07.25.2002 - 2:17 p.m.

The world of real estate is biased against single people. All I really need is space for my bed, a suitcase, and a bathroom. Laundry facilities optional. Room for TV optional. Kitchen in general optional, though access to at least a microwave would be nice. Just as long as it�s my space. Unfortunately, there exists no place in Southern Maryland that has only these things. Married/shacked up couples can do it. One bed, one bath, and a kitchenette for $600. Breaks down to $300 each.

I could afford $300. Hell, I could save up for all sorts of nifty things at $300.

But I just don�t have $600 a month to blow on rent.

I guess the real problem is that it�s not just me. It�s me and a cat.

I could rent a room in someone�s basement for $400 or so. That would work. But I can�t seem to find anybody terribly interested in additional pets. I�m not going to rent a room and force the cat to stay in it for the entire year. And I�m not giving her to Kelly. That wasn�t the original deal. She has the fianc�, so I get the cat. I�m keeping the cat.

This means I need to find a roommate. Someone who�s not allergic, who likes having their ankles occasionally ambushed, and doesn�t mind strange growly noises in the middle of the night. (Offers, anyone?) But I�m not really that interested in finding a roommate. I like the way I live. I liked living with Kelly. The next roommate can�t possibly be as compatible. I wish I had $600 for my own place.

Or I suppose I could buy a trailer or something. A camper. My car could tow a little one, I bet. Well, it could if it had a hitch. I know it was an option; I wonder how much it would cost to add one. Then I�d be done with rent from now on. Well, I guess I�d have to get some claim on a place to park, but still.

Went out to dinner with Kelly last night, to this place in Solomon�s. Sat at a table outside, overlooking the boats and the water, and tried one last time to convince her that it would be okay to live together in Calvert County and split the commutes. It really does make more sense; I�m not just being biased. If she and Jimmy move in together, she�ll end up carrying his rent until he�s out of school in December. If she lives with me, Jimmy can stay with his parents until then, and in the end they�ll have more honeymoon money. Even Jimmy agrees with me, but that doesn�t really matter anymore. Kelly�s got her stubborn up. So she�s moving out, to go live in Annapolis with Jimmy. Jimmy may not have admitted this yet, but it�s what�s going to happen.

There was a boat tied up just under us, a small one, with a �For Sale� sign and a phone number. I wonder how much a boat like that would cost. Because I could live on a boat. Hazel might not like it very much, but I would. I never thought about living on the water before, but I bet it would be just like a road trip, except on the water, you get to make up your own roads. Maybe I could tie up next to the college. They let students live that way�why not staff?

All of which is a very long way of saying, I hate looking for living arrangements.

-stonebridge

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