Beauty Pageant
dresser. The chance to spend $20 on a drink for some peroxided bitter girl who'd rather scan the room for richer dudes (I'm not bitter, I have a gf!).
One of the messages in Little Miss Sunshine, if you'd seen it, was that "Everything in life is a fucking beauty pageant -- and fuck beauty pageants!"
And now that I'm back in New York, this isn't just a message on the silver screen.
Enter the joys of apartment hunting in New York. I'm trying to find a reasonable (read: cheap) sublet for 3 months while I look for that perfect job. (Yay me, how many delusions do I have?). But I've forgotten how hard it is to find a decent place in this town.
It's sort of like the dating game. You have to put yourself out to as many people as possible, investing capital (emotional or otherwise) up-front. Oftentimes, you go through a rigorous interview stage. What do you like to do? Are you clean? How compatible are you? Your finances are laid bare, as are any quirks observable by the naked eye.
Oftentimes, a first look (or date) is no guarantee of a longer relationship. In fact, it almost always isn't. There are 9 million people in New York, and they are all looking for apartments and relationships. I actually think they are the same people. I've sent out 50 emails to look at sublets and I've gotten 5 callbacks. Out of those callbacks, 3 are roach motels, one has a weirdo, and one could be a good one (although, the dude is a very weird 45 year old bachelor). Not that I mind that, but he looked at me funny.
And in the end, if you succeed, what do you get? A 10x10 cube for a twin bed and a dresser. The chance to spend $20 on a drink for some peroxided bitter girl who'd rather scan the room for richer dudes (I'm not bitter, I have a gf!). A little gold trophy indicating your status.
So, I am reminded of beauty pageants, and I haven't started my job search yet!
I chalk it up to another hurdle that New Yorkers get initiated into. Except I have done this three times. I suppose I feel that at 27, I ought to be exempt from this crap. On the other hand, I've been too preoccupied with the apartment hunt to notice the other typical New York annoyances... like the people who hog the poles in the subway cars. Hello! Everyone else is holding onto the pole with their fingertips while their groins are pushed up some strange dude's ass... you don't need to wrap your entire body around the thing!
.... and... exhale.
ooo! ooo! come live by me. i'll throw you a welcome party in the hood. haha. also, why are you only looking for a 3 month place?
Posted by: sanguine smile | January 09, 2007 at 10:49 AM
i'm looking for a short-term place cause i need a job before i can sign a lease =)
stupid landlords. i am definitely looking in brooklyn!
Posted by: j.fisher | January 09, 2007 at 05:43 PM
Ahhhhhh, I miss the city. It's just so easy surviving anywhere else, what's the challenge in that?
Posted by: Yuppie Nomad | January 10, 2007 at 07:51 AM