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July 15th, 2005
 | 11:19 am - New place
OK, it was attempted as a joke, and when no one laughed, I got distracted.
The challenges in finding a place to live were daunting. I wanted to find someplace:
Month-to-month
Low moving requirements (so I can stick all my life in storage)
Reasonably cheap
Relatively close to campus
Interesting area
With  corvisdog
Naturally, the hard part was the last one. There seem to be an increasing number of dog friendly options -- and Corv having his CGC makes that pitch easier. However, most places that would rent to a dog owner want to establish a relationship -- ie, an annual lease. If I wanted to sign a lease, I would have renewed my present place.
I related the story of finding Negley because a very similar pattern happened again this time. I was getting very nervous about where I was going to live -- to the point where I had priced out what it would cost to spend the gap between being out of Negley and my trip to Costa Rica in something like a Motel6 (surprisingly reasonable). I think I was summarizing that to someone when I once again decided to load up craigslist. It had been a nervous habit for days, but I had not done so all day.
There was a post that fit what I was looking for. So I sent an email. And then I read it again, and noticed that: a. they had posted it less than 15 minutes prior, and b. they had said to call. So I called. I think it startled the poster, but that is the general speed of craigslist, now even in Pittsburgh. Appointment made the next day. Corvis and I went down and convinced them on the spot to rent to me, despite having several more appointments later that afternoon. Forgot my check, however, so I didn't secure it until the day after.
My new place to sleep is in Munhall. Munhall? It is just the other side of Homestead. A quiet little sidewalk community. Not so far from campus.
There are some interesting features of this place:
Reasonably cheap, single furnished bedroom
Lovely Tudor house, being actively renovated
A couple of blocks from a big cemetary (drive through to get there); yards with tie-outs in front and back, and an enclosed porch.
Housemates: the owner, her boyfriend, and another woman who hasn't moved in yet.
Animals: A large Golden Retriever named Ringo. A small declawed black cat. Perhaps another cat and ferrets.
The boyfriend is a T-Mobile rep who has already equipped the house with cable, cable modem, and a wireless network. My cost of living drops significantly in this arrangment (less than half of my previous rent, plus only 25% of comparable utilities). And I get to conduct useful experiments on myself and the Corv:
Roommates.
I have lived alone for 3 years, with the exception of almost a month each with macbastard and reticello, and a period of time with ommkarja. Prior to that, I spent two years living with zkhan, which was pretty close to living alone. Prior to that, two years living in the dorms with zkhan as a roommate. And before that, living at home. Summers were spent either alone or at home.
Dog mates.
In the almost three years that I have lived with Corvis, he has spent one-or-more nights with Thunder, Katy, and with Katy in daycare. Corvis has changed quite a bit since then, but neither of those links trigger happy-dog-memories. And yet, I persist. I think having a dog around might be good for him, if it is the right now. And Ringo may be -- socialized, large, submissive.
Stuff.
I have accumulated a lot of stuff over the years. And it bothers me. I am moving into a situation where I intend to introduce a "Car Load or less" of my stuff into my living environment. The rest is being given away, thrown away, or put into storage.
My hypothesis is that both will be more stressful that I am presently accounting for, but that it will work out. Corvis and I will understand better how flexible we can be. I am going to start living there sometime next week (after I get back from Boston). If you live in the Pittsburgh area and are interested in stuff (books, furniture, alcohol), send me an email or give me a call and we can figure out a time to show you what I have that you might want. I'm feeling pretty generous. I've already sold the majority of my CD library as a fundraiser for Tracy.
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