A place of my own

I decided an indeterminate amount of time ago that this would be my last year in the dorms. Living in a dorm is pretty nice because you're close to things, but dorms are really for freshmen, and most of the people here are freshmen. I guess it's time for me to stretch my legs a bit; it's not always fun living in a small room. Choosing an apartment is a big decision, but I didn't worry about it too much because my roommate and I decided that we would get an apartment together.

On Saturday, we set out to go apartment hunting. We went to about half a dozen places in a few hours, taking a tour whenever possible and asking about rates and things like that. There were a lot of aspects to consider. Furnished or unfurnished? Close to campus or more secluded? What about utilities? Some places were pretty nice, and others were showy or lousy. Some were expensive and others were less expensive. I was getting tired, but I agreed to go to one more, a place out on 62nd Boulevard.

I had gone down this way a few times en route to the mall, and I recognized some of the neighboring apartment complexes, but I had never paid attention to this place called The District on 62nd. The buildings looked pretty nice. We went to the main office for a tour, and unusually, we had to wait a few minutes. Finally, a tour guide came out to greet us. She was a student who functioned as an RA of sorts. I had never heard of such a thing in an apartment complex.

She took us to the model apartment, which was furnished pretty nicely. It looked pretty roomy and comfortable. The living room was pretty spacious, and the kitchen was a kitchen. Next to the kitchen was a laundry room with a washer and dryer. There was also a patio. Our tour guide explained that, like a gated community, visitors have to buzz in at the front, and then you get a call so you can let them in. Then she turned the TV to a certain channel, and we could see the entrance of the complex where cars come in. You can see your guests as you talk to them on the phone. It's like the future!

That's when she told us that utilities were included and that a furnished apartment was just $10 more per person per month. The pricing scheme was not exactly bad news. My roommate and I decided that we could further save money by having two other roommates. Sharing an apartment with three people might not sound very good, but when each person has his own bathroom, as the District's 4-bedroom model did, it was an attractive idea. So we found out that for a furnished, 4/4 apartment it would be $499 a month, which is a little pricey but reasonable.

But wait, there was more. Our guide took us to the clubhouse, where there were racquetball courts and more conventional game-room things, and a TV with an allegedly bitchin' sound system. Apparently there are a lot of social events for students to mingle, and that's definitely a plus. I was concerned that I wouldn't meet people at an apartment complex, but at a place like this, it wouldn't be a problem.

I had already been sold before I found out about the discounts. They're currently offering $50 off each month's rent, plus a month's rent free or a new Dell laptop. And if we came back in two days (actually three because there was a Sunday in there) we would have our $150 security deposit waived. And so it was: $449 a month (minus one month) for socializing, having a bathroom, and other cool stuff. Pretty sweet.

We went on Tuesday to sign the lease. It went pretty well, and nothing in the lease jumped out at me as being particularly crazy (especially after the guy going through the lease with us explained which parts weren't enforced). We had to just pay a $50 deposit each for background checks, and I had to have one of my parents sign this one page and give it back. That's what the mail and/or fax machines are for.

My roommate and I can't find anyone else who needs an apartment, so we utilized the roommate matching form. This is a step up from the dorms, where they just pair you with any old person of the same year and sex. According to my preferences set out in the form, I hope to be matched with some non-smoking dudes who don't make a lot of noise, go to bed kind of early, and rarely entertain guests!

So, it looks like I'm going to have an apartment. It's a big step, and I'm looking forward to it.

Quick, before this gets pulled from YouTube. Microsoft has a new program called Songsmith that generates backing music for vocals sung into a microphone. It also apparently takes existing files. Here's what Songsmith came up to accompany the vocal track for The Police's song "Roxanne." (Via waxy.org)

If you like tracking satellites in real time, have I got the site for you: real-time satellite tracking (with the help of Google Maps) at n2yo.com.