Sweet Success

Today was a good day...

It was a good day in clinic.  I got to do a lot of steroid injections today, which made the day go by quickly.  It wasn't a hectic day...a nice, steady pace.  It started out a little rocky since I woke up 1.5 hours late.  I jumped up at 7:57 and was at work on time by 8:15.  I barely, barely made it, and I had to take a cab to work.  Phew!

Then I found an apartment.  Yes, that's right.  I found an apartment.  The anxiety level in regard to the apartment search has been very high lately.  I just wanted to get it over with.  I held off on the big apartment because it was 5th floor, and I didn't like how far it was from the subway.  I was hoping it would stay available until after August 1st so I could negotiate an August 15 move-in and save some money. I thought that might help me make a final decision.  I soon found out that it went off the market over the weekend, and I lost my chance.  I started looking online again, and I was getting a little discouraged because every apartment I saw just didn't have the space and wasn't as nice.  I began to feel like I really made a mistake, and remorse was setting in.  However, the same broker that helped me with the big apartment said he had a railroad style apartment, same size, one block up.  That meant it's one block closer to the hospital and one block closer to the subway.  It is also on the second floor rather than the fifth. To put it in perspective, it is just a tiny bit farther to the subway than what I walk every morning to my bus stop.  It is half the distance to the subway from that apartment than from where I am currently living.

So I went to look at it over my lunch break and was very happy.  It was the same lay out as the other one.  However, it has more closet space, more storage, a bigger bathroom, a bigger living room (another one of my concerns), and the same size kitchen.  Granted, the appliances aren't brand new, but the oven/stove is full size and has knobs with the temp on it (yay!).  It also has...drum roll please...a dishwasher.  With the kitchen being as large as it is, I can easily fit in a ventless washer/dryer combo, and I checked the outlets to make sure they are three-prong so that the washer/dryer is a possibility.  Overall, I would say that it's not as updated as the other apartment, but given that it resolves the issues that concerned me and is the same size, I am happy.  The broker also said that the landlord is his best landlord and that this fact is definitely a much overlooked asset.  This apartment is, unfortunately, going to cost me a little more, but I think it's worth it in the long run.  I see it as a place I can stay put for the next three years if it all works out.  What's even better is that I have plenty of space for people to stay when they come to visit! Yay! So it will certainly save my guests some money.  Now to find some furniture.  Luckily, a Target opened just 10 blocks up in East Harlem on Sunday.  This thing was a huge deal!  It's the first Target in Manhattan, is 150,000 sq ft, has it's own Harlem-inspired clothes line, and has been in the making for 13 years.  They had a red carpet opening last Tuesday (I'm not kidding) that brought in celebrities as famous as Jerry Seinfeld and model Tyson Beckford (why the heck didn't I go?!?). 

Anyone know a quick way to make some cash?? This apartment is going to stretch my budget, but after looking around, I think it's a good value.  I had a hard time finding decent 1 bedrooms or even studios for the price I'm paying.  I will just have to learn how to manage my money very frugally.  Think I can do it?  Any tips from those of you who are smart with money?

And to top it all off, my haircut was a success! Thank goodness since it's going to have to last me a while.  My budget just won't allow frequent haircuts.  I went to a salon called Alice Hair salon, and it was adorable.  All the girls that work there are Irish or from Northern Ireland and have those Irish accents that I love.  They certainly all looked Irish as well (if you've been to Ireland then you know what I'm talking about). I was a little apprehensive since the salon had fantastic reviews AND horrible reviews on Yelp.  It could go either way, although overall it was rated 4 out of 5 stars. My stylist's name was Emma, and she finished every sentence with "my darling."  She was actually from Northern Ireland, and I had a nice time chit-chatting with her about my travels to her side of the pond.  I sat down in her chair, and she immediately asked me what I wanted.  Half the time, I didn't even have to tell her.  She just kind of guessed.  She perfectly estimated the length I wanted cut off.  She wanted to know if I wanted her to add more movement and make it more voluminous.  She knew exactly how I wanted my layers.  I am very happy with my cut, and it wasn't near as expensive as I thought it would be.  It was washed, cut, and blown dry in 45 minutes or less.  Overall, it was a lovely experience.

That's Emma with the red hair in the background.  Her hair is actually blonde now.

So there ya go...successful day.  Work, apartment, haircut.  Check, check, check.  And if it wasn't enough, someone told me I look like I've lost weight.  Awesome, awesome, awesome.