The Roommate Carousel goes round and round...

[Jester]

Oh, how i love Key West. I'd move there in a blink if i could.

If you could? But there is a ready-made room for rent situation waiting there for you. (Assuming, of course, you are reliable, employed, not a druggie, come with references, don't have any large (non-caged) pets, and have first month's rent plus an equivalent deposit.....)

[Jester]

UPDATE!

So the local grapevine is working in my favor, and I have not one, but TWO people coming to look at the apartment today. I would LOVE to wrap up this business ahead of time, rather than at the last minute at the end of this month, as it always seems to happen.

Mr. Anti-Social's coworker had his friend "Julio" call. Julio is coming to look at the place on Wednesday. Mr. Anti-Social doesn't know Julio himself, and is not sure who reliable (or unreliable) Julio is. We have learned from the past, however, and are requiring both a deposit and references, and are making that clear to potential roomies. Julio had no problem with this information.

My friend Frank has a friend that he trusts who himself has a friend he recommends (follow all that?) we'll call "Alexis." I was giving Frank a ride today, and as we were riding in the Jestermobile, he told me he had given Alexis my number, which is totally fine, as potential roomies are going to need that nugget of info. So I wanted to learn more about this potential roommate and find out what frank knew about her.

JESTER: "So, what can you tell me about Alexis?"
FRANK: "She's blonde, very cute, and has a great rack."
JESTER: "And that has exactly what to do with her viability as a roommate?"
FRANK: "I was just talking, guy to guy....you know."
JESTER: "Yes, I know. But I was asking you about her as far as reliability goes, Frank!"

My friends. *sigh* Anyways, once I got Frank's mind focused on the things I needed them focused on, he said that as far as he knew, she was pretty reliable, and had some good references.

So, dorky me, I mentioned the above conversation to Nurse Betty, as I found it amusing. As soon as I told NB what Frank had said, she said, "You can't live with her."

Oh, crap. Seriously? Really? Well, hell. I actually had to sit there and explain to another adult, a mother of two who is closing on 40, that yes, I could live with a woman as a roommate, that I had done so before, that I have actually had more success with female roommates than male roommates, that what she looked like had nothing to do with whether or not Mr. Anti-Social and I were going to allow her to live with us, and that frankly, as reliable roommates are a rare and valuable commodity in the Freakville that is Key West, if she passed the muster, she WOULD be moving in.

Just what I need....a girlfriend who is insecure and jealous about another woman who I haven't even MET yet. It's not like she's going to be sleeping in MY room.

The hunt continues.....

[Sliceanddice]

And yeah...the weather does rock. No denying that!

its the tropics, the weather can't rock, it can make you miserable and your hair all stringy if your me, frizzy if your not.

i abhor humidity....

[Jester]

Okay, so Sliceanddice won't be moving down here. Got that.

More room for the rest of us!

[Primer]

I currently meet all of the requirements, but if I move to Key West, I won't be employed. That, and I don't think the hubby would approve.

[Sliceanddice]

Okay, so Sliceanddice won't be moving down here. Got that.

More room for the rest of us!

i an handle cold and alittle humid i can handle snow and monsoon season when its not too humid but 40% or higher and more than 80 degrees??? Kill me now.

[Android Kaeli]

If I could, and you like cats, I'd move down in a heartbeat. I can work just about anywhere, more then reliable (hell, my credit card gets paid off two weeks before the due date), and have my own transportation.

Um, just to be curious, what's the ballpark rate with rent, bills, and everything else combined?

[Jester]

AK, I love cats, but my roommate, Mr. Anti-Social, does not. So unfortunately we can't have cats here. That, and we don't have a pet deposit.

Rent is $600, bills run anywhere from $130-$190/month, depending on some variables. Deposit is $600. All in all, a pretty good deal for living in paradise.

UPDATE: Alexis was supposed to come look at the place Monday. She never showed up. I called her and left a voicemail, but have yet to hear back from her at all. Considering I am looking for someone who is, above all else, reliable, this is not a good sign.

Julio is supposed to come by today. I have not yet heard from him.

I HATE looking for roommates!

[Jester]

Update on the update:

Julio came by. Seemed like a nice enough fellow, though I told him I will still need references. After all, Deadbeat seemed like a nice enough fellow, and I knew HIM for years!

The thing that worries me is that Julio pretty much said he would have to borrow the money to have the full $1,200 move in. *sigh* That does not bode well for him being able to afford this. And I know, I know...it's not easy to come up with $1,200. But after what I've dealt with with some of my previous roommates, I am just NOT fucking around any more.

Someone please give me a hammer so I can rest my skull on it. Repeatedly. With speed.

[Android Kaeli]

*offers hammer she uses to threaten the computer with*

Sounds like a good deal for a month in paradise. Although the no cat thing, understandable but can't part with the little fur ball -- he's too much of a coward (kitty was a stray).

Good luck with looking for a roommate, though.

[Jester]

As for the cat, even if I wanted to allow it, and my roommate was okay, I found out today (when doing some research for another friend) that the complex charges a $300 pet deposit.....after it charges a non-refundable $500 pet fee.

Yeah.

[Cyphr]

If one of the local places is hiring I can move in about 18 months from now, at this rate this college degree isn't going to get me any jobs at all.

[Jester]

18 months from now, I hope to be residing in the desert, back home in Phoenix. Right now, I am more concerned with finding a decent roommate in the next two weeks.

Sadly, my first two prospects have not panned out. The girl never showed up or even called, and the guy, who said he would call me, never did.

This sucks. I need a new roommate. Mr. Anti-Social and I are not looking forward to splitting the extra rent.

[Jester]

So I was going on word of mouth to find a new roommate, but after two weeks, I had gotten only the two hits that I have previously mentioned, neither of which worked out. So, having had more than one person suggest craigslist, I decided to give it a try. In only a few days, I have already had several hits.

Sadly, the person I thought would be perfect from our phone conversation, who was originally going to come by today, decided to go with a studio apartment downtown. I can't blame her, but I am bummed. My only consolation is that I suppose she wouldn't have been perfect after all.

Besides her, I have gotten a call from a guy who never got back to me and an email from a foreign couple who is not even in town. I have nothing against foreigners (Mr. Anti-Social, my other roommate, is one), but the fact that they are not in town tells me that A. I can't meet them face to face, and B. since they don't live here, they don't have jobs. Not having jobs in Key West is a bad thing. Being foreigners that don't have jobs in Key West is worse, since it is harder for them to find work in most cases. All in all, the email left me with a "hinky" feeling, and I didn't bother responding to it.

I DID, however, show the apartment to a woman involved in the justice system (as an employee, not as a criminal!), and a gay couple. Both the woman and the couple have their pros and cons, but I am leaning towards the woman. Mr. Anti-Social and I have nothing against gay guys...we just would prefer ONE person in the room and the apartment, rather than two. But I am still open to someone else, if anyone comes along, and I will be checking the references that the three of them provided me. Due to our recent history of douchebag roommates, not only are we demanding a deposit, but references as well. I am sick of getting screwed over!

*sigh* I hate this shit.

[SilverOrb]

I would... If I actually liked Florida weather. I love seasons too much, and I'd only give em up for lots and lots of snow.