I finally got an apartment!!! Woo-hoo!
As it turns out, it's the very first apartment I liked, in the building that Aunt Suzanne and I randomly happened to drive by when I was in Milwaukee for the interview. I recognized it from the craigslist ad, it had stuck out as a building similiar to the one I'm currently in (and adore)--Russian prison on the outside, little hidden gem on the inside. Why is it you always end up back at the first thing you saw? If it turns out I should have married my highschool sweetheart, the universe is perversely cruel.
It's been a rough ride, trying to find a place. Milwaukee is behind the curve in dog-acceptance in rental apartments, and garage parking is at a premium. Poor Suzanne has toured every goofy midcentury apartment complex in town. This one was originally above my budget, but I negotiated a better rate. I've never negotiated before--I must say, I'm very proud of myself. It was hard, but as my brother Tom advised, you have to be prepared to walk away. I walked when they wouldn't come down enough, and then a day later--the price I wanted!
I can't explain how exciting that is--I've always just "paid what they ask", no matter the item or circumstance.
So, let the packing commence!
p.s. Um, and it's not actually 'in' Milwaukee. I'm going to be living in the village (yes, 'village') of Shorewood. It's not as peri-menapausal as it sounds.