Ladies and Gentlement, Melissa presents....

...her new apartment!

Yesterday was an absolutely insane day, but a great one. 10:00 am was my interview with the second publishing company who wanted to meet with me. The interview was good; I was completely confident (I don't normally get nervous going into interviews), and the VP who I met with was extremely friendly. The job itself sounds interesting, but there are certainly some drawbacks. It's a brand new position that involves taking work from the editors above me, which some of them might be squiffy about. It also doesn't sound like there is enough work in the position to fill a day, and I detest being bored. Lastly, and of considerable importance as I'm young and poor, I'm getting the feeling that the pay is going to be sad. So, I'm going in for a second interview next week (why not, really?) to find out more, but I have a feeling that I'll end up taking the first job. There's no worry about that job getting snapped up by someone else, because they're holding it for me for as long as I need, so I'll make my decision next week.

After the interview, I met the hubby for lunch at the pub near his work, which is in the middle of the financial district and gets so busy at lunch that there's a guest list. I'm serious. Torontonian office people are worthy of their own sociological study. Good shepherd's pie, though. Post-lunch, I went off to my many apartment viewing appointments and started the saga of finding the perfect apartment with a limited budget and only three days until the beginning of the new month.

The first building that I looked at was one that I was really excited about, as it had a lot of advantages -- it's attached via a tunnel to both the shopping centre (and 24-hour grocery store) and the subway, it has a swimming pool and rooftop terrace, and it's close to everything. However, the apartment that I saw was old looking, dirty, and didn't have a balcony or a view. Not a promising start, especially as the rent was on the high end, so off I went to see more. The next two buildings that I looked at were not promising at all --small, dark, smelly, and shabby. Ugh. Yes, I know that I'm looking for housing in Toronto, where most things are old and small, but I'm 25 and not willing to settle for just anything, you know?

After those disappointments, I had a good hour until my next appointment to see another building, so I decided to wander the street around where we wanted to be and call the numbers posted on the lawns to see if anything was available. After a few strike-outs and a tour of a renovation site by someone who resembled The Albino from The Princess Bride, I stumbled upon an open house sign at a large building right next to the Indigo. After a quick call, where I found out that there were two one-bedroom apartments available for October 1st, I ran into the rental office and met Elvira, the nicest rental agent I've ever met.

She led me around the first apartment, on the fourteenth floor, and it was love at first sight. Everything that I wanted in an apartment, it had: shiny wood floors, lots of closet space, fresh paint, new kitchen & bathroom cabinets, a double sink, a DISHWASHER (can you tell that I'm excited?), full-size fridge and stove, clean & shiny bathroom, a HUGE balcony (the full width of the apartment), central air conditioning, connection to the subway via tunnel, use of the pool & terrace in the building that I looked at first, and-- get this-- a view of the lake. Needless to say, I was smitten. The price was right, I had a great gut feeling about it (I'm big on gut feelings, in case you haven't noticed), and I was in.

Elvira took me around the third floor apartment that was also available, but after my dream apartment, it just couldn't compare (old kitchen, view of a concrete wall). So, I we went back to the rental office, and I called the hubby to get his butt on the subway and come see it. I am blessed with a husband-to-be who has complete faith in my decision making and design ability, so he was happy to take my word that this was where we were going to be living and so got his proof of employment and a money order for first and last on his way. Of course, being a busy lawyer-to-be, it took him awhile to come over, and so I had time for a good look around the neighbourhood.

I have to say, being offered my publishing job was a great thing in terms of helping us make a decision on where to live. I never thought about living where I was looking yesterday, but it is so phenomenal! The public library is right across the street from our building, the entrance to the gorgeous Indigo & Starbucks is thirty feet around the corner, the entrance to the movie theatre is about ten feet down from there, and there are hundreds of great shops and restaurants all up and down the main streets of our intersection. The neighbourhood is full of young professionals and yummy mummies (or their nannies-- lots of nannies yesterday), and during my many hours poking around it yesterday, it was continually busy and lively. I'm so happy about where we chose. It's also twenty minutes on the subway for the hubby (and he won't have to step a toe outside to get from our apartment to his office if he doesn't want to), and twenty minutes on the bus or ten-ish on the subway for me, depending on which job I choose.

Once the hubby got up to me from work, he had a good look around the apartment and was equally (although less volubly!) thrilled as I was at my amazing find. From there, it was onto the rental office to fill out the lease application, and we were renters. Our lease begins on Monday, and as my parents are on vacation this week, we'll be able to gradually move in between now and Thanksgiving.

The picture above is a view of our corner. The tall-ish red and white building is where the library is, and our building is the L sort of shaped one right in the middle. Our apartment is on the west side of the building (toward the right hand side of the picture), and on the south facing side, which you can't see. The tall building behind ours is an office tower above the shopping centre, and you can see the shops & things lining the street. Our building is not the most beautiful on the outside (come on, it is Toronto that we're talking about), but I can't think of anything that's wrong with it, and I am so excited to move in. It's time to start out lives as grown ups, and this week seems to be it. Yahoo!

After our crazy day, the hubby and I were completely knackered and ready to pass out. We were both in a kind of daze, and we're just coming out of it now. And in our world, what does a major emotional recovery require? Japanese comfort food! So it was off to Sushi Club on Charles St., my favourite cheap Japanese place. After an order of gyoza, some tempura udon, a bowl of katsu don, and copious amounts of tea later, we were both feeling much more human, but still exhausted. Sadly, this meant missing out on Purple Mango's concert, which we were much looking forward to, but we knew that she would understand. We'll have to make her something ridiculously chocolately when we invite her over to see our new place to make up for it. I had just enough energy to schlep my butt over to the Go station and get on a bus home, and that was that.

So, nutty day, but hugely productive and very exciting. Can't wait to have a housewarming party so all of you can check out our new abode! Now, on to deciding 100% which job I want and actually beginning work. Oh, that and buying furniture.