A Metaphor for Adventure into the Unknown

Ok. So It has been a month since I last posted…..

Things Happen. Time passes and life goes on.

The Move has been successful and I have ensconced myself in an apartment in the burbs. I am less than 10 minutes from my place of work and have all the basics to make life … well … livable.

I have all the ingredients to make a meal to include dishes, pots-n-pans, silverware, and glasses and basic food stuff to use in it. A Futon makes a great inexpensive couch and crash spot for visitors. TV, Cable/Internet, and electricity make it so much more less isolated. A bed to sleep on and basic furniture to store clothing. A Washer and Dryer sit in a back hall room waiting to restore cleanliness to my attire and make sure that piles of smelly laundry do not adorn the abode. Like they say Cleanliness is next to Godliness…..

It is important to make sure you keep the place clean. Vacuum, dishwasher, Laundry care and all the expendable products to use in those items are a must. Maids are expensive, so buck up and do it yourself. It gives a small amount of instant gratification when you can see how clean the place can stay.

It is important to become self reliant when you are a one person group. Everything you need must be available. Do not think for a second that the guy or couple next door or upstairs cares a rats butt about you. They have their own life to live and it may not be one that you would want to get involved in. Do not get me wrong here. It is important to know thy neighbor. Just do not rely on them to keep your best interest at heart. After all this is an apartment community and leases are … temporary.

Any way, now that we have a place to start from we need to look at what is needed to ensure we can continue to survive in the urban jungle. To start with the 1st week of setting up, we experienced a power outage of 5 hrs. We had to scramble because it got dark really quick after the power went out and sitting around in the dark is just a pain in the backside. So we went to the local Walmart and picked up a couple of 3 wick white candles. White because it allows more lumens to illuminate the apartment.  Also picked up a couple of glass containers to put them in …  would not want to burn the place down now would we …. Anyhow with candle light to see by we took out the battery powered radio and listened to the weather reports and called in the outage to the local power company from our internet connected smart phone. We will address long term power outages in a later segment but suffice it to say 5 hrs was only a minor convenience. The neighbors took off and went to a show, since only a small section of the city lost power, something to thing about next time.

Time to think about what is needed to survive the next inconvenience … will not wait so long to post next time.

Alright. We have a place to stay, electricity ready to use, and CableTV/Internet.  We move what stuff we have into the the new location in 2 days. now we need to take an assessment of what we have and what we need to get.

Apartments are bare when you get into them. Basic Kitchen with cabinets, dishwasher, Frig, sink, and oven/stove. Bathroom with toilet, sink and bathtub. There are usually a few closets and maybe a ceiling fan. You have a front door and a sliding door to your patio/balcony.

So what do we have? A bed frame, some camping chairs and a camping table, some computers, a sleeping bag, our clothes, a coffee table, and a bunch of books.  Pretty slim pickins but something to start with on the new flop house.

Our last post had a short list of items on the wish list. most important are the mattress, TV, and microwave, and maybe the coffeemaker. Washer/Dryer can come next pay period. One thing you have to do is budget your money, don’t spend so much that you can’t pay the bills.

So in the next 2 days we need to scout out a mattress, TV,microwave, and coffeemaker.

Last thing to do is make sure all your stuff is boxed up as much as possible and put it in a place for easy loading for the move … the garage. Get it done now so you can go scout out for some good cheap deals…..

Ok, sorry about skipping a day. It seems that the keys that were to be turned in on Sunday were turned in Monday afternoon and I had to wait a day.

Anyway, I put in an Application and got approved. I can move-in in a couple of days and then we can get down to the nitty gritty basics of urban apartment living ….

Now that we have a place its time to call Utilities company and the cable company. The Apt. Complex includes water, sewage, and trash in the rent but checking around that is only $30/month, but still its $30/month and a bill we do not have to pay. We need Electricity (avg $80/month) and we need Video and Internet (another $80/month on Avg). Good thing I can set these up to roll the same day I move in. I will pre-call on the Electric and The Apt. Complex has a contractor that will hook me up on some Cable…

One Of the 1st things I need to get is a bed. I have an old cast iron full size frame. just need a box springs and a mattress. Now don’t skimp on this item spend as much as you can afford and get the best in that range. I’m setting my limit to $500. That should get a fairly decent bed setup. Don’t forget to get sheets and blankets with pillows.

Other items on the list are:

1. Dishes
2. Coffee Maker
3. Microwave
4. Drinking Glasses
5. Silverware
6. TV
7. Washer/Dryer
8. Shelves
9. Dresser

This is the short list and items may be added/subtracted  as needed.

I have a set of camping chairs to sit in, an old collapsible camping table, and a coffee table for a temp setup in the living room/dining area. Will get more substantial items later.

You know this is kinda like that game the Sim’s…. have to play that in my spare time some day.

And lastly don’t forget to stock food and personal hygiene stuff. Yes the fridge can hold 5-6 cases of beer but that is NOT its primary purpose. Get good healthy stuff and leave a little room for a few beers. We don’t need to get sauced in a new neighborhood ….

Ok so we have to move. Can’t stay where we are for some reason and no the world is not about to end or civilization collapse in on itself. We just have to move from the country back into the city. Back to a metropolitan suburb more urban than suburban.

We have a job with a positive cash flow, clothes, trade tools, computer, and an INTERNET connected cellphone. Sorry about the caps but this is a valuable tool, the Internet. It allows you access to the information you need to survive in an Urban Environment.

So You need a place to stay. See if there are any Apartment Complexes close to your work that have anything for rent. Things to consider are Cost, and Size. Cost should not be more than 1/3 of your monthly income. If you can find one for 1/4th all the better. On size you want a 1 bed/1 bath apt. and make sure it has a bathtub, not just a shower stall (I’ll Explain later once we get settled in).

Other items to consider are Utilities and services. How expensive is the electric bill? How much is cable/Internet? Where are the closest Stores and retail Shops. What about Restaurant and fast food joints? Look at the surrounding Communities, Apt. Complexes, and Strip Malls. Be Aware of where you are. Things happen quickly in the city, and a good old country boy like me could get caught up in something real quick that needs some Shitin and some Gittin. Best practice though is to be knowledgeable about how best to get what you need and not get taken for what you got…

So tomorrow I go to look at a place in the Urb’s and see how soon I can get a place to start out from. I got Several locations to chose from and I’ve driven by them as a preliminary investigation of the neighborhood, and to tell you the truth, They are quite literally across the tracks from each other. both in feel, appearance, and available services. One has rusty iron balconies attached to the side of the building open for all to see. The other has attached balconies built into the design of the building with side to side privacy walls. The first had little furniture or Plants outside, the other a little bistro here, some potted plants there, a couple of chairs over there. The 1st had only a pool, the 2nd a pool, tennis courts, close location to a city park, and right next to the post office.

If you hadn’t guessed already I’m going with the 2nd one….They have 2 units that have come open today and they may be ready for viewing tomorrow. Price is right and the immediate area around the Apt. Complex is alright.  Gotta see if they’re ready for me to sign a contract and move on in immediately.

1st order of business is to get a place to STAY!

so lets see how much further down this rabbit hole we can go tomorrow. Be Hopping on by then

Alright, so here we are at our 1st post since … well an event. It does not matter what exactly it is. All that matters is that your world is about to change …

So what do you do. PANIC!!!!

Does nothing to ensure you survive …

Get MAD!!!

Nope, also does no good. May make you feel better but does nothing to help you survive.

Look Pissed off and without a clue means bad shit … I don’t like bad shit but sometimes … yep, IT happens …

Whether it is a personal crisis or a civilization ending catastrophe you have to work your way thru it. Think logically. Think smartly! Make goals and stick to your convictions.

I am on a personal sabbatical into the next  mutation of my life cycle … 4o+ something and striking out on my own again….