I need to vent!!!!!

“Okay... Long story short, I have to move out of my apartment by November 1st. It's a basement apartment, has a gas stove (a no-no), and the city found out about it, so I have to leave. This sucks, because the rent was super-cheap, especially for the neighborhood that I'm in.

My landlady offered me the upstairs place, which is the entire first floor of a house. While the rent would be considerably more than what I've been paying, it's a super-duper bargain and she's offering it too me cheap because she feels bad about what happened with my current place.

If I opted to just find another place elsewhere, I'd pay about the same, maybe a little less but not that much less, and I wouldn't be able to get a place in as nice of a neighborhood. I'd also have to pay first and last month rent, security deposit, all over again.. pay for a moving truck (and I got in a wreck in one the last time I rented one!), ect..

So, I guess I'm going to do it. It sucks because I've been very good at paying off my credit cards and all, but now it may take a little while longer. The extra-money I'll be paying in rent shouldn't kill me financially, but it will set me back and I'm going to have to budget myself even stricter.

But looking on the bright side, the place upstairs is VERY nice and it really is a great bargain. It's much more roomier and there are more windows. Plus, I really like my neighborhood a lot, and I won't have to leave. I'd also just have to move my crap upstairs and I'd avoid the extra costs of moving, which is good.

Anyway, it's a lot to digest. Just typing this out makes me feel better.”

“Go with what she has offered!

8)”

“Ummmmmm..... when you did all those handstands this weekend, did everything leak out of your head? Just kidding ya know, but it really does sound like you're getting a great deal for a small increase.

Shoot, you want venting? Remind me to bring my credit card bills when we do our next hike. You'll see a grown man cry. ;o)

BTW - who's the &%#$^* that ratted you out?”

“Why not put in an electric stove?”

“LOL @ Pennsy! The increase isn't exactly small, but it is a bargain considering what I'll be getting. I'm just bummed about having to spend more money.

Le Subtil - I should elaborate more, the situation is a bit more complex than just the gas stove. Housing laws in the NY area are very strict.. you can't live in a basement apartment unless you're related to the owner of the place. When they found out about the gas stove, they also found out I wasn't related to the owners. Plus, the town I live in is pretty stingy and snooty, and they offer NO leeway.

Nobody ratted me out (otherwise I'd send my goons after them). The city found out because the owners were unaware of the laws and when the inspector came by when they bought the house, that's how they found out.”

“I don't understand the gas stove problem. Here in Chicago it would be matter of making surre there were two exits. The gas stove would be fine.

Suspect the electric stove is out because it requires a 220 circuit.”

“Yeah, NY/NJ laws are different.”

“Here in Northern Michigan, I have an entire two story house with basement and 1 1/2 car garage. I have a large yard with neighbors on one side and across the street. I pay $325/month. Gotta love it!

Oh, sorry to gloat, Artex. Sounds like you're comfort of living will be much better. Just enjoy it and don't worry, be happy! :D”

“Here in Michigan, basements house gas furnaces, gas stoves, and gas water heaters, not to mention now, gas fireplaces...what a strange law over there...seems to me they need to pay attention to how TALL they make buildings instead..not what kind of stove is in it and how low is it...sorry you gotta go through "politics"...but hey, maybe the change will be of some good, huh? GOOD LUCK!”

“That really sucks. Cool that you're getting a bigger/nicer place, but I imagine you wouldn't go for it if you didn't have to. Real cool of your landlady to give you a break on the rent though, it probably is a real cool deal considering the alternatives. I would definitely seek revenge of some form.”

“Good luck dude!

8)”

“Get the hell out of New York! Good luck though.”

“Thanks guys! I appreciate the kind words. It sucks, but things could be much worse, and in the grand scheme of things, this "problem" is miniscule.

Buddha Bear, I will be getting the heck out of the NY metro area soon! Maine here I come!

Pennsy, you crack my a$$ up! Thanks, I needed a good laugh! :-)”

“The one in the middle ain't even able to rough himself up. What kind of a goon gets KO'd by a freakin' hot dog stand?”

“Artex, I might have mentioned this before, don't remember your answer if I did- Have you consolidated your loans? Not the bankruptcy thing, but a loan to lump 'em all together? Since I did that, I'm able to save more AND pay more toward the debt each month- Get the hell out of NJ quicker, that's fo' sho'.”

“Yeah, that's a good idea, Corporal, but I have one credit almost paid off, and then I'll only have one other one after that. Even then, the remaining debt isn't that much. I'm glad I've been able to knock away what I did in the past year. The finish line has just moved a little further up the track, but it's still close.”

“Artex has been talkin about moving to main for the past 2 years. I honestly see Artex as a born and bread, live here till his dead New yorker / NJer.

Then again I have never met him, sooooooo I may be wrong.

Main kicks arse, think about it. Globle warming wont effect main for 4-5 years after it has turned NJ into the armpit of USA.”

“Nooooooo, I'll be up in Maine by January 2004 at the latest.. I've had a few setbacks in previous plans to move up there, but by golly I'm going to make it happen. Why? Because I'm Artex dammit, and nobody is going to stop me!”

“WOOHOO!! You go boy! Gotta love a guy with spirit! GL”

“Hey, I ALWAYS give those guys in rented trucks a Wide Berth, LOL!

If I moved up North, could I get some goons? We just have goobers down here. It Just Ain't The Same.”

“Tilt, you need good 'ol boys.


Even scarier than goons....”

“But the good ol' boys are usually too drunk to crawl to the bathroom, LOL”

“WHO are those guys?? right to left, please ID!!??

too funny!”

“Artex, Corporal Nasty, and Goretex.”

“That's from left to right, not right to left. I'm the guy sticking out my tongue.”

“i totally feel your pain, Artex! moving sucks, and i've had to do it 8 times since i graduated college a little over 2 years ago...and the end is nowhere in sight! even if i think the new place is going to be better in some ways (like yours is), the anxiety of not really knowing what i'm in for, and having to do the physical moving sort of stresses me out. i just try not to think about it beforehand too much, or tell myself that it's going to be cool after the move actually happens. it sounds like your new place will rock...i hope it does!
:-)”

“Moving is sorta like shedding your cocoon. Each time you do it, you leave a little bit behind. Hopefully, it's crap you don't really need!

Until we moved into our new place a couple of years ago, my wife had lived in the same house her entire life. Boy did we have a lot of crap to get rid of.”

“When I bought my house, there was a small, one-bedroom house, on the lot, that came with it. I fixed it up and rented it out. Last year when a new couple moved in I put in a new furnace, new water heater and a new washer/dryer- and didn't raise the rent! I even let them have a cat! Actually they're Seventh Day Adventists, pay their rent on time and don't party, so I want to keep them. They make great pets too!”

“Lyra, the new place should most definitely rock. Why?”

“Whoops, I hit return prematurely.. anyway, it has A FIREPLACE! I haven't verified with the landlady that it's working, but it definitely has one.

I'm still not totally at ease with everything, but I feel better today than I did yesterday. Like I said, in the grand scheme of things, this is all relatively minor.”

“great, now i have that song in my head, Aero! :-) those are some lucky folks, sounds like they've got the breast set-up ever!

i just meant, i hope you like it as much as it seems like you will, Artex!”

“Most people from other parts of the country have no idea what the parking situation in a neighborhood can become when you have 2 or 3 families living in houses designed for one back before many people had cars.”

“Lyra, I meant that "why?" as a rhetorical question, to be followed by the fact that the new place has a fireplace.. Hee hee! :-)”

“No picnic parking in Chicago! Neighbor down the block as, count 'em FIVE cars, and only one off street parking space!”

“S'mores! cool.

Can I take a turn with this Venting deal? Big sucker storms came through over the weekend (remnants of TS Hannah) and my connection is Still FUBAR.

Just thought I'd drop in to say 'Hi!'

(and <GRRRRRR>)”

“Doesn't sound so bad, Atrex. I know what you mean about getting comfy tho. I've been renting the same place for six years and it's a pretty sweet deal so I sympathize with having to move when you really like where you're at.

OTOH, sounds like you've got plans in the works for a more serious move in the near future. So just look at this as a stepping stone to that big jaunt.

Enjoy the new digs!”

“Yeah, you'll get a chance to get rid of some stuff you shouldn't really move to Maine anyway.”

“oohhh! i getcha, Artex.

Violin makes a good point...get rid of all those bodies. LOL! but for real, every time i've moved, i've thrown out lots of extraneous crapola that i don't really need. i'm about down to a couple changes of clothes, a bed, and some monkeys.
;-)”

“Yeah, a downside is the chicks may miss the dungeon basement atmosphere...”

“Artex, I've moved 9 times in about 3 yrs. I'm a professional at it. I can seriously pack my whole place up in one day. One thing I did was start buying those big rubbermaid containers every time I moved. I hardly have to use boxes at all anymore, the containers are more heavy-duty, and they double as temp. furniture after the move and eventually work great for storage in the new home. I even have different colors for different rooms of the house. That way I know what goes where. I've lived in my current place for almost 2 yrs. Having a child makes a person think about sticking around.”

“hay Artex, if you need help with the move, drop me an e-mail and i'll try to help out.

remember that I can't lift anything over 10lbs...
j/k
ive waiting for a 2 bedroom apt since May. every month the landlord swears the people are going to move out. But here I am still stuck in a 1 bedroom with 2 kids.
But he can't MAKE them move becasue they are still paying there rent. OH WELL it will work out if it's ment to be.
But the offer still stands!!”

“Mapleleaf, that's an extremely generous offer, thank you very much. I think I should be okay though. A friend bailed on me when I moved into this place last April, and I did the entire move by myself, and it actually wasn't too bad. I'm not gonna lie, it kicked my butt, but it was doable. Plus, this time around will be much easier, since all my crap is just going to the floor above me.

Newgirl, I can totally relate. I haven't moved quite as much as you, but enough to make me fed up with the process! I'm really looking forward to home ownership and planting my butt in one spot and never having to move again, EVER!

RM - And the chicks will probably miss the dungeon basement atmosphere. Perhaps I can hold a garage sale and unload my stretch racks and whip collection on someone. But hey, I'll be able to wow the ladies with the fireplace instead (if it's working).

Thanks again for all the moral support and kind words everyone. I really appreciate it. :-)”

“Well, Artex, since the owners can't rent it out as an apartment anymore, perhaps you can strike a deal with them for use as a dungeon...”

“Saaaaaaaaaay....”

“Just make sure that rack is solidly mounted, or the inspectors will give more trouble the next time...”