Apartment Search number 7. Yes 7 count em'. I have lived in this lovely city of Chicago and in those 7 years have lived in 7 different places. Include twice moving in a year time frame. I am soooo sick of scanning lying craigslist adds about apartments. When they say vintage they mean old p.o.s., when they say modern, they mean modern in the sense it was redone when dynasty was on tv and my all time favorite "loft like" because they knocked out one wall and your bedroom doesn't have a closet. How the hell does no closet and taking away a wall make it loft like. I've been in plenty of lofts with closets.
I lived on my own for 6 months, and although I thoroughly enjoy it, apparently making a good salary in Chicago doesn't mean you will live like you make a good salary. 1,000+ for a 1 bedroom is painstakingly impossible for me at this point in my life, and that excludes utilities. Yes I live in a nicer neighborhood, closer to public transportation and work, but honestly that is ridiculous. My brother advised me to buy a place. I told him that he was crazy, he just bought a 4 bedroom gorgeous restored 100+ year old home for what I would buy a shoe box, perhaps with my kitchen in another room, no guarantees.
Don't get me wrong even in the dead of hell winters in Chicago, I love this city, and the people in it. So I pay the price to live here. Which means having a roommate, who lucky for me is pretty cool, and realizing that I will never have a washer and dryer anywhere close to me. It's like that Sex and the City episode (sorry for the overtly girly reference) when Aiden says to Carrie: "Tomorrow the appliance guy comes to put in the washer/dryer." To which Carrie responds: "Oh, that's been my dream my whole New York life!" I don't think I will be living that dream anytime soon.
So instead of dreaming of a sweet loft in the south loop with my washer and dryer and heck lets throw in AC and a dishwasher, I am going to go search through the lies on craigslist and try to find a decent place. Hopefully one where you have a door between your shower and your bedroom.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
New Year, New Job, New Apartment... oh the newness of it all!
So I quit my job. Realized I can't afford living alone. But hey it's the New Year so why not try things a little different. I am now into my second week at my 3rd job in three years. They say its a new trend in people of my generation to seek out better jobs, more competitive salary, and not to be as concerned about loyalty to one company or employer. My dad thinks this is horse shit, no really thats what he said, that's horse shit.
He is from the old school of thought were everyone needs to put in their time, do the entry level job, slowly work their way up to the top, knowing full well that it will take the 10 + years to get to a position in which respect comes naturally. I myself am not of that generation. I see opportunity and I take a chance. If I am not being respected for the hard work and intelligence I exhibit at work, well then it's not worth my effort and time to be there. Plus these companies that want you to be "loyal" to them, or not so loyal in return. We are in a time of layoffs, forced retirement, down-sizing and all different forms of cost cutting. Why would I be dumb enough to trust that I will always have a job with one singular company when the news makes it abundantly clear that it may not really be the case.
Anymore in the working world you can be screwed over, even in what I thought would be the nice world of non profit orgs where people play nice with each other. The same b.s. going on in corporate America is going on in the non profit world. Jealousy and money win over honesty and teamwork.The non profit world is slowly falling victim to corporate influence. I remember the day I sat down in my female boss's office and she handed me a book about how female executives can work together to build fortune 500 companies. What? I worked at a University, I was 24 and certainly not an executive.
A funny realization came to me this weekend while lying on my couch with a bad case of bronchitis and watching the 80s hit "Working Girl", my boss was the character played by Sigorny Weaver. Terribly threatened by other women working their way up, but want to play the "let's be the best girlfriends ever" card to make you think you are going to help each other out. I left that job because I was sick and tired of the generation of women and men that are in leadership roles that would rather sink their entire team than let anyone know they are vulnerable.
I now work for a new boss, also a woman, but from a different generation. A generation that recognizes hard work and integrity as a ideal characteristic in their subordinates and not as a threat. She looks up to me as much as I look up to her. She encourages me to run with ideas, and doesn't turn around and steal the credit for them. It is refreshing to say the least, to find out that there is still some people working in this world that see individual with potential and want them as part of their team, not to squash them but to inspire them. This is the kind of team I can see myself being loyal to. One that I can see sticking with long term.
He is from the old school of thought were everyone needs to put in their time, do the entry level job, slowly work their way up to the top, knowing full well that it will take the 10 + years to get to a position in which respect comes naturally. I myself am not of that generation. I see opportunity and I take a chance. If I am not being respected for the hard work and intelligence I exhibit at work, well then it's not worth my effort and time to be there. Plus these companies that want you to be "loyal" to them, or not so loyal in return. We are in a time of layoffs, forced retirement, down-sizing and all different forms of cost cutting. Why would I be dumb enough to trust that I will always have a job with one singular company when the news makes it abundantly clear that it may not really be the case.
Anymore in the working world you can be screwed over, even in what I thought would be the nice world of non profit orgs where people play nice with each other. The same b.s. going on in corporate America is going on in the non profit world. Jealousy and money win over honesty and teamwork.The non profit world is slowly falling victim to corporate influence. I remember the day I sat down in my female boss's office and she handed me a book about how female executives can work together to build fortune 500 companies. What? I worked at a University, I was 24 and certainly not an executive.
A funny realization came to me this weekend while lying on my couch with a bad case of bronchitis and watching the 80s hit "Working Girl", my boss was the character played by Sigorny Weaver. Terribly threatened by other women working their way up, but want to play the "let's be the best girlfriends ever" card to make you think you are going to help each other out. I left that job because I was sick and tired of the generation of women and men that are in leadership roles that would rather sink their entire team than let anyone know they are vulnerable.
I now work for a new boss, also a woman, but from a different generation. A generation that recognizes hard work and integrity as a ideal characteristic in their subordinates and not as a threat. She looks up to me as much as I look up to her. She encourages me to run with ideas, and doesn't turn around and steal the credit for them. It is refreshing to say the least, to find out that there is still some people working in this world that see individual with potential and want them as part of their team, not to squash them but to inspire them. This is the kind of team I can see myself being loyal to. One that I can see sticking with long term.
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