Adventures in Apartment Hunting

First order of business, now that Dave has committed to a job: finding a place for us to live! Although we lived together for a few months in his condo in Michigan, our next place will be our first real home that we organize together. We're looking to rent, since we still have a lot of uncertainty about the best way to manage our commutes, etc. It's been a little tougher going than I had expected; the source of a lot of potential listings I had seen turns out to be a somewhat unscrupulous independent real estate agent? I'm such a n00b.

We're lucky, though, in that we aren't in a desperate rush to find a place (my current landlords aren't about to kick me out, fingers crossed). Good thing I don't have to consider this place:

I mean, maybe I will someday have need for an unfinished storage basement close to several major highways, but really: exactly what do you think the renter might be storing there? Intriguing.

AT LAST

I couldn't be more giddy to announce that Dave signed a contract this morning for a tenure-track position in Long Island! I feel like we just won the lottery – two tenure track jobs, near New York City, close to both our families. It was quite stressful and up-and-down with negotiations down to the wire, so it's a relief that Dave has made a final decision and signed on the dotted line.

In an uncharacteristic anticipatory act, Dave and I explored the campus during his last visit here:

I'm sure that Dave will find different challenges and difficulties in his new position, but I'm also optimistic that the move will provide him new opportunities to grow. The next few years, as we both develop our tenure files, will involve a lot of work. But at least we'll be together!

I've said many times that I've felt like our marriage hasn't fully begun yet, that we've been treading water and looking to the future. And now the future is here! And things will (hopefully) come together quickly – I want to start looking at nearby apartments soon, and Dave has already started packing up his stuff in Michigan. And once we get settled into a place together (late August, early September?), you'll all have to come visit us! (I promise we'll be not-too-far from the city!)

a happy fourth

Dave came out to Long Island for a long weekend over the 4th of July. We had planned to drive and meet some place in between Michigan and NY, but his car was acting up, so he used miles to get a last-minute flight to NYC! It was our first opportunity to explore Long Island and see what kind of fun there is to be had. Apparently there are some famous beaches around here:

I feared that Jones Beach would be a cesspool of humanity, but even on a holiday weekend, we were able to find a nice patch of sand right near the water to call our own. You can play shuffleboard for $2! We didn't try it, but maybe next time.

the elusive sand crab

We contributed to the household by setting up Stephen and Grace's new grill and giving it a try:

 Time to learn how to grill! Dave and I are already talking about the possibilities – paella? pizza?

Then we checked out the Long Island Aquarium. Verdict: it is expensive, feels very manipulative, and suffers from an identity crisis, but if you're already in the Hamptons and need to take the kids somewhere, acceptable. Mainly because of the awesome shark tank. But before you get to the shark tank, you can enjoy many experiences that can be upgraded for a small fee. There was a butterfly habitat (entirely sunless and indoors) that was being run by one lonely entomologist. When I expressed interest in entomology, he was so happy to talk that he invited us into his lab to check out the pupae and chrysalides. 

There was one particularly friendly butterfly...

...that went in for a kiss!

For a small fee, you can feed the birds some seeds in a sunless, indoor room:

The Snow White moment I've always wanted, procurable with just a small fee:

 We also explored Port Jefferson, on the North Shore. There was a rather scenic bay, and you can see the ferry to New Haven in the background:

 All in all, a lovely Long Island weekend.