In other news...

[spritechan]

Steve and I have begun seriously looking for places. We have a list of places jotted down and this weekend visited an apartment and its neighborhood. The apartment was okay. It had a good kitchen, met my closet space needs, and had a large bedroom. It even had a sort of nook where we could keep the litter box. The living room was tiny. The lady was a bitch for no reason, and asked very snarkily if I've rented before (I have, like three times. And I have good credit.). She said that two people can't live in a studio - that it must be a 1-bedroom. Wtf, no. Steve and I want a studio because we've basically been living in a tiny studio for a year now. Why waste space with extra walls?

My criteria:
-Lots of closet space (sharing a closet right now is KILLING us)
-Room for shelving
-A kitchen that is not suffocatingly small
-Place for litter boxes that is inoffensive
-Prefer garage

Steve's criteria:
-Not too busy, but not too in the middle of nowhere (not urban, but not 10+ minutes to a highway)
-Preferably in or around Oakdale (he's so gai for that city)
-Shorter lease for option of relocating
-Enough overall space to not feel suffocated (very much would like a big studio)
-Doesn't want to live in a "ghetto" or "white trash" area

We both want a ground floor place and prefer heat/water/trash included in rent.

So.. we don't conflict on the issue, but location is FARRR more important to him than me, and my need for closets and a garage are lesser to him. XD His parents will inevitably cry about wherever we move, because they're... ah... somewhat prejudiced, and consider anywhere outside their cul-de-sac a dangerous area. Especially if there is a black person sighting -_- Having worked in North Minneapolis (quite a dangerous area) and where I work in St. Paul now is also considered seedy, I'm not really afraid unless I got mixed up in drugs, which I won't. So there!

We're looking to move any time between now and April. We originally planned for April since the snow will be melting by then (whereas we got another few inches YESTERDAY) and it would be less hassle. But I think we're both quite itching to be on our own! We're gonna look at another apartment/neighborhood today. The area is by Lake Phalen, and Steve has some fears of the Lake Phalen area, especially in terms of ghetto-ness, so we're gonna scope it out.

I just threw this together on a print-screen because I <3 it: ^_^

Comments

[vixenofflames.livejournal.com]

Oh, and to add - we could totally afford a classier place if his student loans weren't so damn high!!!

[silver-tiamat.livejournal.com]

Same here! =/ Stupid student loans! It's like it forces you to feel the weight and shadow of college for so much longer than the degree is useful to you....~_~

[vixenofflames.livejournal.com]

Haaaate! And, Steve's got the added frustration of his parents promising to help him pay them down, but then reneging when they bought their second house and deciding they wanted to retire in a few years so the money's more important to save now D: He feels even worse because he feels like he's holding me back - without him and his loan and job fears, I'd probably be on the road right now. Either in Montana with Suzi or in a place like Portland, or even with my friend Nate in Daly City.

He's planning on asking them to give him some of the money when they sell their Oakdale house, but he's not banking on a lot, if any. Poor guy. I'd have thrown a major hissy fit at my parents if they did that too me, not to mention bringing it up whenever they made major purchases, LIKE A SECOND HOUSE. That's just... so mean! And they're not mean people! I just don't get it!

[silver-tiamat.livejournal.com]

Yeah, well...I still have the whole issue of getting out school with NO student loans and NO money. And my parents could have helped me get back onto my feet, if they hadn't been such stingy bastard rich people. Brian's parents helped to co-sign on his loans when he was getting them and had been helping to pay bits, but after he graduated, they told him that he was now responsible for paying for the whole thing. So...*shrug* I guess it's just best not to think of your parents as perfect people who will always keep their promises to you, or always want to help you out.

I still think that Steve should work on feeling like he's to blame with "holding" you back. The only person who can ever really hold you back is yourself, and the choices you make. If you're choosing Steve over moving around the country, then that's YOUR decision to make, not his. Obviously, being able to be completely free to move everywhere isn't your first priority--being happy in a relationship with a loving, caring person is. He should work on accepting that. :)