Weekend Rewind: Self-diagnosed Neatnik

I’m such a nerd. I love organizing things. (I should really look into becoming a professional organizer because I’m pretty sure I’d kick ass at it.) I don’t know what got into me yesterday, but I woke up with a ton of energy and decided it was time for some spring cleaning over on Henderson Street. I went through all of my boxes in the storage area and even reorganized the linen and bathroom closets and wiped down the fridge. Booyah!

For some reason, now more than ever, I’m less attached to material things, which is good considering the fact that I’ll probably never rent an apartment with as much storage space as this one has. I think my parents are also appreciating this new attitude as I’m finally getting rid of stuff I’ve kept there for years.

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In the end, I had three boxes for the thrift store, one pile of stuff to sell or giveaway, a huge stack of magazines (gasp!) for recycling and a big o’ bag of trash. There’s still work to do (the pictures aren’t all that impressive, but you should have seen it before…), but it felt good. Really good. Witling down my possessions is a nice distraction from my compulsive Craigslist trolling for apartment listings… July postings, where are you?!

I want that Wednesdays

It hurts to wear shoes with my bum foot, so what can I not stop thinking about? New shoes, of course!

I have to buy new black flats about every six months because I wear them out (could have something to do with this injury, by the way). So would it make sense to “invest” in a pair of expensive flats instead of cheapy ones a couple times a year?

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I have a big, fat crush on Tory Burch and her signature flats. I know I’m flashing back to my middle school mentality when I would have died for a pair of Abercrombie & Fitch jeans. It’s just about that medallion, right?

Well, whatever, I don’t know all that psychological crap behind branding and shopper appeal and what not, but I do know that if I had an extra $200, I’d give Tory a try. It’s hard to resist that smooth leather. My only question would be: gold or silver? (Probably gold to match my Marc, right?)

Ready… set…

You know how I thought the Race to Wrigley went really well? Turns out that might not be the case – appears I’ve suffered a stress fracture in my foot. I don’t know that for sure, but it hurts like hell. I had it X-rayed (by an idiot savant, btw) and all appears normal, but I guess stress fractures don’t show up on X-rays anyway. It’s very mysterious though since I had no symptoms until Thursday night…

So anyway, since I spent most of the past three days observing R.I.C.E. (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) and have nothing fun to report in Weekend Rewind, I’ll pass along an article (good find, Mom!) from the Tribune about about how quickly apartments are being snatched up in Chicago. Hopefully my foot will heal in time for the July listings in case I need to outrun the competition!

Apartment hunting in a tight market

By Sharon Stangenes, Special to Tribune Newspapers

When she returned to Chicago recently after several years absence, Rita Ciolek was surprised by how much renting had changed. Prices for downtown apartments had skyrocketed, incentives like one or two months’ free rent were gone and desirable units disappeared at warp speed.

Most units go within 24 to 48 hours,” said Ciolek, a 37-year-old tax accountant, who lost one apartment because she thought about it for 24 hours…

Click here to continue reading on Tribune.com

Poll: Bright skinny jeans?

I’ve never done a poll on Urban Nesting before, so let’s see how it goes.

Now, unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve noticed that colored denim is catching on like wildfire… in a tallgrass prairie… where it hasn’t rained since 1984…

Anyway, I tried on a pair of turquoise ones yesterday, but I couldn’t get myself to buy them. I’m generally a “classics” kind of girl, and I don’t think they’ll still be cool a year from now. But perhaps I stand alone.

I want that Wednesdays

“I want that Wednesdays” are a series of posts that, well frankly, are just of things (real estate, decor, food, etc.) I like. Egotistical, right? I’m hoping in time it’ll help me define my personal tastes. Let me know if you love it/hate it/can’t get enough of it.

I’ve been sick this week, so I’ve been spending an unusual amount of time in my bedroom. One of the compromises I made when I moved into my current place was bedroom size: It pretty much fits my full bed, and that’s it. But my logic was that if I was living alone, I’d only be in there to sleep anyway… right?

Well, to a point, I still agree with that. But it’s a real pain when you can’t even fit a nightstand with a reading lamp in there. Hopefully when I find my new place, there will be a little bit more space in the sleeping quarters. You know, just something like this:

Kidding, kidding. I mean, this looks ridiculously comfortable, but I’ll need a miracle to have as much space (and high ceilings) as this has – let alone the money to recreate the coziness. I can dream, right? (Get it? Dream? Bedroom? Too much?)

Fashion inspiration: Bohemian preppy?

I stealthily took this pic of Mr. Anonymous here on the brown line. I run into him a couple mornings a week and admire his style. This day it was straw hat, hipster glasses (the only constant), plaid button-up, leather jacket, critter tie (extra points for anchors), a million bracelets, orange capris, red tote and boat shoes. I think he rocks it.

Anyone who knows me knows I would never wear the female version of this – I’m too matchy matchy, oftentimes to a fault – but I can admire from afar. Maybe I’ll ask him to be my friend one day – or just take me shopping!

Weekend Rewind: Race to Wrigley

I ran my first 5K of the season this weekend – ha, I say that as if I’m on a runner’s circuit or something when, in fact, I’m an awful runner. But anyway, the Race to Wrigley went surprisingly well! It could have had something to do with the weather being perfect – not too hot, not too cold and not windy. I’m entertaining the idea of running an 8 or 10K… maybe. We’ll see.

My running partners, Megan and Kim

One and done?

I know I said there aren’t many listings for July yet, but I found a place that’s available June 1 and the landlord would allow a June 15 move-in. The advantage of that would be I could move in over the course of two weekends, instead of just in one day. But it also means I have to pay rent at the old place and a half month’s rent at the new place… Is the convenience of moving days (plural) worth about $400? I’m not so sure.

Though I have to say, I do really like this first place. I’m a sucker for outdoor space, and this place has a balcony and a backyard. Take a look:

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PROS
Outdoor space
Second floor unit
Big bedroom
Walking/biking distance from Lincoln Square, Andersonville, North Center, Wrigleyville and Roscoe Village
Free laundry
Heat and gas included
Wired for cable
Fairly good closet space

CONS
Small kitchen (I’d have to sell my table and chairs.)
.5 miles from the train

OTHER FACTORS
Landlord lives downstairs (A pro and con, in my experience)

The landlord is this sweet older guy named Don. He seemed so genuinely nice. He lives on the first floor, and then there’s two one bedroom apartments upstairs. The application is a credit check, and he waives the $20 fee if he selects you. He said the girl living there now is just moving out because a friend wants to live with her.

I like this place, but I don’t have anything to compare it to yet, so I feel like it’ll get snatched up before I get a chance to seriously consider it.

I want that Wednesdays

Well, now that it’s official (at least to my trusty readers) that I’ll be on the hunt for a new apartment soon, that’s all I want – I can’t think about anything else! But the July 1 leases aren’t posted on Craigslist and rental sites until the beginning of May, so all I can really do right now is put together a list (or three) of what I’m looking for…

Non-Negotiables:
One bedroom (No studios. I just have too much crap.)
Washer/dryer in the building (I am not schlepping my dirty clothes anywhere.)
Not a garden or street-level unit  (My spirit can’t take another break-in.)

Wish List:
Light switches (Living with pull strings makes me want to hang myself with one.)
Second-floor apartment (Not too high, but not too low.)
Hardwood floors (My vacuum sucks – no pun intended.)
Outdoor space of some kind (Yard or balcony, please.)
Regular-size oven and fridge (Not apartment-sized.)
Convenient parking (Preferably street parking without permits.)
Storage space and/or lots of closets (See studio note.)
Separate dining room and/or big kitchen (A home for my dining room table.)
Utilities included (The less bills the better!)

Dream List – in order of ridiculousness:
Pets allowed (That’s a whole different dream…)
Central heat/air (Window units and radiators be damned!)
Garbage disposal (It’s good for the environment.)
1 bedroom + den (I’d like an office/library!)
W/D in unit (So. Nice.)
Walk-in closet (I have a lot of shoes.)
Yard, Balcony and ROOFTOP deck!  (I love being outside.)
Covered garage spot (Global warming may deem this unnecessary.)
1.5 bath (This will never happen.)

So… let the search begin!

Letter of Intent (to Vacate)

Dear Landlady:

I’d like to thank you for the opportunity to squat in your first floor apartment. It’s been quite an experience! But given that my apartment was burglarized, my kitchen sink has been clogged for eight months, your dogs peed on my laundry, I was freezing all winter (in part because you refuse to remove the AC window unit), shingles come off the roof when it’s windy, and the “free cable” is really just broadcast channels plus Lifetime, I have decided to move out when my lease expires July 1.

Best wishes to your future tenants!

Sincerely,
Kelsey