About a week into December, I went out to put in my one-month notice on my studio apartment. I checked to see if the apartment management company had any one-bedroom rentals available. They did have one place that was just a few blocks away that was only $50 more a month ($435). It would be available January 1st. When I was filling out the application for the new apartment, two people came in. As I mentioned before, one of them was a teenager who was about to move out of St. Vincent de Paul because he was turning 18 and needed a place in January. The property manager told them that my place would be available soon. This meant I didn't need to pay a week's rent on my current apartment because someone would be moving in. We would all benefit from this. I took it as a good sign.
So, this was going to be the humble abode that Kelz and I would start our lives in. It was a one-bedroom/one-bathroom apartment. It had a living room that was larger than my entire apartment. And the bedroom was also rather large. I felt like I was moving up.
It had what I call a "smart" bathroom. You had the bathtub and toilet in one room and the sink and mirror in a separate room immediately outside. I've always liked motels that have that layout because you can have one person doing their business in one room while everyone else can brush their teeth and fix their hair in the other. It's very efficient when everyone needs to be on their way. If you have one person hogging up all the amenities, everyone has to sit and wait outside before they can finish up. This was going to be great for a co-ed couple living together.
In addition, there was a sliding door that could separate the sink and mirror area from the living room, so you could have privacy in there. I've only ever come across this set up in one other apartment, and it wasn't one I lived in.
There were ten units in the building. A few were two-bedroom apartments. Until it got close to the time I had to leave, I really didn't get to know the neighbors very much. Everyone kind of kept to themselves. It was a relatively quiet place.
It was almost a full block away from El Cajon Blvd. There were several fast-food places and other restaurants within walking distance.
The stupid thing is that I don't remember how I moved from my old apartment to this one. I don't think I rented a U-Haul and I'm pretty certain it was possible to put various pieces of furniture into the Toyota Celica hatchback and transport them one at a time. I don't recall if anyone helped me, but I know I would have needed help moving my dresser. At any rate, I do recall moving stuff out of this apartment. (That is a story for another time.)
I wound up living at this apartment for about a year and a half. It was likely the longest I'd ever spent in one apartment in San Diego the 11 years I was there. It was a tough apartment to give up, but things happen and you have to move on. But this apartment probably had the most interesting things happen inside. Some good and some bad.
Those will be the topics of later posts.
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