Hey, its Iowa! Monday morning, I set out about an hour after Fluffy left for work and got here about 11:00. Figured I'd show up early to my appointments, so I went to a place in downtown Cedar Rapids for the "come any time" appointment. Met a really nice lady, laughed and had fun as she showed me the rooms. A nice studio for $471/month and a one bedroom for $505/month. I thanked her, as I always did, and promised to call even if I found something better.

My second appointment: Showed up an hour early, asked if that was a problem. Nope, no problem whatsoever. So, that lady, who bitched half the time, showed me a two bedroom apartment. I was rather precise in saying I was interesting in studio and one bedrooms only. I asked why and she told me she didn't have any and wasn't expecting any open. Just for kicks, asked the price: $680/month. The other thing I told her over the phone is I wouldn't go over $600/month. Well, scratch that.

Went to my third of three choices. Man was rude to me ("You must fill out the card before I can show you." "Why?" "Company policy") about the information gathering stage and the showing a room ("You must leave a photo id here before I can show you." "Why?" "Company policy"). Gorgeous room, amazing workout hall, and indoor pool. $587 for a one bedroom. Near the top of my range, but at least the right number and budget.

"I won't have anything until mid-May."

So, that would mean I would be living with my in-laws.

"And only if you reserve now."

Well, I ended up going with the first place. They were nice, polite, showed me exactly what I wanted. So, three hours after getting into Iowa, I have a new studio apartment, overlooking the Iowa River (15 meters from the shore), cheaper than anything else I could find, and is exactly 5.5 km from work, with only two turns. And work is surrounded by a Target, Menards, Super Walmart, and everything else I need for my day-to-day living.

The Universe Provides.

I'm pretty excited. Got my inconsistent cable Internet working nicely, seems to choke on a few things, a bed setup (I *need* a new one though, air mattresses are not comfortable), and basically doing everything I can to relax in the next few days before staring my new job on Monday.

I miss Fluffy though. I feel a bit adrift without her guidance and have to really concentrate on going to bed at a reasonable time, eating healthy (which I struggle with), exercise (which I struggle more). I'm going to try making some serious lifestyle changes with this time, but there is a lot of uphill mountains to climb.

On the other hand, got a bit of time to write. :)