Devil's Lake

As a family, with my brother included and our friends, we've made our way to Devil's Lake, to celebrate both moving and the extremely nice weather in August. Celebrate while you can and worry about the rest later.

The water was crystal, pristine and warm. Jumping off our rock has to be S's favorite thing, well, maybe besides eating the grilled meat.We are thorough omnivores and nothing gets between us and our meat. This isn't always good, but it's better than none at all as I always say.

A time to take back and be out there in the world, is all I can ask.

Quisling Terrace

Our apartment being demolished and all, every last one of the tenants has to move out by August 15th. It's great if you had originally planned to move out in August and had done your research according to the lease signing dateline that we have in Madison, WI. However, if you were planning to live another year in the current apartment you have been leasing, tough luck, you're officially screwed. So we begun our research into the apartment hunting for our upcoming and pending doom and gloom. Our initial research was less than satisfactory. It was bizarre and disappointing to say the least.

Then we came across Quisling Terrace, a place for low income families, though only in the name. And while we were happy and excited until we were stone walled. The application process is incredibly insane, detail oriented, evidence proof based, and bureaucratically slow. It's almost not worth it.

Update on Moving

We've seen loads of apartments online, we've contacted tens of landlords, office managers and seen a dozen of apartments. It's frustrating and demeaning. Places that are cheap are in horrible condition. They truly don't care. Everybody has to live somewhere right? Or the decent places are inexcusably expensive.How do they think they can get away with this is a ridiculous question--because they do get away with it.

We have turned in our applications to a few places and are waiting to hear back from them. I am hoping for the best. I would love to know if we're moving out anywhere at all in August. The time window is closing and there are less and less apartments everyday.

Apartment Research

Well, the research for our next apartment is on its way. It has officially begun and we've started with an intense online campaign. It looks like we're incredibly unfortunate, because there just doesn't seem to be so many options left. Everything is either very beautiful, very detailed, with no utilities included except water (which is required by law) and extremely expensive. Do they get that this is Madison and heat is something mere students on a T.A. salary just cannot afford? I guess I just answered my question. A) They simply don't care. B) People make a way of paying their utilities C) Their target audience are not mere students. After all, not everyone who lives in downtown is a student.

Not very promising today. Maybe, we'll have better luck tomorrow.

Feeling Stifled.

It's a little discouraging to have to be moving out, not because of the choice we made. In fact, that's quite the contrary. We had decided that it was better if we just stayed here for now, we'd spare us the expense required of moving; deposits, first month's rent, u-haul, pizza for helpers, new furniture or things needed with a new apartment that you didn't need in your previous apartment. With the wedding coming up, and me not working and being severely desperate, it's better if we just lived within our own means. Besides, do you know of the renting fares in downtown Madison? It's outrageous. They're tiny, crumbling, crappy apartments that charge you 850 a month, simply because they know that some of the students will make it, because they prefer the convenience of living in downtown, where there is a bus ever five minutes, everything, including the grocery, classes and bars are within walking distance. So, even if you don't rent it, somebody else will.

Scheming landlords.

So, this upcoming August, with everyone else we'll be homeless for a night on August until we can take over the keys for our new apartment. Usually, I would love looking at new apartments, but I am just not in the mood.It feels like too much work, though I guess we can't move on, until we get this over with.

All of this hassle, because our landlord decided that breaking down this apartment complex will bring him in a bigger, better and faster cash flow. Erecting new, modern building is the dream many citizens have. But I like Madison as it is. With it's old buildings, the charming rustic designs that makes you feel apart of the city. Madison always gave me a feeling of stability, understanding and order in this chaotic feeling. Now, one more building is going to be demolished and one more mid rise in the city, as if we actually needed that.