It's almost like things happen for a reason

So, I think I explained here before that at the end of my current clerkship gig, I'm starting a second, and that it's out of state. I'm excited for this because it will be a completely different kind of experience from my current position, and it should also open more career doors for me in the future. Plus, it will be fun to learn a new city (it's been described to me as the kind of place that visitors hate but people who live there love; it's also an amazing city for certain kinds of food).

There are, however, two big minuses to this position: first, NLLDH and I will most likely be living apart again. We think it will be worth it, since it will only be for a year, and there are tons of cheap flights between where we live now and where I'll be living, so we should see each other every other weekend at least (in fact, it's only about a six hour drive). So it's not perfect, but we'll deal.

The other minus is that I actually like where we live now. Like, really like it. (If you're wondering why I took a job in another city: because that's where there was a judge who would hire me! Most of the equivalent judges here don't hire term clerks, and the ones that do hire only people from fancier schools than mine, or people from my school with much better grades than mine.) I could happily live here for the rest of my life, seriously.

Mostly that refers to the city in general, but I also really really like our apartment - it's in my favorite neighborhood, right next to a great park, three blocks from the yoga/spin place, on the bus route; it has a great balcony with tons of windows; there's a washer/dryer in the unit, the bathroom is huge, it's very comfortable, and overall it just makes me happy. And one of the things I was really regretting was that we'd have to leave this apartment when I move away. It's too expensive to keep if we're maintaining two households, and even if we end up here after my next clerkship ends, there's no guarantee we'd get back into this building.

However, today I came home to find a letter from our management company. See, the building was originally some kind of experiment in communal living dedicated to social justice (back in the 1960s when it was built). And apparently the current owner respected that so much, he bought the building and turned it into "luxury" condos. (Yeah, I don't get that either.) However, he finished the conversion right around the end of 2007, and strangely enough, the market for luxury condos wasn't very good. So they sold a few and rented out the rest.

But now, the company's decided to put everything back on the market.

They're honoring the current leases, so we're here at least through May. But it looks like even if I hadn't taken a job in another city, we'd have to find someplace new to live.

Which, for whatever reason, makes me feel a little better about moving away.

 

(We actually get the first shot at buying our unit. But apart from not having cash for a down payment, while I love this apartment as a place I don't own, there's way too much I'd want to do to change it if I actually owned it, to think about buying it.)

Comments

[Rana]

Wow. Talk about timing. I hope everything falls into place for you!

[theologoumenathon]

I had a very similar situation coming back to school--was feeling bad about leaving my great apartment, then found out they were tearing down the building in a year to put in high end condos. There's something strangely reassuring about knowing you couldn't have stayed, even if you'd wanted to.

[Seeking Solace]

How exciting. On the plus side, you and NLDH have "been there, done that" with the long distance thing. And, the new clerkship sounds like an awesome opportunity.

Can't wait to hear how everything goes.

[Bardiac]

I'm sorry you'll be losing the current place, but I hope your new city is wonderful! (I'm guessing it's not anywhere near me, but if it were, I'd love to meet in person.)

[Dr. Moonbeam]

I can totally understand why that would make you feel better about moving away - you would have had to leave the apartment you love, regardless. Makes sense.

Will your second clerkship be for a year, and then you'd try to come back to your current city?

[chel]

Congratulations on the job!

[Dr. Virago]

Congratulations! And e-mail me and tell me the city you'll be moving to, because I *love* guessing these things and I want to know if I'm right. :)

[What Now?]

Oh, that news would totally make me feel better about the situation as well. That's pretty much how we felt when we bought our house here in Adventure City; we were going to have to move out of our apartment anyway and were feeling really bummed about it, and then we got the news that a local university had bought the building across the street and was turning it into an undergraduate dorm, at which point we felt much, much better about moving out!

After your second clerkship, should the job market in your city be better for you at that point?

[PhilosopherP]

I'm curious too.. the city I think of as being one that people who live there love, but you don't want to visit -- and that has amazing food is Omaha... which is a bit further than I thought you'd be going..

If I'm right, let me know -- I know lots of folks there... they're on Facebook and I'll "introduce" you.

[Historiann]

Sorry to hear that you are moving, and I'm sorry to hear that you'll have to leave your current apt. for whatever reason. Good space is really important.

I remember that before I got my first TT job, I was SO looking forward to plopping down someplace & buying a house JUST so I didn't have goddamned strangers being let into my apartment so that the landlord could show it to prospective new tenants. That really, really creeped me out. I couldn't believe that some people would go ahead and open up closets while I was sitting right in the room with them (when I was dissertating, I worked at home.)

Good luck with your move & with your new city!

[New Kid on the Hallway]

Thanks for the comments, all!

Bardiac, it would be lovely to meet up in person! Unfortunately, it's not anywhere that could be described as the North Woods. Someday!

Dr. Moonbeam, yes, the second clerkship is for a year, and the general plan is to come back to the current city. With the caveat that if I can get a job with the DOJ or the like I would move to DC instead.

What Now, I should be in a better position, job-wise, after the second clerkship - though it's really the clerkship options that are limited here, so when I'm looking for a "real" job hopefully there will be more options generally.

PhilosopherP - no, not Omaha! Although I have heard good things about it (and it's the one city in NE we'd consider moving to! No disrespect to the rest of Nebraska. ;-D)

Historiann - yes, the whole showing of apartments is a HUGE pain. In fact, since they're selling these, I dread the prospect of having to clean up the place and keep it clean for prospective *buyers* (though I have no idea how the company plans to handle this; I think they'd be better off waiting for us to leave so they can stage/show as they prefer, but then, I would think that!).

[Brian]

As for cleaning for prospective buyers, try to make the owner pay. When my prior landlord said he was selling the place I had been renting for 7 years I was disappointed but I figured that is one downside of renting. He then told me he wanted it to be "super clean" at all times to show to prospective buyers. I responded that if he wanted it "super clean" that was his problem and he needed to hire someone to do it. Otherwise I would keep it as clean as I normally do. When he asked what was normal and I told him he was looking at it, my apartment was cleaned on a weekly basis for the last 8 months of my tenancy.