STAR CHART

Mostly pluses, I think.

I just feel like making a list of the pluses and minuses of our current space versus the new space.

First off, I’ve always named the places I lived on my own, until we moved to Seattle! I just realized that we never named the place we currently live, so Dan and I came up with a name today. The first apartment I lived in when I moved out of my parents’ house when I was 25 I named Deep Space 25. Then when Dan and I moved in together, we named our place Utopia Planetia. (It wasn’t really a Utopia. I was just so excited to get married, LOL.) When we moved to Seattle, a Star Trek name didn’t really feel right anymore, and I forgot about naming our place. Over brunch we decided that it needed a sunny name, since it’s so damn full of sunshine all the time (mostly a blessing but in the summer it kills, it KILLS!) so we’ve named it Sunspot. Now we have to come up with a name for the new one. It has one south facing window, so we will get some sun all day, but not to the extreme extent that we do now. The view and the windows are mostly west-facing, so I want to name it something with “West Waters” or “Westwaters.” But I don’t know yet. Maybe I need to hang out there more to get more of a feel for it.

We’re only getting one kitten. Dan’s not used to animals, and has never had a pet, so I should be gentle on him. I’ve decided to maybe wait until the end of spring quarter to get a kitten. That will give us time to get settled in and organized, and plus I’ll have a lot more time during the summer to play with it and give it loves.

Pros of Sunspot:
Lots and lots of light
Hardwood floors
Cute layout
Very clean
Gorgeous view
Neat apartment building
Quiet neighbors
Multiple washers & dryers in the basement
Up off ground level and secure entry
Extra storage in the basement
An elevator in the building
Really gorgeous neighborhood for walking around in
Managers really good and prompt about fixing problems

Cons of Sunspot:
Too hot during the summer
Lots of spiders come in the windows
Very small
Very noisy (next to the freeway)
Bright street light shines in bedroom window at night
Tight kitchen, hard to maneuver in there
Not enough room for a pet
Small closet space
You can’t use the elevator for moving, anyway.
Overnight guests have to sleep in the living room
The bathroom is difficult to turn around in
Vagrants from under the bridge break into cars at night a lot

Pros of New Place:
A very nice view
Up off the ground level, secure entry
Has a balcony
Less south light -> won’t be as hot
Probably less spiders coming in (windows have screens!)
Kitchen has entry on both sides, so it’s more easily maneuverable
It has two bedrooms, and they’re large!
They have large closet spaces
Extra storage in the basement
Living area is very well lit
There is room for a cat!
Two flights of stairs do not wind me
Overnight guests would have more privacy
The bathroom is larger
We will still have a view of 4th of July fireworks (maybe even a better one)
Much closer to the water (1 block walk to Lake Union, a block or two more to a waterfront park)
Balcony means grilling! We can finally learn to grill!
The nights will be dark and quiet!
We can put planters on the balcony.
We’ll be able to see sunsets and mountains better
Faster walk to bus stop for me
Private parking space, although tight
Also plenty of street parking
Seems like a less prowly neighborhood for breakins and such (although a crazy guy who hears voices lives a few blocks away LOL) (I think if anybody gets prowled it would be the people who own the houseboats)
There are houseboats a block away!
Really gorgeous neighborhood for walking around in
It’s very clean and well-kept
Closer walk to Sitka & Spruce, chiropractor, video store, grocery store with huge wine selection, and a coffee shop

Cons of New Place:
Not as attractive exterior
Dark bedrooms (small windows) (doesn’t really matter too much for master bedroom, but may need extra lamps for making art in the other one)
Wood paneling on some walls (in both bedrooms and in living room, but we plan to cover the latter with bookshelves)
There is carpeting most places (we’ll have to get some rugs, esp. in the dining room)
3rd floor instead of 4th, view is less vast
Someone will live above us
I’ll only have access to the 70 and no longer the 49 (I currently have both options)
Won’t really be able to walk to Le Fournil anymore
No elevator (not a big loss considering we’re only two flights up)
Only one washer and dryer for seven apartments to share
The 25 is currently re-routed because of construction, so I’ll have to drive Dan to Montlake the mornings when I have the car (which doesn’t really bother me…I actually kind of like the idea).

I can’t really think of anything else! Well, that was a lot of fun!

Dan and I have been looking for a larger apartment the past several weeks. With my art supplies and finished paintings creating massive piles in our dining area, and difficulty in finding a comfortable space for me to paint, we decided it is time for us to have a 2wo-bedroom apartment so I can have a studio. The places we found were all out of our price range, though, since we have been spoiled by our wonderful view, and have difficulty settling for anything less.

Today we found a place that has everything we want in an apartment. There are a few things we’ll miss about this place…the awesome hardwood floors and multiple washers and dryers in the basement, and the view isn’t quite as spectacular in our new place. The new place has carpeted floors and only one washer and dryer for the seven apartments in the building. BUT they also have a balcony, a damn fine view, a kitchen that is easier to get in and out of (though about the same size as this one), and two bedrooms! The bedrooms have a ton of closet space, plus there is a nice large storage area in the basement as well.

They allow pets (I hope they allow two cats, as that is my preference), and we met a guy today who knows a lady who raises kittens from shelters and adopts them out. Apparently she sleeps with them at night and spends a lot of time with them, getting them used to being around humans and making them extremely affectionate. Plus she lets you go over and visit the kittens and get to know them before you make your choice (or more accurately, before the kittens choose *you*). She sounds awesome!

We called the landlord today to let him know we’d like to go ahead. Haven’t heard back yet though! We’d better hear back from him soon or else I’ll start to worry, LOL. It’s only a few blocks away from here, but down closer to the water, and on the third floor instead of the 4th (hence the not-as-spectacular view, but still a great view!). We plan on moving within three weeks of signing the lease, and having it ready for Cady and Rob when they visit. How nice it will be to be able to offer a private room to visiting guests! We won’t be putting a bed in there because of the easel and paintings I plan on putting in there, but we can fit air mattresses in easily enough. : )

Here are the directions:
Q: Type in “[your name] needs” in the Google search.
Q: Type in “[your name] looks like” in Google search.
Q: Type in “[your name] says” in Google search.
Q: Type in “[your name] wants” in Google search.
Q: Type in “[your name] does” in Google search.
Q: Type in “[your name] hates” in Google search.
Q: Type in “[your name] asks” in Google search.
Q: Type in “[your name] likes ” in Google search.
Q: Type in “[your name] eats ” in Google search.
Q: Type in “[your name] wears ” in Google search.
Q: Type in “[your name] was arrested for” in Google Search.
Q: Type in “[your name] loves” in Google Search.

I added my responses and impressions afterward in italics.

1. MEIA needs to know how money from a trust is spent to decide if this money should be exempt …
O_o

2. Meia looks like it’s pronounced “May-ah”
Then why do most people pronounce it mee-ah?

3. The MEIA says Positive and the ELISA says Negative.
Yeah, so my name is also an acronym.

4. Meia wants to change her photo but doesn’t want to download anything from MySpace.
Hahaha yeah that’s actually one of my own myspace status updates.

5. MEIA does expect a child’s parent(s) to contribute to the child’s care.
Yes she does! *seriousface*

6. Meia hates to wear glasses.
I admit I’m getting more and more annoyed by them by the day. Mostly when I try to put makeup on.

7. Meia asks you to find the Stone Tusk she threw over the waterfall.
Please?

8. Meia likes to stare people talking more than she talks.
What? That makes no sense.

9. Meia eats only when necessary, and hardly ever for pleasure.
Wot? That’s sure as hell not true!

10. Meia wears civilian outfit instead of Miriam uniform whenever she passes by CCHQ.
*scratches head*

11. Meia was arrested for…
No results.

I ususally don’t go out for green beers this day, but I always wear green. I always love looking around while I’m out seeing who is wearing green and how much of it.

Yesterday was my last day of Winter quarter. I’m kind of amazed it’s over. Sunday night Dan and I went out to dinner at Zoe’s and I had just spent hours trying to finish up my final painting before it got dark. I was really frustrated because at the end the light changed too much and I finally had to give up and call it good. (Zhi noticed the areas I was having the most problems with and called me out on them, but gave me a really good grade anyway.) Anyway, by the time we went out to dinner I was rushing and feeling really overstimulated, so I wore grey and black and let Dan do all the driving (he’s so sweet). While we were waiting for our table, we were talking about going to the bar and getting something, and I thought to myself, “I shouldn’t have too much to drink because I still have to…still have to…um…NO! I don’t have anything left to do!!” And I got really excited and high-fived Dan and went ahead and had a cocktail, a class of wine, and a glass of sherry with dessert. Ahhhh.

Finals went well. Zhi took my final drawing and two of my paintings (my favorite in-class nude paintings) to photograph for documentation, so I won’t get them back until next quarter. I would like to hang them up! I still haven’t gotten my drawings back from Helen from autumn quarter! I’ll have to bug her again about them. >w<

Wednesday I leave for Boise to see my family and my friends. I'm excited to spend the day Thursday with my Coco and seeing Sara and her new family on Friday/Saturday. Maybe actually I can take Coco out to lunch on Friday. Hmmm. And I'm really excited to have dinner with my parents and play games with my Gramma! Then on Sunday we're going to have brunch with Coco and then play Cyberpunk with our gaming buddies and have a great time. I'm so excited to see everybody.

Add the word “anal” to your car model and you get… I don’t know what. Something funny, if you like that kind of humor, and of course I love it.

We have a Chevy Cavalier. Anal Cavalier isn’t that funny.

Here are my favorites…and yes, I am actually looking at the Kelly Blue Book website so I can see every model possible, because I wouldn’t want to miss a hilarious joke.

Anal Amigo
Anal Ascender
Anal Aspire
Anal Avalanche
Anal Avenger
Anal Axxess (extra X!)
Anal Breeze
Anal Canyon
Anal Charger
Anal Discovery
Anal Echo (scary idea)
Anal Escape
Anal Excursion
Anal Expedition
Anal Explorer
Anal Fit (Honda Fit? WTF?)
Anal Focus
Anal Freestyle
Anal Frontier
Anal Fusion
Anal Golf
Anal Grand Fury
Anal Impulse
Anal Insight
Anal Intrigue
Anal Lancer ( D: )
Anal Laser
Anal Legacy
Anal Liberty
Anal Marauder
Anal Navigator
Anal Oasis
Anal Odyssey
Anal Outback
Anal Pathfinder
Anal Probe
Anal Prowler
Anal Quest
Anal Rabbit
Anal Raider
Anal Ram
Anal Rendezvous
Anal Rodeo
Anal Scoupe
Anal Shadow
Anal Sidekick
Anal Silhouette
Anal Spirit
Anal Stealth
Anal Storm
Anal Swift
Anal Talon
Anal Tornado
Anal Torrent
Anal Venture
Anal Vibe
Anal Vigor
Anal Vision
Anal Voyager
Anal Wrangler

She’s right; the best ones are SUVs.