this past weekend Brian and i signed a lease for a new apartment! yay, us! our current lease ends at the end of the month, but our new lease starts on the 15th so we’ll be able to move things over a 2-week period. still, we’re going to hire movers for the really big stuff, probably closer to the end of June.

though we’ll have a different ZIP code, we were fortunate enough to find a place in our current neighborhood, just on the other side of the main street we live off of and 3 blocks east. the bus stop is on our corner rather than a block east or west, and we’ll only be 2-1/2 blocks from the el instead of 5. and there’s a White Hen right on the corner, which is nice nice nice.

since we looked at several apartments in one day (we let Chicago Apartment Finders do all the work), neither of us can remember exactly what it looks like, but it was the last one we saw and the one we liked, not best, but the one we liked, period. it’s still a one-bedroom and although it’s slightly more expensive, it’s a lot nicer and has, not only a built-in microwave, but a dishwasher, as well! woohoo! it’ll be such a treat to finally get away from “ABCD” Management. i can’t believe we’ve been here 5 years–5 years too many, but we hate moving.

it doesn’t help that i’m having to go through ECT right now because moving is such a huge stressor, but in a way, i feel relieved. the only downside is that we’ll no longer be on Pete the Mailman’s route.

There’s a Walgreens within walking distance from our apartment. The next closest one is a mile away. We stopped going to the nearby Walgreens because the pharmacy manager is a fucking cunt. I hate that word and hardly ever use it, but she is. Long story. Another reason we avoid this Walgreens is because the cashiers are fucking idiots.

For being located only a mile away, I can’t believe the difference in IQs between the employees at this Walgreens and that of the ones working at the Walgreens closer to us. Anyway, the other nearby Walgreens has a 24-hour drive-thru pharmacy, so it makes more sense to fill prescriptions there. The sad thing is that they don’t sell decaf diet Cokes. Unfortunately (or fortunately), the nearby Walgreens does.

After driving Brian to work yesterday, I stopped by the nearby Walgreens for a 12-pack. The cashier was “Paul.” Ugh. I hate him. The last time I was there — months ago — he didn’t know how to make change, never mind that it says right on the cash register how much to give back. I figured that by now he should know his denominations.

Right before he rings me up, he starts coughing into his sweater sleeve. Several times. My total was $3.08, so to make things easy for him, I gave him a 5-dollar bill and 8 cents. What does he do? Licks his fingers before sliding 2 singles out of the drawer and handing them to me. Fucking yuck.

a few nights ago, the blender died.  there were no rocks in it; just some stuff to make a smoothie.  Brian pressed a button, the blender whirred, and then all of a sudden, the place smelled like fried wires.

i thought maybe the outlet died, since that’s happened in the living room.  Brian assured me it hadn’t, because the carbon monoxide detector that was also plugged in was still working.

the blender was less than a year old.  sure, we got it for like, $17 at Target, but still.  it isn’t like we use it every day, either.  there’s no reason it should already be dead.

it could have been a power surge, i suppose.  but why bother calling the landlord to tell them?  they’ll probably just say that our blender was too big, which is what they said about our a/c unit over the summer–the very same a/c unit we’ve had for the 4 years we’ve lived here and that never caused problems with the electricity before.  i fucking hate them.  i can’t wait to move.

since i live on the northwest side, and lived in Wrigleyville before my parents bought a house in suburbia, by default i’m a Cubs fan.  i’m not a huge baseball fan, anyway, so i’m fine with the Sox winning.  even northside businesses are congratulating that southside team, and i’m fine with that, too.  the Waveland Bowl’s marquee reads:  "Congratulations White Sox from the bottom of our Cubs hearts," or something like that.

still, i find it disconcerting to see private citizens on the north side with Sox stickers on their vehicles.  one car i saw as i walked into Starbucks had "Go Sox!" and stuff like that written on their windows with that white stuff people use to write stuff like that on their windows.  the guy in front of me was not only wearing a Sox jersey and cap, he had a bag full of more Sox goodies and a pennant in one hand.  even the baristas were giving him a hard time.

but what i couldn’t believe was when i saw The Neighborhood Drunk (more on him another time) wearing a Sox cap.  even The Neighborhood Drunk has caught Sox fever!  something’s afoot on the northwest side.

why, they are!  here on the northwest side, even.  congratulations, White Sox.