Seriously, January is second only to March as the worst month of the year.
First of all, you've got the Christmas hangover.
The Christmas hangover was more severe this year than usual. Christmastime makes the darkness of fall somehow romantic & cozy. Like an optimistic tease that winter is a glorious time of soups, blankets, candles & red wine. Yeah, we're all feeling fine about it until suddenly its January. JUST KIDDING SUCKAS, the honeymoon is over! Taking down the piney-delight of the Christmas tree, taking down the Christmas lights (yes, I did this year)...putting away all the adorable pictures of my friends' Christmas cards. What's left? A pile of dry needles that refuse to be vacuumed, my harsh overhead lights & the smell of the trash once again reminds me that I'm too lazy to carry the trash down three flights of stairs. That's winter romance if I ever heard it.
And this year, Christmas was the horribly fast & inconvenient kind. Not at ALL the way Christmas should be. I like to start thinking about Christmas the beginning of November - start planning all the homemade gifts I'd like to make, the parties I'd like to throw, the coordinating of family & events over a nice 4 week period. This year my Christmas preparation was limited to a frenzied Saturday at Target & Amazon prime 2-day shipping. Ew. So American. So void of joy. I couldn't even find my copy of Holiday Inn to watch while wrapping. It was like a big Christmas fail. I didn't go to a single Christmas party. I sent my Christmas cards out with Kwanzaa stamps because that's all the Vallejo post office had. And there are palm trees here.
I wanna go home.
My commute is squarely to blame for this total lack of anything other than work in my life. But, as much as I hate January, this January is the best ever because in a couple short weeks, my commute will be ending & I'll be moving to the city. HELL. YES.
The apartment search is in full swing. I have never experienced such a total lack of discretion in selecting a dwelling. I seriously don't care about the place, at all. I don't care about the neighborhood, I don't care about the "amenities" (though, power & hot water would be good). I just want to be there. I want to cook dinner again, exercise again, give my ears a rest from 4.5 hours a day of podcasts.
Can I tell you what a feeding freezy the apartment hunt is in SF? Oh my. I email someone after a CL post from THIS MORNING & the apartment's already rented. And they're all available today. Right now. Not 2 weeks from now, not February 1. Because they go so fast, landlords don't post the apartments when notice is given, they post the apartment the day the tenants move out. So, here's my competition - people who are in line & ready for the next available apartment - armed with their credit report, last 2 pay stubs, background check cash, completed application with past rental history & $3,000 damage deposit in cash. I'm getting the impression these people don't even view the apartment. How can I compete with this sort of organized competition?
Perhaps they think the photos from craigslist are enough? Here are a few. Homey.
This unit has power. Ok, good to know. (left)
This unit has a "kitchenette" - fridge only. Ok. (right)
WTF is this picture supposed to show?? (left)
This unit's creative wiring recommends "renters insurance". (right)
I can't wait to make one of these little rankies home.
The number of life upgrades that will accompany this move are too numerous to count. I can only hope that our time in Vallejo hasn't created bad habits we're unable to kick. For example, this week I was rummaging through the fridge after work when I heard Jake go out the back slider onto our second story deck. Interesting, what is he doing out there? I poked my head around the corner to make out his shadowy form holding something heavy over the railing. What are you doing? I ask...just as something crashes to the ground in the empty lot behind our classy Vallejo apartment building. Uh...he says sheepishly. Getting rid of our Christmas tree. Wow. We're those people. Hopefully when we take the girl out of Vallejo, we'll also take the Vallejo out of the girl. Too optimistic?
Happy January. Emphasis on the Happy.
