Let’s start with the bad news…
Housing
Today (it’s almost 1am, so technically this is yesterday) I went to look at the duplex that was available and I was so disappointed in what I saw. Yes, the layout was exactly the same as the one I had lived in years ago, but it was absolutely disgusting inside. Apparently the previous tenants had been evicted, and it showed. The carpet and floors were filthy, and the property manager said they “might need to be replaced.” Uh, if you want to rent it to me, they NEED to be replaced. Oh, and while you’re at it, why not update those ugly cabinets that look as if they haven’t been painted in years? The entire place just looked so run down and awful, and the yard was completely overgrown with weeds. So not worth the monthly rental fee.
The property manager was so unprofessional, and not only did she show up 10 minutes late for our appointment, but she just seemed like a total airhead. When I looked the company up on Yelp, they had some really poor reviews from current tenants. Not a good sign. Which means that all 10 of the duplexes that are on that street are off the table, because the same man owns all of them, and the same property managers run them. If she couldn’t even show up on time to show me the place, I can only imagine how unresponsive they are when things need to be repaired.
So it’s back to the drawing board. I’m not giving up, but I may not move out as soon as I thought (or had hoped). My quick searches on Craigslist hasn’t shown anything I’m interested in so far. I definitely want to get a duplex or a little house. Once you “graduate” from apartment living, you definitely don’t want to go back. I have decided to sign a month-to-month lease at my current location so that I have the freedom to leave whenever I want to. This buys me the time to find some place that I feel comfortable with. Because as crazy as the neighbors on both sides of me are (and for as poor as the neighborhood is), my place itself is nice and I only want to move up. I definitely don’t want to settle.
And now the good…
Lulu
I’m happy to report that Lulu is completely potty trained already! It’s only been a month, so I think that shows exactly how smart she is. She’s still a great puppy who adds so much to my life, but she has started moving into that “adolescent” stage of puppyhood. She’s started barking quite a bit, and while I know that’s normal, I don’t like it when she barks at ME. Most of the time she barks becasue she wants to play, which is fine, but the last two days she’s started barking whenever I’m not paying her enough attention – when I’m eating a meal (new weight loss tool?? ;), when I’m cleaning up, or when I’m watching t.v or on the computer. I’m trying different techniques to curb her barking at me, including giving her timeouts in her crate. I’m going to inquire at the puppy training to see if they have any other suggestions.
Speaking of the training, she’s doing really well with “sit” and “lay down.” I’m looking forward to going this evening (Wednesday evening) and seeing what new tricks we learn. The main thing I’m looking forward to learning with her is recall/name recognition and loose leash walking.
Which leads me to the fact that I think I need to start taking Lulu on longer walks to tire her out a bit more. Right now we go around the block 5-6 times a day and usually 1 good (1/2 mile) walk, but I think now that she’s gotten older and seems to be able to control her bladder better, I can cut down the walks to 2-3 longer ones a day. My neighborhood isn’t the best to walk in, so I think I’m going to start driving her to the better streets that are a 5-minute car ride away. I know that seems silly, but I’d much rather do that than walk on the streets around here where who knows what she’ll find. There’s a ton of garbage on the sidewalks near my house (I saw a Hennessey bottle strewn on the sidewalk just this morning), so I’m forced to be ridiculously vigilant in making sure she’s not getting into things. Since the nicely maintained streets aren’t very far away, it makes sense to just drive her to them. Of course I’ll still take her outside for the quick potty breaks a few times a day, but I think doing these new routes will be good for both of us. (It might also help with barking).
New Stuff
I just bought Just Dance for the Wii, and I can’t wait to try it this morning (look for a review once I have). I’ve heard great things about it from you guys and from the reviews on Amazon, so I think it will be a fun thing to add to my exercise routine. I pre-ordered the Just Dance 2, as well, and I have a feeling I’ll like that one, too. It has all new songs to groove to, so it will help keep things interesting.
Despite the reported reception/antenna problems with the iPhone 4, I’m going to order one today. I have a iPhone 3G, which is 2 models behind, and I’m ready to upgrade. I can’t wait for the double viewer camera, because it will make taking self-portraits so much easier. I can’t tell you the number of times my sister (or friends) and I have wanted to snap a picture of ourselves, only to take a photo of our chins, or our foreheads, etc. The other really cool feature is the video chatting Facetime that you can do with other iPhone 4 users. There are lots of other cool things about the new iPhone. Plus, I told my sister that I’d give her my old phone, and since she’s been going through some difficult and stressful personal (relationship) issues, I want to do whatever I can to make her life better. She never gets anything for herself because money is tight and whatever extra she has goes to my nieces, so I’m more than happy to give her the old iPhone so that she can have a nicer phone.
Goals For the Week
I wanted to set a few exercise/activity goals for myself this week (Wed-Fri), and I’ll check in on Saturday to see how well I did:
- Do the Just Dance each morning
- Take Lulu on 2 long walks a day
- Wear my Body Bugg each day and log my calories burned online
- Go swimming 1 day
- Go to the gym 1 day
- Take a bike ride 1 day
- Make an appointment to meet with a new personal trainer
Bella on the Beach 