Any Pessimists I Don't Talk to Them

It's official. I have a new apartment.

I'm really excited, but also nervous. I got my first paycheck from my new job today, and while I missed one work day in the pay cycle, the check was only $30 more than my last job. This number gave me a bit of a heart attack when I sat down and saw that I had about $500 left after paying the deposits to pay the movers, pay my gym dues (even though I have no plans to use the gym I belong to anymore, but didn't get over to my club fast enough to cancel or at least suspend my membership), buy my T pass, and live for the next two weeks. This is a temporary hiccup, I know, but it brings back that tight money sensation again. I don't want to feel that way. I figure I'll keep a low-profile after this week's insanity and hopefully can manage to stretch my remaining cash out for a while. (Thankfully, everything I've done for the past few weeks was done with cash, so I didn't wrack up any more debt.)

But I have to give myself some credit. For the first time, I didn't have to go to my Mom for a deposit loan. For the first time, I make enough money for the realtor to not require my Mom cosign my lease. And my new place is really nice. I got to this place after the fire, so it's been completely remodeled. When I walked in today, I saw the new hardwood floors gleaming in the late-day sun. There are three big windows that let in a lot of light. I'm a couple of floors up, not in a basement. I have two closets, one big, one small. The kitchen is small, but gorgeous. The sink has a garbage disposal. The range is gas and a real stove, not a studio-sized dollhouse stove. My bathroom has a tub and a new light fixture that hopefully won't catch on fire. There's even a carbon monoxide detector. I have a counter to set my KitchenAid on (if I can ever get it back from my Mom). It was around 6:30 when I got there to sign my lease, and aside from the yelling of a cleaning lady's kids, I didn't hear anything. No banging bass, no parties, no street noise. Just a quiet fortress of solitude that's all mine. I hope it stays this way, because I want my place to be somewhere I want to be, no matter how small or expensive it may be. I'm willing to forsake sushi once in a while to afford quiet and safety.

And, after six years, I'm leaving the Green Line. Not entirely-- many of my good peeps live in the Green, so I'll be back-- but the nearest subway stops to me are Red Line stops. It's going to be an adjustment for me. I'm used to hopping on the C-line for a couple stops to get somewhere else instead of walking half a mile. There are a ton of buses that will get me around, but I think the other side of the river involves a lot more footwork. But all the things I love about Brookline and Brighton-- the familial feel, the cute restaurants, dog parks-- are all in my new neighborhood. Once I get used to the toilets flushing the other way on the other side of the river, I think I'll be happy there.