Moral Support

So moving has not gone entirely as expected. I'll be spending some time with the assistant manager tomorrow explaining my concerns and having them rectified. This has been a singularly trying and discouraging experience for me, and for Ericka, though she's been a champ through it all.

Essentially, I went over, looked at the apartment, and found that it wasn't really ready the day that I was told it would be. You can see pictures by following this link. It needs to be repainted, mainly, and there are some safety concerns as well. And it'll be subjected to a pretty thorough cleaning, too.

When I went there Saturday, I expected to move in, that it would be clean, and so on. And it was pretty devastating to look at it and realize that I had just signed a lease and shelled out some hundreds of dollars to a group of people who seemed rude and fairly unwilling to help. This, combined with the typical "Why isn't it homey NOW" jitters made me extremely unhappy. Those things have calmed down somewhat—I've been more irrational lately than I liked—but there are still several issues that need to be taken care of.

So essentially, I've been living out of a suitcase since Thursday, when I packed my car and cleaned out most of my room. This is uncomfortable and sets me on edge, and Ericka has been the unhappy recipient of most of it. (You'll get free backrubs and foot massages for that, honey.) It has been a stressful time for us both. She is leaving her life and friends to be with me, and I am facing the somewhat uncomfortable proposition of moving into a place I'm not super thrilled about.

But perspective has helped, and a bit of time—hopefully enough for me to make Ericka a little happier this week. It's not a forever choice, and I don't think I'm going to get knifed or beat up. And while the downstairs neighbors are a little eccentric, they could be pretty nice folks. (I helped them move a pretty heavy automated shopping cart today. I hope it wasn't stolen.) And if it gets really bad, I do have legal recourse to break the lease under certain parameters (two months' notice, an additional month's rent).

And if they throw a wrench into moving in for the desired timeframe, I can back out then, too. So there are still some options. And with a little love, I think the place will feel more like home soon enough, even if it does need a bit of spackle here and there.