Anxiety

So this is turning out to be a very interesting autumn - an interesting year if we count graduating from school, and buying an apartment. These are no small changes.

I'm up for a job that I can't stop thinking about. I've had four, perhaps five interviews, soup to nuts - the first guy, the hiring guy, the owner, some guy in Germany checking my language skills. It is exactly the kid of job that I want. I should know by next week whether I've got it. I'm trying hard not to worry about it, think about it too much. But I do.

I've had other interviews. I've met people at work. My company is splitting in two and there is a great deal of uncertainty. I'm looking for opportunities all over.

I went to Disneyworld, had a family vacation. THAT was awesome. I have a niece and nephew, the perfect ages, 8 and 13 respectively. I spent time with my brother and his wife. We all went swimming and snorkeling together. It was a great holiday.

A friend of mine died, in roughly the same period. SHe was diagnosed about a month before I closed on my home. She passed away just a few weeks after holiday, in the midst of interviews.

So yeah, big year. The wheel keeps turning.

Home

It's official: I am now a homeowner. I own a co-op apartment in Washington Heights, Manhattan, New York City.

The NYT wrote up a decent article a couple of years ago (you may be prompted to login to get past their toll-gate paywall). If you look at the slideshow, the photo of the A train stop at 181st is near where I live.

I live in the area referred to in the article as Hudson Heights; it's basically where middle-class white people live, as opposed t the rest of Washington Heights, which is still mostly working-class Hispanic. Because I like the idea of living in or near a culture not my own. I prefer Washington Heights, and expect to make some forays into the neighborhood east of Broadway.

I like my building. It doesn't look like much from the outside. It's near the GWB, which is odd. However, I overlook an interior courtyard, so it's quiet, and I can step out of the building easily to a beautiful view of the Hudson river.

It's 500sf, a small 1 BR with a narrow living room and a galley kitchen. Pictures soon, promise.

My plan is to fix up the baseboards, paint, and move in by the end of the month.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/18/realestate/18livi.html