Looking for roommates in New York is like finding a decent guy in New York, is like finding a needle in a Haystack. Hundreds of people looking at any given moment and yet it ends up being way more difficult than it needs to be. When in a pinch, you have to continue searching for the roommate or settle on someone less than adequate; where as searching for a boyfriend doesn't land me in such dire straits.
You have to know what you're looking for when looking for roommates, whether you have the apt or are looking for the room. If you don't, you will begin to feel overwhelmed like when you used to walk into a test with out having studied, been there done that a countless number of times.
I started out looking for rooms, but I found myself in a repeated pattern: find a posting, respond to posting, no response; or, find a posting, respond, get reply, play tag, then no response. First thing you should know is that they were real, honest to God rooms... not that lady who wanted a tenant for her bathroom, and I only responded to the seemingly non crazy. This goal is hard, as there are so many really crazy people here in NYC. Is it too much to ask for a seemingly normal roommate? I mean we are all a little crazy... but its ridiculous out there.
Finally, I make an executive decision to stay in my apt and look for roommates. I mean after, awkwardly knowing a guy who is walking out of a room i am looking to rent, seeing cockroaches, finding a room actually too small, meeting crazies, and not actually meeting roommates, I think i am better off just finding new roommates.
I meet a lot of interesting people. Generally, until the last week, the people who were willing to jump on the apt were not the ones I wanted to live with. Damnit. I thought I was cool enough to have weeded those people out of my viewings. Clearly not. When you have Couples and Etchasketch artists looking for places and they respond to your Ad just pray you don't get too desperate.
When I finally think I have found a couple of people they bail on me... go figure. I had to start the search all over again.
In the end I found some pretty cool roommates. Next time though I think I am going to start my ad with something along the lines of "No offense but please no couples, etchasketch artists or others of such a disposition."
My only concern is that I would attract even odder people... oh dear
29 August 2009
25 August 2009
Yet another incomplete post that has been in my edit box for ages...
The days a becoming more and more crisp as the weeks go on. Fall is truly beginning to creep its way in. Every morning the same stout man stands outside his auto shop, smoking a cigarette. "Morning" he says cheerfully as I walk by. I always smile and return the sentiment.
Walking to work is such a simple pleasure that is often overlooked and undervalued. For the past 3 weeks, I have walked to work, half hour each way. It's a consistent commute, unlike the Metro that could take anywhere from 20 minutes if you hit everything perfectly, to 50 minutes if the G train hates you on a particular morning (the G train and I have a Love Hate relationship, it can't be trusted). Recently its been the favorite part of my day.
Finally I have time to think again. I lose out on quality reading time, but replace it with quality thinking.
The more I wander the streets of Williamsburg and Greenpoint, I realize how much like a small town it is. After a week store owners started to recognize me, and said hi as I walked by. Sometimes I answer, but if I'm listening to music I will simply acknowledge with a smile. Who knew that such a big city could feel so small in places? Sometimes I feel like I am back in Virginia Beach where everyone knows me, and sometimes I feel like I am in London getting to know shop owners and the community through my morning walks. Either way this simple notion starts and ends my day on the right foot. Amazing what feeling like part of a community can do for you .
Community and family keep you going in this crazy world. This recently I was at my cousin's wedding, and above all else I love seeing the new family created from two. And, though it scares me to no end that she is married now (shes 2 months younger than me), the whole weekend it was nothing but smiles. Two families, coming together to celebrate. Why can't everything in life be so simple as a celebration between friends and family?
Walking to work is such a simple pleasure that is often overlooked and undervalued. For the past 3 weeks, I have walked to work, half hour each way. It's a consistent commute, unlike the Metro that could take anywhere from 20 minutes if you hit everything perfectly, to 50 minutes if the G train hates you on a particular morning (the G train and I have a Love Hate relationship, it can't be trusted). Recently its been the favorite part of my day.
Finally I have time to think again. I lose out on quality reading time, but replace it with quality thinking.
The more I wander the streets of Williamsburg and Greenpoint, I realize how much like a small town it is. After a week store owners started to recognize me, and said hi as I walked by. Sometimes I answer, but if I'm listening to music I will simply acknowledge with a smile. Who knew that such a big city could feel so small in places? Sometimes I feel like I am back in Virginia Beach where everyone knows me, and sometimes I feel like I am in London getting to know shop owners and the community through my morning walks. Either way this simple notion starts and ends my day on the right foot. Amazing what feeling like part of a community can do for you .
Community and family keep you going in this crazy world. This recently I was at my cousin's wedding, and above all else I love seeing the new family created from two. And, though it scares me to no end that she is married now (shes 2 months younger than me), the whole weekend it was nothing but smiles. Two families, coming together to celebrate. Why can't everything in life be so simple as a celebration between friends and family?
15 August 2009
My Next 25- (this one has been sitting, waiting to be posted for a while now... whoops)
Another year goes by and I find myself embarking on my third year in New York as I hit the quarter century mark. The more I thought about it, the more I thought it was just another year in my life. One year older, one more year of life experience. 26 was going to be my mile marker because of my silly association with the number 13.
This year wasn't just another year though. Close friends (not just people I know from college and high school) started to get married, started to have kids, bought houses, got promotions, finished grad school... the list could go on. Here I was sitting around in New York, no closer to knowing what want out of life, no closer to having a boyfriend, no closer to growing up. New York is my Neverland in that way.
I am normally the one to brush off birthdays, go out for drinks with friends but I don't like making a big deal out of them. I am normally the one who, if starting a new job would say we can just do a birthday dinner later, after Ive settled in or when I have time again. I love them, but I don't need to make a big deal of them. This year not so much. The week leading up to it, I started a new job, had no idea what I was going to do about housing after Sept 1, hadn't seen friends in about a week, for once I felt alone. I tried, I really tried, but when it came down to it; I wanted to at least spend my birthday with family or with friends. Which I did :-)
It's funny how quickly 25 hits you. Since I turned 18 my life has been, literally, a blur; and, as you're trying to sort trough everything, more stuff just piles up. How do we do it? How do we process it all? How do we keep going? These are the years that Media and Television hype as the best years where everything happens, and yet I feel as if Ive been barely floating in a sea of possibilities that are sometimes too overwhelming to fathom. How do I do it? I juggle, paying attention to the balls in the air because if I stop to see what has dropped, I will lose them all.
It seems to me that 30 will be much easier to handle; by 30 I will have accepted my fate, where I am headed and all that is to come. 25 though just sneaks up on you. I had one hell of a year though.
Top 5 from my 25th year:
There have been times where I feel like I am constantly losing and finding faith in the world around me. Yet I keep going. I may not know where I am headed or even what I really want out of life, but that's part of the fun of my adventure. Things are always thrown at you to make you question, to really think, to help you understand yourself a little better. I can only hope that I am answering them correctly (but then that is all relative).
Right now who am I?
I am Maura; I like to write, though can never finish a story; I am seldom late; I make masks; I have an unnatural love for that upbeat 90s music; until this year I was never a runner; I like a boyfriend but with no definitions- I can hardly define my own existence; I never know what I want until I am in the middle of it; I need my friends; I love Shakespeare; I have been known to sit down and drink a whole bottle of wine in one sitting (but not often); I actually like scotch and whiskey; I still have stars on my ceiling; I am not a New Yorker, just someone momentarily living in New York; If I could wear heels everyday I would; I feel most comfortable in jeans and flip flops; I won't slow dance with just anyone; I am a temporary vegetarian, but is almost certain she would give it up for a good steak or burger; I am ticklish, and as a result I find guys who are ticklish wickedly sexy; I am sure the guy for me is the one who makes me want to stand still for a bit; I am addicted to True Blood; when I watch TV its generally reruns of CSI or bad movies; I like to be able to do yoga in my room; I am more likely to be a pirate than a ninja; I still play super Nintendo; I actually like traveling by bus; I sometimes find myself keeping myself closed off from close friends; I am slightly anxious about living in the same apt for a third year in a row; I have a very dry sense of humor; I am an eternal optimist; I define family as those closest to my heart, the most important part of life.
That is me right now, at 25 as I embark on this new journey. What will be will be, and the only thing I know right now is that I will continue to go with the flow and take risks when I can. Life happens; sometimes I think we're all mere passengers trying to backseat drive, and sometimes I think its pure chaos where nothing is determined until we make it happen. Either way I will make the most of my next 25 years because my world as I know it is going to do nothing but change.
This year wasn't just another year though. Close friends (not just people I know from college and high school) started to get married, started to have kids, bought houses, got promotions, finished grad school... the list could go on. Here I was sitting around in New York, no closer to knowing what want out of life, no closer to having a boyfriend, no closer to growing up. New York is my Neverland in that way.
I am normally the one to brush off birthdays, go out for drinks with friends but I don't like making a big deal out of them. I am normally the one who, if starting a new job would say we can just do a birthday dinner later, after Ive settled in or when I have time again. I love them, but I don't need to make a big deal of them. This year not so much. The week leading up to it, I started a new job, had no idea what I was going to do about housing after Sept 1, hadn't seen friends in about a week, for once I felt alone. I tried, I really tried, but when it came down to it; I wanted to at least spend my birthday with family or with friends. Which I did :-)
It's funny how quickly 25 hits you. Since I turned 18 my life has been, literally, a blur; and, as you're trying to sort trough everything, more stuff just piles up. How do we do it? How do we process it all? How do we keep going? These are the years that Media and Television hype as the best years where everything happens, and yet I feel as if Ive been barely floating in a sea of possibilities that are sometimes too overwhelming to fathom. How do I do it? I juggle, paying attention to the balls in the air because if I stop to see what has dropped, I will lose them all.
It seems to me that 30 will be much easier to handle; by 30 I will have accepted my fate, where I am headed and all that is to come. 25 though just sneaks up on you. I had one hell of a year though.
Top 5 from my 25th year:
- Older Brother getting Married
- Going to California
- Deciding to Run a Half Marathon
- Thanksgiving in NYC with my friends
- Getting a hand written response from the Producer of Harry Potter, after sending my resume and cover letter for possible employment
There have been times where I feel like I am constantly losing and finding faith in the world around me. Yet I keep going. I may not know where I am headed or even what I really want out of life, but that's part of the fun of my adventure. Things are always thrown at you to make you question, to really think, to help you understand yourself a little better. I can only hope that I am answering them correctly (but then that is all relative).
Right now who am I?
I am Maura; I like to write, though can never finish a story; I am seldom late; I make masks; I have an unnatural love for that upbeat 90s music; until this year I was never a runner; I like a boyfriend but with no definitions- I can hardly define my own existence; I never know what I want until I am in the middle of it; I need my friends; I love Shakespeare; I have been known to sit down and drink a whole bottle of wine in one sitting (but not often); I actually like scotch and whiskey; I still have stars on my ceiling; I am not a New Yorker, just someone momentarily living in New York; If I could wear heels everyday I would; I feel most comfortable in jeans and flip flops; I won't slow dance with just anyone; I am a temporary vegetarian, but is almost certain she would give it up for a good steak or burger; I am ticklish, and as a result I find guys who are ticklish wickedly sexy; I am sure the guy for me is the one who makes me want to stand still for a bit; I am addicted to True Blood; when I watch TV its generally reruns of CSI or bad movies; I like to be able to do yoga in my room; I am more likely to be a pirate than a ninja; I still play super Nintendo; I actually like traveling by bus; I sometimes find myself keeping myself closed off from close friends; I am slightly anxious about living in the same apt for a third year in a row; I have a very dry sense of humor; I am an eternal optimist; I define family as those closest to my heart, the most important part of life.
That is me right now, at 25 as I embark on this new journey. What will be will be, and the only thing I know right now is that I will continue to go with the flow and take risks when I can. Life happens; sometimes I think we're all mere passengers trying to backseat drive, and sometimes I think its pure chaos where nothing is determined until we make it happen. Either way I will make the most of my next 25 years because my world as I know it is going to do nothing but change.
06 August 2009
That Long and Winding Road
Life has a way of working itself out exactly as its meant to, yet I still try to have control of what's going to happen. One of these days I'm going to learn that no matter how i try, its not up to me. With out turning this into a "Fate vs. Free Will" debate, I just mean to say that there are always other factors involved that you can't control. In the end all you can do is put in your best effort and what will happen will happen.
This past month has been rough for me. Not because I've been out of work too long, this is not the longest i have gone with out a job. More because I went on more interviews than I normally go on while out of work and couldn't land one of them. Because of that and because I was reevaluating my situation, where I want to be and whether or not the path I'm no will get me there, I had a slight existential crisis. Am I doing what I want to be doing? Will this take me anywhere? Am I happy? What's the point of it all?
Every question could be answered in so many ways. I was living a dichotomy, a contradiction and I was focusing on me way too much. I started turning on the morning news while I did yoga every morning, trying to bring a new focus back to my world. I am not the only one out there with out a job, I am not the only one out there questioning where I want to go, my problems are nothing compared to the problems facing the country. I am able to breathe again, and the world comes back into focus.
I am 25. I don't have to know where I'm going yet. I don't have to know what I want. I don't have to have it all figured out. Questions are allowed to be unanswered. I am allowed to say I don't know.
Two years ago, on a whim, I hopped on a bus and moved to New York. No job, just an internship and a couch to sleep on. From there I had to see how it went. I had no answers then, only more questions. The answers had to be found along the way.
The more I think about this whole existence, the more I think maybe its not about having answers or knowing where you're going. Maybe it's about having some idea of what you want, knowing what you're capable of, being fearless enough to risk it all and knowing beyond all doubt that there are always people looking out for you.
Only once we realize we are not alone can we muster the courage to journey onward. We don't always have a travel companion, or guide, but the connections we make along the way make the journey worth taking.
This past month has been rough for me. Not because I've been out of work too long, this is not the longest i have gone with out a job. More because I went on more interviews than I normally go on while out of work and couldn't land one of them. Because of that and because I was reevaluating my situation, where I want to be and whether or not the path I'm no will get me there, I had a slight existential crisis. Am I doing what I want to be doing? Will this take me anywhere? Am I happy? What's the point of it all?
Every question could be answered in so many ways. I was living a dichotomy, a contradiction and I was focusing on me way too much. I started turning on the morning news while I did yoga every morning, trying to bring a new focus back to my world. I am not the only one out there with out a job, I am not the only one out there questioning where I want to go, my problems are nothing compared to the problems facing the country. I am able to breathe again, and the world comes back into focus.
I am 25. I don't have to know where I'm going yet. I don't have to know what I want. I don't have to have it all figured out. Questions are allowed to be unanswered. I am allowed to say I don't know.
Two years ago, on a whim, I hopped on a bus and moved to New York. No job, just an internship and a couch to sleep on. From there I had to see how it went. I had no answers then, only more questions. The answers had to be found along the way.
The more I think about this whole existence, the more I think maybe its not about having answers or knowing where you're going. Maybe it's about having some idea of what you want, knowing what you're capable of, being fearless enough to risk it all and knowing beyond all doubt that there are always people looking out for you.
Only once we realize we are not alone can we muster the courage to journey onward. We don't always have a travel companion, or guide, but the connections we make along the way make the journey worth taking.
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