Elizabeth (the delinquent, ecumenical) (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
hermionesviolin) wrote2006-02-11 11:40 pm
hermionesviolin) wrote2006-02-11 11:40 pm
"So I am going down to nowhere / It is steeped in history."
Killing time before today's apartment showings I checked out Ann Taylor Loft 'cause I've been wearing the same like eight shirts to work. I actually found some stuff I liked (and their color theme seems to be beige, sky blue, and dark bluegreen, of which I mightily approve). Going to pay I realized I had left my debit card on my desk (I never do this, but I had been doing online bank stuff). The woman kindly said she'd hold the stuff through Monday (in case of blizzard -- I'll believe that one when I see it; note to self: they close at 7). In retrospect, I'm glad to not have had to carry around a bag of clothes all day anyhow. That and tripping going up the Government Center stairs (tripping on my coat maybe? I don't know) were my only incompetencies today, though, which was pleasing -- especially given my recent track record. I even correctly instincted which way I was supposed to go a couple times and was actually capable at reading my maps.
I took the Green Line out to Allston and when I got on at Park some crazy (but not in a bad way) girls asked me if this train went to Newbury Street. I was a bit thrown 'cause all the Green Lines go to Copley but hey, Boston's subway system is totally nonintuitive, so I said yeah and told them they wanted to get off at Copley (and I could even point them to a wall map as we pulled in). I got two free Jelly Bellys for my trouble, too :)
The most forward of the girls kept not holding on to anything and thus being thrown around my the movements of the train, so when some people got off and their seats were thus available she promptly plunked down. She then tried to strike up conversation with the guy sitting behind her.
Her: "Do you go to BC?" ["The destination of this train is..."]
Guy: [shakes head]
Her: "Harvard?" [where they had come from]
Guy: [shakes head]
Her: "Are you in college?"
Guy: [shakes head]
'Twas amusing.
Killing time in between apartments one of the places I ended up in was a used bookstore that made Puddingstone look positively uncrowded. They were playing something like techno music, though, so I didn't stay all that long.
Anyway, the studios.
First was 56 Brighton Ave. Basement level studio apartment. Coin-op washers exactly the same as we had at Smith -- also in the basement, so right near the apartment I'd be living in. Decent sized bedroom. Closet. Bathroom. Kitchen nook -- including a microwave left by the previous tenant :) Dumpster outside and recycling (blue containers just like Smith) in basement. Heat and hot water included in the $850/mo. Electricity estimated at $30/mo. Supposedly something like 15 degrees cooler in the summer 'cause it's basement level. Quiet couple lives directly above. I get a good vibe from the property manager.
Next was 38 Linden St. On the outside it looks like a nice two family house, lots of wood, big lawn. It's actually broken up into lots of studios inside, though. The open one is on the second floor. It comes furnished -- or not, if you want, but it was furnished when I saw it -- nice rug, low bed that would fit two, some sundries, a sink/cabinet/small fridge conglomeration with a microwave on top of it. No stove. You could purchase a hot plate if you wished. Utilities included in the $800/mo. The laundry options are the nearby laundromats. Tiny bathroom. Closet. Have I mentioned how I suspect the bedroom was smaller than my room at Smith? It's very much for students, so I guess they all have laptops and dump their books in a corner and just don't have many clothes. Or something. I could fit a desk in there or a bookcase or a dresser -- though with a single bed I could maybe fit a bookcase and one other item of furniture. And I could fit like one friend. I mean, okay, I'm attached to the idea of an apartment-warming party but dude, I had more socializing space in my Smith room. The guy showing me the place seemed in a rush, but he did ask if I was a realty agent, which made me who is always taken for younger than her age happy.
Intellectually I know I'm not gonna have something like Layna's apartment, but I was thinking of studio as meaning a bedroom larger than the one I have at my parents' house plus a bathroom and kitchen(ette), but this tiny (combined with the fact that I would still be paying good money for it) was, I hesitate to say "depressing" but . . . sobering.
Suddenly the Kendall 1 bedroom looks amazing. And it makes me seriously reconsider my no-roommate stance. I'm willing to pay extra money to not have to worry about clashing with roommates, having to find a new one when somebody moves out, etc., but to pay this much money for basically a roof over my head? (I'll be out at work or wherever a lot, but I do want a place to live.) Takes a lot of the enthusiasm out of the search. Anyone within commuting distance to Harvard looking for a roommate? (Or know anyone who is?)
Coming home we hit Copley at 3:15 and I knew I couldn't get to South Station by 3:20, so proving I am learning I got out and walked to Back Bay to catch it at 3:25.
Oh, forgot to mention from last night. One of the commercials I saw during the Olympic coverage was: Gunn plays a NY ADA! (Conviction. And IMDb reminds me that Eric Balfour played Jesse.) I heard an "all will be well" refrain playing during bits of the commercial and thought of my mom and![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
sk8eeyore and tried to discern if it was the hymn I remember from First Churches Daffodil Sunday. Today I learned it's an original song by The Gabe Dixon Band [lyrics here] and there's even a full ad/music video (which I don't think is what I saw on tv, but maybe I just wasn't paying much attention).
I saw a snippet of the figure skating pairs program tonight and wow, the new scoring system. I'm surprised nbc.com doesn't have some sort of explanation on their website (I assume the opening of the televised program had some sort of explanation). I Googled and found explanations here and here; the most succinct explanation [from my limited searching] comes from here:
I took the Green Line out to Allston and when I got on at Park some crazy (but not in a bad way) girls asked me if this train went to Newbury Street. I was a bit thrown 'cause all the Green Lines go to Copley but hey, Boston's subway system is totally nonintuitive, so I said yeah and told them they wanted to get off at Copley (and I could even point them to a wall map as we pulled in). I got two free Jelly Bellys for my trouble, too :)
The most forward of the girls kept not holding on to anything and thus being thrown around my the movements of the train, so when some people got off and their seats were thus available she promptly plunked down. She then tried to strike up conversation with the guy sitting behind her.
Her: "Do you go to BC?" ["The destination of this train is..."]
Guy: [shakes head]
Her: "Harvard?" [where they had come from]
Guy: [shakes head]
Her: "Are you in college?"
Guy: [shakes head]
'Twas amusing.
Killing time in between apartments one of the places I ended up in was a used bookstore that made Puddingstone look positively uncrowded. They were playing something like techno music, though, so I didn't stay all that long.
Anyway, the studios.
First was 56 Brighton Ave. Basement level studio apartment. Coin-op washers exactly the same as we had at Smith -- also in the basement, so right near the apartment I'd be living in. Decent sized bedroom. Closet. Bathroom. Kitchen nook -- including a microwave left by the previous tenant :) Dumpster outside and recycling (blue containers just like Smith) in basement. Heat and hot water included in the $850/mo. Electricity estimated at $30/mo. Supposedly something like 15 degrees cooler in the summer 'cause it's basement level. Quiet couple lives directly above. I get a good vibe from the property manager.
Next was 38 Linden St. On the outside it looks like a nice two family house, lots of wood, big lawn. It's actually broken up into lots of studios inside, though. The open one is on the second floor. It comes furnished -- or not, if you want, but it was furnished when I saw it -- nice rug, low bed that would fit two, some sundries, a sink/cabinet/small fridge conglomeration with a microwave on top of it. No stove. You could purchase a hot plate if you wished. Utilities included in the $800/mo. The laundry options are the nearby laundromats. Tiny bathroom. Closet. Have I mentioned how I suspect the bedroom was smaller than my room at Smith? It's very much for students, so I guess they all have laptops and dump their books in a corner and just don't have many clothes. Or something. I could fit a desk in there or a bookcase or a dresser -- though with a single bed I could maybe fit a bookcase and one other item of furniture. And I could fit like one friend. I mean, okay, I'm attached to the idea of an apartment-warming party but dude, I had more socializing space in my Smith room. The guy showing me the place seemed in a rush, but he did ask if I was a realty agent, which made me who is always taken for younger than her age happy.
Intellectually I know I'm not gonna have something like Layna's apartment, but I was thinking of studio as meaning a bedroom larger than the one I have at my parents' house plus a bathroom and kitchen(ette), but this tiny (combined with the fact that I would still be paying good money for it) was, I hesitate to say "depressing" but . . . sobering.
Suddenly the Kendall 1 bedroom looks amazing. And it makes me seriously reconsider my no-roommate stance. I'm willing to pay extra money to not have to worry about clashing with roommates, having to find a new one when somebody moves out, etc., but to pay this much money for basically a roof over my head? (I'll be out at work or wherever a lot, but I do want a place to live.) Takes a lot of the enthusiasm out of the search. Anyone within commuting distance to Harvard looking for a roommate? (Or know anyone who is?)
Coming home we hit Copley at 3:15 and I knew I couldn't get to South Station by 3:20, so proving I am learning I got out and walked to Back Bay to catch it at 3:25.
Oh, forgot to mention from last night. One of the commercials I saw during the Olympic coverage was: Gunn plays a NY ADA! (Conviction. And IMDb reminds me that Eric Balfour played Jesse.) I heard an "all will be well" refrain playing during bits of the commercial and thought of my mom and
sk8eeyore and tried to discern if it was the hymn I remember from First Churches Daffodil Sunday. Today I learned it's an original song by The Gabe Dixon Band [lyrics here] and there's even a full ad/music video (which I don't think is what I saw on tv, but maybe I just wasn't paying much attention).I saw a snippet of the figure skating pairs program tonight and wow, the new scoring system. I'm surprised nbc.com doesn't have some sort of explanation on their website (I assume the opening of the televised program had some sort of explanation). I Googled and found explanations here and here; the most succinct explanation [from my limited searching] comes from here:
Gone is the traditional 6.0 scoring system we grew up with. In its place is a complex, multi-faceted scheme that essentially transforms art into science — or worse yet, mathematics.
Skaters start at zero and accumulate points, based on the difficulty and presentation of their routines. A technical panel identifies each of the executed “elements,” all of which have predetermined and standardized numerical value. A judging panel then evaluates how those elements were performed and assigns a “grade of execution,” using a scale from minus-3 (worst) to plus-3 (best).
The judges also evaluate the five components of the overall program — skating skills, transitions, execution, choreography and interpretation — and award marks from 0.25 to 10.00.
And all of this transpires while the skater is performing.