Settling In

My apartment is adorable.  It's got one or two windows in each direction and I get plenty of natural light.  It helps that it's sunny nearly every day.  I'm in the basement and when you come down the stairs, there's a laundry area with washer & dryer.  A pair of french doors open into my living area.  It's set-up as an open doughnut, with the furnace and water heater in the hole.  First is living area, then you turn the corner onto the sleeping area.  Next is the sink and then the toilet/shower has doors to separate it from the open space.  Finally you come to the kitchen - a very nice open space with a built-in breakfast bar (chairs included!).  So actually it's Q shaped - the kitchen is the tail, and has 2 windows.  It's plenty spacious but a little light on storage space - I think I'll put up a spice rack on the wall and I'm thinking about a ceiling storage system for wine glasses - I don't have a lot of them, but they need to go somewhere.  The bathroom/kitchen area is tiled right on the concrete and the living/sleeping area is raised slightly and carpeted.  It's just perfect for my needs.  And then on top of everything - officially, I get the garage.  (My upstairs neighbors get the driveway.)  So there's space for my skis, camping gear, etc.  But I'm not buying anything new until my debts are paid off !

Financially I'm much better off.  I don't have internet or cable yet, and I'm not even going to look into it until the end of September.  I'll get paid once a month, Sept 30 through May 30.  I'll sock away 1/3 each month to cover the summer, but if I get summer work then I'll actually have some savings for emergencies.  In addition I should be able to put some money towards reducing my indebtedness.  I'm planning to check into credit counseling or bill consolidation.  If things go well and I'm able to teach in the summers, I might just be debt-free by the time I graduate!  Who ever heard of going to college to get out of debt?!?

Fortunately campus is one very short block from my place.  I met one of my upstairs neighbors on my way out this morning - Michelina.  They've a cute young couple, not yet married - she's an elementary school teacher looking for work and he's starting his Pharm D.  I offered garage space for storage & help prepping math lessons and asked if she'd let me come when they're going grocery shopping.  I think we're going to get along just fine.

I'm moving in slowly.  I walked to KMart yesterday for shampoo, laundry detergent & toilet paper.  It's about a 15 - 20 min walk.  There's a Safeway there also.  In the other direction is Albertson's - haven't done that one yet.  Tomorrow I'm doing official grad asst paperwork and meeting Larry to pick my classes.  In between I'm unpacking and organizing.  I'm hoping to have downsized enough that I'll be able to keep things relatively neat.  Having an office to go to will also help tremendously.