Apartment Living Sucks

My apartment complex obviously seems to have rules, but I don't think many people that live here follow them.  When I moved in I was told there were no dogs allowed and that there was a limit to how many people could live in a unit.  I was told that in the one bedroom apartment, the maximum number of people that was allowed was 3 (two adults and a baby, up until the baby was around 1).  There is a family that lives behind me in a one bedroom that looks to me like there are six people living there.  There are 4 adults- what I assume to be grandparents, parents and then two teenagers.  My place is not that big, so I'm not sure how they are managing, but they don't bother me.  In fact, I barely know they are there.

Then there are the people who live in the building behind me.  The building behind me is two bedroom apartments and I'm sure they have similar maximum occupancy rules (I assume 4- two parents and two children) but there seems to be a lot more living there and they have created quite an eyesore for me to look out my kitchen window.  They have lawn chairs set up everywhere, motorcycles in the yard and have even stolen the community picnic table for their own use.  And then there are the children.  The is quite a bit of lawn space right outside their patio door but for some reason the kids are always right by my front door, playing in the parking lot and screaming.  Some of these kids are quite young and yet I don't see the parents anywhere and I am afraid they will either get hit by a car or that they will damage my car in some way.  They are running around playing war games and the rocks that line my outside space are always in the road.  I'm afraid they are throwing these rocks and if one hits my car, there will be hell to pay.  

There is also a no dog policy, yet I just saw them chasing around their runaway dog, while "Dad" was driving his motorcycle around the lawn.  What really gets me is that the apartment manager lives two doors down from them and the lease prohibits anything being left outside that is not on their own patio.

I get that management is probably struggling to keep people in the development so maybe they are making some concessions, but you can't enforce the rules for some without enforcing it for others.  It makes the development look crappier than it already is and for the people that follow the rules, it will definitely not entice them to continue living here.  I do not want to have to go through moving all over again, but there are a lot of things about this place that is considered a deal breaker for me, and looking out my window and seeing a trashy-looking atmosphere is definitely one of them.  Not to mention the super thin walls and floors.

Anyone have a one bedroom bungalow I can rent?  Somewhere in the middle of nowhere so I don't have to deal with anyone?

Reading Rainbow

I don't know if anyone has read The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo series, but I have, and although I have finished all three books, it wasn't without a lot of effort.  I had The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by my bed for about 6 months before I even got the nerve up to start it.  I took it with me three times down to North Carolina and my mom made fun of me each time for not finishing it.  Finish it?  I hadn't even started!  I finally did start on the third trip down towards the end of July.  I just finished it last weekend.

For anyone who has ever read Stieg Larsson knows how difficult it is to get through these books.  I find that a lot of characters have similar names (that are in fact Swedish) making it difficult for me to differentiate between who is who.  He also has so many characters and uses nicknames for some, so I rarely know who any of the non-dominant characters are.  Additionally, he writes a lot of smaller plot lines that could be left out of the book.  When I first started reading The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo I was paying close attention to the beginning, only to find out it really had nothing to do with the main plot line.  The same could be said of a lot of the information in The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest.  He could be a fine proponent of "Less is more."  

I have become invested in Lisbeth and Blomkvist and unfortunately Stieg Larsson passed away so there seems there will never be a conclusion to their twisted lives.  I have read that Larsson's girlfriend has the workings of a fourth book, but his family will not relinquish the rights to her in order for her to complete the work.  It is a shame that we won't get to see how it wrapped up, but I don't feel like someone else completing another's work will produce the conclusion many people are looking for.

It takes a lot of dedication for me to read these books.  They are not the quick, light reads I am used to.  In fact after completing The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, I began to read The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks.  That book was a breeze!  I read that in only a couple of days.  It was easy, yet entertaining.  I like the way that he, as well as another one of my favorite authors Jodi Piccoult, writes from different characters perspectives.  Each chapter represents a different character, but it conveys the story fluidly and allows you to really connect with the characters.  In typical Nicholas Sparks fashion, it was sad, but ended on a high note.

I could probably read 25 Nicholas Sparks, Jodi Piccoult or Emily Giffen books in place of one of Stieg Larsson's.  I do think he is a talented writer, but like I said I get confused too easily.  I'm sure others have a different opinion, but I'll stick to my light, airy, girly books :-)

Never Forget

I remember waking up that day and just like every other day, I checked my email.  I had an email from a friend who lived in the city saying that she was safe and okay.  I didn't understand it at the time, but I was going to be late for class so I got myself ready and headed off to class.

Everything seemed pretty normal that morning, but it was far from it.  I walked towards the back of the classroom toward my roommate Adrienne, and my professor had the news on the projector screen.  That was when I realized what that email had meant.  The news showed utter destruction in a city less than 60 miles from my home, as well as in Washington, DC where a lot of my classmates were from.  Not only that, but the previous night a bunch of my friends and I were hanging out with some people who were flying back to Scotland that very morning.  Adrienne and I had told our professor about our Scottish friends and she let us and the rest of the class leave.  I can remember walking through the parking lot trying to call my mom, but all the circuits were busy and it was almost impossible to get a call through.  I was worried about my parents, my sister, and most of all my grandmother, aunt and uncle and cousins who lived just over the George Washington Bridge on the Jersey side.  I had known that my aunt had often taken Joseph and Hailee into the city because of modeling gigs and I was hoping that today was not one of those days.  Thank God everyone was safe, but since my uncle worked for the town of Edgewater (right across the river from NYC) he had been called in to assist at Ground Zero.

I heard amazing stories of how people had narrowly missed their train into the city, or decided to call in sick that day, and therefore avoided such devastation.  It's funny how some people thought missing the train into the city was the worst thing that could happen that day, but it ended up being the best thing that had happened.

I can't remember much about the days that followed.  I can't remember how long classes had been cancelled for, but I do remember going home and being with my family.  I'm pretty sure the majority of the campus did the same.

I hold a special place in my heart for the people who ran into the city and Pentagon while everyone else was running out.  I also hold a special place in my heart for all the service men and women who continue to protect and serve our country.

I walked past the Freedom Tower a couple of weeks ago while in the city.  It's a chilling experience and I can't wait until I get a chance to go to the 9/11 Memorial.

Kids Say the Darndest Things

Whenever I see the kids they make me laugh.  Whether it is with their silly jokes, their silly faces or just plain old childhood wisdom.  I wish I had kept a running journal of the funniest things that have spewed out of their mouths because it is truly unbelievable sometimes.

My favorite line of Marisah's was when she was about four years old.  She was putting her arms up for me to pick her up and they just happen to rest on my boobs.  She patted them for a little bit and then asked me "What are these?"  I told her that they were my breasts and her response was "Are mine going to be that big when I get older?"  I thought to myself, "I hope not!"

Harrison has had some real kickers.  He has quite a personality and has no filter!  Today while we were watching previews for a movie, there was some sort of advertisement with a dinosaur in it and he turned to me and said "You were lucky as a little kid because you got to see dinosaurs."  I told him that I definitely was not alive when dinosaurs roamed the Earth and he said "But you were born in the 1900's right?"  Yes, yes I was, but dinosaurs were around long before then.  He then reasoned that maybe dinosaurs were around in about 1950.

The funniest part is that while I am feeling old at that moment, at lunch earlier Marisah told me that she always thinks I am a teenager and don't look like an adult.

For any parent who has young kids I would encourage you to write these things down.  They will definitely give you laughs as the kids get older and would be something great to share on a special occasion like college graduation!

On a side note, I'm still on the cool side but while Aunt Jackie was giving Marisah hugs she told her to stop because she was embarrassing her  :-(  Meanwhile I was grabbing her tush on the way back from the bathroom and she was hysterically laughing.  I also had Harrison basically making out with my hand while at the movie theater (which was kind of embarrassing for me!!).  One of these days I will be right there with Aunt Jackie embarrassing them, but I'm going to squeeze and kiss them for as long as I can!

Worst Review

“When it comes to life and love, why do we believe our worst reviews?”

I was thinking about this Sex and the City quote today and it had me thinking of how true this is.  I can have all the great friends that I have, but if one person doesn't like me, I begin to harbor about what I ever did to them or why they don't like me.

I really don't know what I ever did, but apparently it was something because rather than tell me, this person can tell everyone else what they think I did. And whatever it is they think I did, its not true.

My mom's advice is to just focus on the great people around me, which I will do.  I got great news from a great friend today and I have been smiling ever since receiving the news.  I will cross out the bad reviews and only focus on the good.

Outta Sight, Outta Mind

Today, against my better judgement I looked at something that I knew I shouldn't have.  I knew upon looking at this, it would only annoy me or make me upset, and low and behold, it did.

It has been awhile since I looked at this thing and its true what they say, "Outta sight, outta mind."  I really hadn't thought of the person associated with this "thing" since pushing it aside and therefore, I had less ill feelings about it.

I don't know why looking at this gives me such emotion but it does.  It makes me sad, mad, annoyed and frustrated all in one.  I guess I should just keep this on the back burner and continue to not look at it and let it bother me.

Curiosity got the best of me and I won't let it happen again.  I hate feeling like this so I'm going to try to move and not think about things so much!

Who Would You Be?

Why is it that I have the entire series of Sex and the City and Friends on DVD, yet I catch myself watching them on tv all the time?  I don't think either series could get old!

As I was sitting here watching Sex and the City today I was wishing I could be like Carrie Bradshaw.  Sitting at my desk, writing away on my laptop and coming up with insightful anecdotes.  I know she is a fictional character and I know I basically do that here and there with my blog, but I'm not getting paid for it!

If I could be any character on tv, I think I would want to be Carrie.  Her great fashion, great shoes, great job and an apartment in Manhattan...what is better?  Although watching these shows I know realistically their lifestyles are not possible based on their incomes, but it makes it all look so glamorous!  I can guarantee, getting there is not so glamorous.  The job that I interviewed for in Manhattan, the salary was only around $30,000.  That is not enough to cover my rent in Jersey, my car payment, as well as a monthly train ticket and all other miscellaneous expenses.  Forget about living in Manhattan and forget about wearing Manolo Blahnik shoes!

For now, I'll be the Carrie Bradshaw of Morris County, New Jersey ;-)