Wednesday, December 27, 2006

The Search for the Perfect Apartment, Part III

I am about to scream.

Very long story short: brokers suck.

After being assured it wouldn't be a problem to move into my apartment a couple of days early, I have been informed that because the holidays slowed things down, the lead inspection (necessary whenever an NYC apartment exchanges tenants - and yes this could be a lie and I know I'm a lawyer and could look this up) hasn't been done yet and I probably won't be able to move in until Monday January 1. I start work the next day. I don't give a crap about new year's (never did and probably never will) but I REALLY don't want to move the day before I start my job. Moving sucks enough, but adding that much stress is just bad.

Nothing is settled (other than I am approved for the apartment but that's not much consolation at this point), I am trying to be assertive and appropriately pushy but this is a BIG weakness for me and something I really need to work on both personally and professionally (and as a new litigator I'm sure I'll improve pretty quickly, although my problem seems to be more in situations where I feel like I have no leverage at all). Anyway, as a young female attorney, this area needs improvement.

On top of all this, we already changed out flights to come back from SF a day early so I could move on Saturday. Changing flights is not as cheap as it used to be, and if it turns out we changed them for nothing I will feel worse. My mom says not to worry so much about the money part and over time she has learned to just let go of money issues when things go wrong, but even she has only started making a decent living in the last five years so it's hard for me to give up my childhood mentality that worries about every penny. (It wasn't a fun way to grow up.)

Anyway, other than this stress things are pretty good. I had a nice massage today and was able to relax about 85% of my psyche, which is pretty good for me. I'm getting my hair cut tomorrow too - I need a more professional look so I look less like a student. My hair is one of the features I actually love about my physical appearance, so I don't want to take off too much length. Getting your hair cut can be traumatic.

Also, I've skimmed about 25% of the stuff my bosses gave me to look at before I start work. It's just not working for me. Practice guides are not meant to be read cover to cover. They are meant for looking things up when you have a specific issue, right? I'm smart enough to know when I need to look something up, so I'm gonna try not to worry about not reading all of it.

Yes, for me, easier said than done.

5 comments:

Douglas said...

STOP! If your hair is long PLEASE don't chop it off just for the sake of "the professional look". As someone that has spent many a day in a courtroom filled with bitchy women with short hair, leave it long. Hair doesn't make you professional.

As a new female lawyer in a courtroom, many will assume you are going to be a know it all bitch. Don't look the part too.

Just my humble little opinion.

Lex Fori said...

I agree. I whacked off my shoulder length hair to just below the chin about three years ago. I'm only just now getting past that.

Good luck at your new job!

Harmless Error said...

no no no. my hair is still long. i made sure the stylist understood i only wanted a couple inches off and some layers and some side swept bangs. i will never cut my hair short. *shudder*

Grace said...

That totally sucks about the apartment. I wonder what would happen if you said something like "Oh, well there's nothing I can do about it now. The moving truck has ben paid for and they're on the way. I guess I'll just have to leave my things in the lobby for a few days. That wouldn't be a problem, right?" See if he couldn't hurry the process up on his own. Apartment people are like cell phone people and car people. total dicks. How's the hair?

Butterflyfish said...

>>>so it's hard for me to give up my childhood mentality that worries about every penny.

I hear that.