The Apartment

I know everyone has been wondering where I live now, so here's my virtual tour of sorts:

Here she is, 3848 N. Janssen Ave. #2, 60613. Just about all of the houses on this street look like this, and most are duplexes. Before I got here, I didn't really understand how this could be a duplex, but now it makes sense. The two doors open to two different apartments and one is on the first floor and the basement, while ours is directly up a staircase, on the second and third floors.

This is our street. You can't really see the houses because of the trees, but it's very residential, and there's an elementary school on the left in this picture. Also, ice cream trucks and apparently ice cream buses make frequent runs down our street, and that's what that bus is doing there. I'm gonna have to check that out in a minute.

So that's our front door from the inside. I was so confused when I opened the door only to find a huge staircase, but now it seems natural. I really like this entry, and I'm so glad we're not on the first floor and basement.

The dining room is right at the top of the staircase, with that little nook letting in a lot of natural light. To the left of this picture is my roommates room, while my room, the kitchen and the bathroom are to the right. I really like our dining room table, and I'm glad we have dining room chairs now because we didn't for a while. It's kind of a mess in this picture, but it's much cleaner now that we've gotten more and more settled.
 

This is the view from that nook. You can see the mess much easier in this light. So the room to the left is my bedroom and the stairs both up and down are in that doorway to the right. We'll go upstairs in just a minute.

So this is my room. It's the smallest of the five, but I don't mind, and my rent is cheaper than everyone else. I really like the green color that was on the walls, but I'm going to have to get rid of that curtain. There's my new IKEA desk with my laptop, XBOX and TV on it. That chair is really a dining room chair but I'm borrowing it for now because I haven't gotten a desk chair.

There's my closet, my IKEA dresser/nightstand and my inflatable mattress I used for about a week. Luckily, my actual mattress came in yesterday, so I've been sleeping a little better now. I have to say though, that air mattress was really comfortable, and it's tall, which was nice. My boxes are on the left... I need to get those out of the way...

Here's my closet. It's pretty empty because I'm low on hangers, but it's the largest closet I've ever had so I have absolutely no complaints. It's also pretty tall, so it's got shelving around the top.

The hallway to the bathroom and kitchen. There's a little bookshelf to the right, and I'm not sure what we're going to use it for.

The bathroom! Nothin' much to see here. The tub is kinda cool though.

Here's the kitchen. Two things that I'm not used to are the fact that there's no garbage disposal and that the dishwasher there on the right is on wheels. After you're done loading it, you wheel it over to the sink and hook it up to the faucet and plug it in. That's so weird to me, but I mean it's not a big deal. Apparently that's common in Chicago. Also, with 5 people living here, our refrigerator is pretty packed, but we make it work.

Oven, stove, all that, plus the back door to the deck.

Here's the deck. I haven't really spent any time out here, but it's actually a pretty cool spot.

So here's upstairs. This is the view from the stairs. There is so much natural light in this area, and we're using it as a living room. I'll take another picture once we get all of our sofas, tables and rugs up here, but this is how it was when we got here. This space is huge, and to the left is another area a little lower than this part. It's a really interesting design, I think.

Probably my favorite part of the house. The windows in the picture above are directly behind me now, with the stairs a little to the left of this picture. There are two stairs leading down to where the table and chairs are, and these huge windows flood the room with light. Such a cool little area with a nice view of the street. I can't wait til we actually start using this room.

Now the big windows are behind me, and the stairs are to the right. The door on the left is the second bathroom, the one directly forward is the largest room and storage area, and the room on the right is another bedroom. I didn't post pictures of that bathroom because honestly I don't even really know what it looks like, I've only seen it like once. This living room is going to be so cool when we get it all fixed up, and we're really almost there. I'm extremely happy with the house, and I'm excited to make the most of it!

The First Day of My New Life

Okay, let me start off by saying that to say my move to Chicago is the start of my "new life" is highly over-dramatic and I really don't mean it all that much. I mean, it's a huge move, but I believe I still have so many parts of my "old life" that I couldn't possibly look at this as a "new beginning" or something. But it's fun to say.

Anyway, the first day was crazy. I don't plan on writing a full page story about every day, but my first day had some merit. So, it was about a week ago today that I landed in Chicago, I think about 4 PM because our flight was delayed due to unscheduled maintenance. Oh, and when I say "our", I'm including my friend Anthony, who flew up with me to hang out for a week before school started. So we landed, and it just so happened that one of my roommates, Sophia, was getting in from New York (her hometown) right about the same time we were. So we split a cab to the apartment, which I thought was cool because I'd never been asked to split a cab in my life.

We got to the apartment and I really really liked it. The neighborhood is small and quiet, kind of residential, but there are bars and restaurants one street over (although if you were to look at just our street, you would never be able to tell). There seems to be little families in the houses next to us, and it's been quite a while since I've been exposed to that sort of neighborhood, so it was refreshing. After checking out the house and setting our things in my little green room, we went to a restaurant that most of the people Anthony had met on his previous trip to Chicago work at, and we ate lunch as we planned the rest of the day. It was kind of late, so we scratched the beach idea and decided we'd head to the Magnificent Mile (www.themagnificentmile.com) downtown to shop.

Our day-planning was derailed (that's train talk) as soon as one of Anthony's friends showed up and literally TOLD us that we were going to the Cubs game that night because they had two extra tickets in a box suite that their restaurant had won in a competition against all of the other restaurants on their street. You just don't say no to that. So off we went, to the Cubs game and to my first taste of Chicago life.

Let me just stop here and say that my first day in Chicago was quite possibly the weirdest of my life. Walking by bars and restaurants on the crowded sidewalk where people ran, biked, walked their dogs, rollerbladed; it was the strangest feeling to realize that this was my "new life". The temperature was 75 and all the restaurants had patio seating and open doors where you could people-watch out onto the street, it was so odd knowing that this is what I would be passing everyday. It was like being on a trip to a big city, taking everything in and feeling completely separated from feelings of home and then realizing this was your home, and that you were now a local, moving with the rest of the Chicagoans in your day-to-day life. Maybe that doesn't make sense, but it's so hard to put into words what I felt that day. The feeling has already started to pass as the days go by, but I'm reminded of it whenever I see the skyline in the distance, so unfamiliar to me but at the same time exactly where I want to be.

The Cubs game was so much fun. I've never been much into baseball but when you're there at the field you can't help but get into it, plus the stadium is 10 minutes (walking) from my apartment, so I knew I would have to go someday. They were playing the Atlanta Braves, and they ended up losing, but just like at North Texas, it's still fun to go and watch. I was also wondering about the dangers of foul balls because they fly into the stands so fast that it must be a serious hazard, and then one went straight into the stands to the right of home base and smacked someone in the head, who was escorted out of the stadium by a health crew. Anyway, the seats were great, pretty much right behind home base and up off the ground. There are also some really cool seats on local restaurants that just erect stands on their roofs where you can look into the stadium. I'd never seen that before, and I'll have to check it out sometime. It was definitely a really cool way to be introduced to the city, the team, and these people who could quite possibly become some of my best friends.

After that, it was back home, as I was mentally and physically exhausted. Such a great start to what's going to be an amazing experience.

Kicking the Habit

For the past year or so, I've had a growing interest in diet and how it affects both the human body and the world. I've watched documentary after documentary on the U.S. food industry and how it campaigns for the billions of dollars spent on food annually by Americans. I've read websites and magazine articles on the ways that different foods can affect the human body both positively and negatively, and how each of us can greatly influence the way we feel day to day as well as how that can impact us in the long run. I have yet, however, to make any serious, long term changes in my own personal diet and can only consider myself to be a hypocritical health nut.

While watching "Foodmatters", a documentary about diet in the way of vegetarianism, veganism and raw foodism, I was struck by something that one of the many scientists stated: "you're not supposed to be tired in the afternoon. You're supposed to be alive and vibrant." For some reason, this idea really said something to me about the way most Americans (myself included) live and eat. Nowadays, there are so many cures for midday drowsiness: 5 Hour Energy, caffeine and B-vitamin supplements to name a few. But what if you could get rid of this drowsiness as a whole and not have to worry about your midday energy level just by eating right and getting enough sleep? Sure, you can eat fruits and vegetables with every meal, but what if that wasn't enough?

About two weeks ago, I purchased a book by John Robbins called "The Food Revolution: How Your Diet Can Help Save Your Life and Our World." Far from being a weight loss diet book, the pages are filled with facts and information about how diet can encourage so many diseases and conditions that affect thousands of United States citizens daily. Statistics about how meat consumption is linked to both heart disease and cancer and how dairy products can elevate the risk of prostate cancer are surprising, to say the least. I never would have thought that meat and dairy could possibly be considered part of an unhealthy diet.

So I took a look at myself and how I treated my body through what I eat. Let's just say I lived a college student lifestyle with a college student diet. Between sleep, class and work, I found it most efficient for me to pick something up from Whataburger or Taco Cabana on my way from one activity to the next. There were times when I would struggle internally about what fast food joint I was going to stop at for this meal, and when I realized fast food was more of a chore than a treat, I knew I had a problem. Little can be blamed on the financial aspect of my college lifestyle, however, because there was a time near the end where my income was much greater than it had been in my entire life and still I would stop at fast food restaurants on my way to or from work. In the end, I have no one to blame but myself for my inability to make healthy eating decisions, and that's why it's so vital that the decision to change my lifestyle come from within. In "Food Revolution", John Robbins states that "when it comes to food choices, habit is stupendously powerful". Much like a smoker, I'm just trying to kick the habit.

I've made little attempts at this concept throughout the past few years but nothing has stuck, nothing has been made permanent. The knowledge that I've gained over the past couple of weeks, however, has been the catalyst for a major change in my diet, and I'm excited about the possibilities of health and happiness that this change can bring. When I started writing this article, I thought I'd add a part about how I'd love to change my diet, but I could never see myself becoming a vegetarian. As I learn more and more about the benefits of a plant-based diet, however, I can't help but second guess my initial reaction to the thought of vegetarianism. Perhaps it truly isn't that hard to cut the meat out of my diet, and maybe that change will introduce a new energy and vitality that I've never felt before. All that being said, I think that Chicago is going to bring about more changes for me than I had previously envisioned, and I cannot wait to get started.

Communication

I've figured it out! So, to leave a comment on any of my posts, just click on the "0 comments" or "1 comments" or whatever it may be directly under the post you want to address. After that, type your question and say you want to post with an AIM account on the drop-down menu. This should prompt you to login:

Username: bondekunziano (a combination of last names)
Password: forwardmotion

After that, it should take you back to the comment page, and you should be able to post your question. Let me know if it doesn't work, but I believe this plan is flawless. Oh and be sure to put your name in there somewhere!

Updates

Here are just some basic updates on random aspects of the move that people ask me about most often:

Apartment: Well, see below.

Job: I haven't found a job yet, but I definitely feel hopeful. I don't know that I'll be doing what I wanted to do when I set out planning everything (front desk at a hotel) but I'm definitely opening up to different positions. I'm thinking something in event or meeting planning is going to be something that I really like and something that I won't get bored with easily. But even if I get desperate, I wouldn't mind picking up a temporary job to pay the bills while I look for what I really want. I'm just not too worried about it, but at the same time I'm working on it and keeping up the search.

Transportation: So I'll be flying to Chicago on the 22nd, which means I won't have my car. My mom is going to try and sell it, but I really don't want anything to do with it. Out of sight, out of mind, I guess. I think it's going to be such a relief to not have a car, and to not have to worry about things like parking tickets, parking meters, driving in general, all that mess. Plus I have no idea how to take care of a car in the snow and ice. Or how to drive, for that matter...

Personal Belongings: I'm going to send everything I own (which really isn't much) through either Fed Ex, UPS or the USPS, whichever is cheapest. I'm going to look at UPS tomorrow to see how much it is compared to the USPS (which was like $25 for one of my heaviest boxes). I only have about eight or nine boxes and no furniture, so this really isn't that big of a move and it shouldn't cost too much.

Thoughts: I'm really not that nervous or worried, just excited. I really can't wait to be there and get to know people and explore and find cool things to do and live life.

That just about covers the big questions. I need to figure out a way for people to ask me questions on here... I'll look into it!

The Apartment Search

As I've looked for an apartment over the last couple of weeks, I began to grow nervous about my future living situation. Although I had been looking on Craigslist for possible roommates, I hadn't really gotten a lot of responses to my initial email and thought that maybe people weren't interested in living with a Texan who said things like "y'all" and "darn". Or maybe it was the fact that I didn't have a job and wouldn't be moving for another few weeks that scared them. Nonetheless, my apartment search is now over.

I've signed a one-year lease for a five bedroom, two bath duplex in Wrigleyville, so named for it's proximity to Wrigley Field, where the Chicago Cubs play. The duplex is two stories, with a living room area on each floor, one bathroom on each and two bedrooms upstairs and three downstairs (I'll be on the first floor). I'll be living with four roommates and couldn't possibly be more excited about that. I mean I'm moving to city where I have one friend, so having a lot of roommates is going to be a really good way of meeting people. They all seem really cool and I think everyone is from a different state: NY, NJ, IL and of course TX. There's actually one I have yet to talk to so I'm not sure where she's from. I think it's going to be an awesome experience to live in this tiny melting pot of a duplex, and I'm jealous that some of the roommates are already there. I'm sure we'll have lots of roommate bonding time when I get there, so I'm not too worried about it.

Here's a little map of where the neighborhoods in Chicago are:

I know it's kind of basic, but it get's the point across. Wrigleyville is inside of Lakeview, and this map shows them as sort of interchangeable, but I think that's just for the sake of space on this map. Anyway, it's right above Lincoln Park, which I've heard is one of the nicer areas and one of the ones I was definitely interested in living in. The Loop is the downtown area of Chicago, and I'm just a short train ride away from the heart of it. It's going to be so weird seeing the Chicago skyline from my doorstep, but that's one of the things I'm most excited about.

Out of all the apartments I've looked at, I was most excited about this one. I don't have the listing for it on Craigslist anymore, so I don't have any of the pictures from the realty agency but I'll post pictures as soon as I get there. I cannot wait to live here and get to know these people that I will be living with for the next year.

Here's a link to a site with information about Wrigleyville, and a semi-informative video. http://www.chicagotraveler.com/neighborhoods/wrigleyville-feature.htm

The Beginning

I'm moving to Chicago in 12 days.

And that's the reason for this blog. I want to keep all of my friends and family members up to date on what's going on in my life. Rather than calling each person and telling them all separately about my apartment and job search, I can write it all collectively here. That being said, don't be afraid to call me! I'm sure I'll be busy, but of course I won't be too busy for family. Other than that, I look forward to posting about my adventures in the Windy City and onward. That's, in part, the reason I'm calling this blog "Forward Motion". As I tried to decide on the perfect Chicago pun, I ultimately decided that Chicago really probably isn't the end of the road for me, and who knows where I'll be two, four, six years from now. "Forward Motion" encompasses all of my future endeavors, those that will hopefully keep me moving forward through life. Thanks for reading, y'all!