hard at worrrrk. She's gunna go to graduate school...." SLAMS THE DOOR!!!!!!!! "EEHHH!" (Now she's mumbling to herself.)

I'm pretty sure she's referring to me in her yelling just now. She knows I went to college. Now you know why I don't leave my apartment––fear of running into her! I encourage you to read that article. I once was told that a few streets in Wakefield were government funded to hold the mentally ill. My street one of them. I haven't been able to dig up anything, but with 50% of my apartment neighbors the way they are and the interesting people I frequently see on the streets, I strongly believe that our town is nutty.

SLAM!!!! (Crazy just slammed the door) And, just opened it again. She's pacing the halls right now. You can hear her footsteps. Up and down the hallway. She's also mumbling to herself...

Well. Back to work!

Cheers to happy neighbors!
Amber

NEWS: We are looking at apartments Saturday. Unsafe neighborhood but very nice loft apartments. They are the top of our budget, but doable. All three places allow pets (with a fee). We'll see about how we feel about the location, hidden expenses, etc. Say a prayer that our income isn't an issue (Paul's in a contract position and I'm self employed so it can look risky to leasing agents) and that we find something available. I would love to get away from here!! I am not going to show you the places until afterwards because I don't want to jinx it.

TO MY VALENTINES

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY EVERYBODY! LOVE ALL OF YOU IN MINNESOTA, CALIFORNIA AND TEXAS... AND ANY OTHER STATES I'M MISSING.

Love,
Amber

A NICE APARTMENT IN A BAD LOCATION?

What is better? A nice apartment in a bad location, or a bad apartment in a nice location?

The apartment search is taking over my life, and what I'm finding out is you can't always get what you want! Last night we had dinner with Barb and Fred and discussed apartment living and how they started out their search. They made compromises by location. I think we are going to have to compromise in some part of our search, because anything that looks too good to be true actually is too good to be true.

We discussed purchasing over renting. Obviously a better solution if financially ready! I wish we could go right to purchasing. Maybe after a year or two of saving, plus secure jobs––remember Paul is in a contract position and my income is dependent on my company's business... Potentially we could go the same route Barb and Fred did, purchase a townhouse/condo and probably pay close to the same we do in rent from what I've researched, slowly pay off our mortgage and get a nice investment. To only dream. We would never get a house out in Mass by the way. Too expensive!

For now, we drag on our apartment search. To stay in our nice town and live in a dingy attic apartment... To live in our nice town and live in a 255 sq ft apartment... Or to move to the ghetto, away from the ocean and live in a nice duplex loft with granite countertops that allows pets... We upped our budget on website searches and still haven't found a thing.

Amber

NEWS: Met with the realtor yesterday and she had nothing new to show us with her mulit-listing website. I wasn't impressed. Plus if she finds us a place that we can find ourselves, she would ask for at least $200-500 out of the deal. How does that make sense? The only perk is she may negotiate with landlords on the pet situation, which we can't do. My thoughts: take the money we would give her and put that towards rent to up our budget $25 a month. Today is our 6 month wedding anniversary––not that big of a deal, but kind of. Better than Vday. We're staying in and watching a movie.

DO YOU EVER FEEL STUCK?

Do you ever feel stuck? I mean, stuck in your life, in your work, in your home. I sure you do! That's how I've been feeling recently. Stuck in a rut. And it's been with all categories of my life and at the same time which doesn't make getting out easy. Let me explain.

HOME
Not only do we live with a crazy neighbor, one who paces the hall and yells at all hours of the day, we are also in a contract to stay in our apartment for a whole year. Yes, a lease. Luckily with recent events our landlady has let us opt out of our lease with 30 days notice, due to our crazy neighbor and desire to be pet owners. So that's a little less stuck.

But my day revolves around the Phsyco living across the hall. My work desk is by our window and I have a view of all who enter and exit our building. No exaggeration, I don't leave our place alone unless I know for sure Crazy is out of the building. When I do, I carry I knife with me. Picture me going to the front entrance in my slippers scrambling to open our mailbox and holding a knife. I'm sure people think I'm crazy. I kind of think I might be too after living with all the people in our building. From what I can tell there is only a small handful of us that actually work. The rest must be government funded to live in this nut house.

WORK
I work from home. While I love my job I do feel stuck in it, or don't know what or when my next endeavor is at least. My work stuck problems overlap my home stuck problems as I feel trapped and unable to leave my apartment. Sometimes I work for a while at the library. One time Crazy caught up with us on the street. Our friend said hi to her and she said a whole lot of screaming profanities right back at us. So it's not even fun to try to escape to the library. She goes there too.

I have a budget I can't cross with my position at work (I actually have crossed over the last three months). I'm working part time. I've looked at positions in Wakefield. You know, part time desk jobs that will hopefully bring a total of full time hours all together. Not finding much. Plus, I don't really want to push my PR position second to a probably lower dollar/hr. position. Will I have to work nights and weekends just so I can get good hours with my PR job?

I've looked for other jobs in Boston/Cambridge area along with PR/Marketing positions in the North Shore cities. How will I commute? We only have one car and Paul has that for work. Yes, we could get another car when I get hired. But how do I get to the interview? We are also looking to move, so that complicates all working situations. I will need a lot of time off as Landon is coming this spring for a week and I'm going home this summer to help Paige with wedding things. How do you tell a future employer that you'll need two weeks off within your first four months?

LIFE
Work and Home take up a lot of life. Actually, just about all my life as I work from home and the rest I spend at home. I am still meeting new people out here and hopefully will find a close group of friends. I don't have a car that often, so really can't escape much. Overall, just feeling really stuck.

Looking forward to a meetup group I found online. It's like online dating, but for people who socialize with others. I'm now a member of a 20 somethings women group in Melrose (town next to Wakefield). Next week I'm attending a get together for Happy Hour/Dessert. Looking forward to some girl time and meeting new people!

Best,
Amber

NEWS: The apartment search has not gone well so far. Called/emailed on a dozen that are already rented or will only take singles (must be a housing code). Not finding anything in our price range that allows pups, except for that one scam!! Today we meet with a realtor so wish us luck! Tonight we are having stew and playing cards with Barb and Fred.


Super random pic I'm including. This graveyard is in Wakefield right on Lake Q. I think the old stones are neat.

SUPER BOWL

Yes we watched the Super Bowl. No we didn't want the Patriots to win. In fact we didn't want the Pats or the Giants going to the Super Bowl!

Paul made this shirt to sport our true feelings about game day. Good thing most our friends are actually out-of-staters like ourselves.

[BOO BOTH TEAMS!]  [ONLY HERE 4 COMMERCIALS!]


Let me rant just a little bit... Almost every Sunday service that I can think of during football season the Patriots are mentioned in the sermon. That's not just one crazy New Englad football pastor, it's a handful! I'm not even joking you! One pastor went so far to parallel Jesus and Tom Brady. WHAT? "We worship Jesus like we do Tom Brady".... I think you got it the other way around there buddy.

New England has a sick problem for the Pats and I loved seeing them lose in the Super Bowl. Even if it was to another east coast team I don't like. They lost, ha! Yes, that's to the little family I saw at the grocery store wearing matching Brady jerseys–like three little red, white and blue ducks following their football-crazed, Pat-loving Pappy.

NEWS: We are looking for new apartments. Yes already! We cannot take out neighbor any longer plus we would like to get a puppy at some point and our lease doesn't allow dogs–no matter how much I begged to our landlady. Finding apartments for under $1000 that allow small animals, and not a crapper is near impossible. We finally made it to the RMV and our new licenses should be here soon.