(no subject)

boy, have I been lethargic lately. Apart from the time I spent at Rocky, I've had no energy all week. Getting out of bed is more difficult every day.

I took the bus Monday and telecommuted today, so maybe I should probably also ride my bike to work again, despite the heat. Maybe I need that activity to get me going every day. And the bus trip Monday was wrought with poor timing both ways.

Of course, that thought makes my current decision more difficult: after all, I'm moving next door to work for the convenience, but I'd be giving up a great source of exercise, albeit one that comes with the danger of rush hour traffic, and the routine of showering at work.

Also, I didn't socialize that whole work week, unless you count IRC, or the manicure I got after my dentist appointment Thursday. That lady offered to introduce me to some Asian women. I gave her my phone number.

The new apartment

So, the neighborhood my new apartment would be in is a bit mixed. The complex itself is nice if a bit small; you can see some video of the interior and exterior here. The complex itself seems quiet enough, but I haven't tried to visit it during the weekend or late evening. And I've spoke to a couple of tenants there who were glowing about the place. If you don't have time for the video, it's a recently remodeled two-bedroom 1.5-bathtoom with a washer-dryer and a pretty nice kitchen, though it's not obvious where I'll put the bike yet.

Direcctly north of my apartment is my office, the new Sky Song technology center, where, despite the economy, tenants are starting to slowly fill up the third floor of the second building. Further north, across McDowell, is Pop the Soda Shop, which sells every soda imaginable, and a few nice fast food places.

Directly east of my office is a grocery store that has been vacant for over two years, maybe longer. If it ever opened, it'd be closer to my front door than the QuikTrip is now, and would be much less tricky to jaywalk to. But it probably won't, as most people are served well enough either by the Food City a mile south, or the Fry's a half-mile east. Also further east is Miller Park.

Directly south of my apartment, and extending eastward, is a nice-looking residential area that was built in the 1950s. The lawns are well-kept, children play outside and speak English. It reminds me of the neighborhood I grew up in, when my family bought our first house.

Directly west of my apartment is a vacant lot with a sign that announces a new apartment complex "coming soon in 2005". Then, some single-story apartments, where the children play outside and speak Spanish, and Monday at 6pm I heard ranchero music blasting from somewhere, though only when I got close. Directly west of that is Skin Cabaret and Vegas Pawn, and the Good-Year tire place that indicates that I should pull the string on my bus. And apparently they're trying to build a halfway house behind the Skin Cabaret.

But, across Scottsdale Road from that mess, is Papago Plaza, a strip mall full of resturants and beauty salons that cost about 30% more than they tend to cost in Tempe, including Papago Brewing Company. The Scottsdale Motor Mile extends south from there. Two miles north is Old Town Scottsdale, and two miles west is the Phoenix Zoo.

So, it's kind of a mixed bag, where good and bad neighborhoods seem to converge. Certainly, my current neighborhood is much more affluent and safer, and I'm not entirely sure I'm ready to downgrade that aspect of my life. But it would certainly be an upgrade in most other ways.

Anyway, I'll be turning in my application this week, unless I change my mind and either find a different place, or stay here.