Laid Off

[chuck]

Originally Posted by HPF Bob

The job is around Greenway but I decided to rent an apartment in Sugar Land. Lots left to do.

You would have had a Republican congressman either way and I personally would have opted for a shorter commute. But you'll certainly be closer to minor league baseball once they get the Exterminators' stadium built.

[Keith]

Seems to me there is some minor league baseball being played downtown too, at least on the home side of the field.

[nunusguy]

Congrats on your new job Bob, that's great !

[edo783]

Congrats Bob! I'm glad for you.

[chuck]

Originally Posted by Keith

Seems to me there is some minor league baseball being played downtown too, at least on the home side of the field.

You got that right, but with major league prices.

[HPF Bob]

Chuck, I would have liked to live closer but the options just weren't appealing or there was nothing that fit my timeline. Working a 2p-11p shift, the commute won't be so bad as it will be a straight shot up 59 when it's not rush hour.

There was one complex where I could have walked to work and saved on the gas money but I looked it up and they've had a history of break-ins. In fact, break-ins and roaches were a common complaint all around that vicinity. The roaches I can mildly tolerate but the break-ins, no can do.

And I looked it up. Al Green (D) would have been my U.S. rep had I lived around Chimney Rock and Westpark (great singer, lousy rep). Not that that matters that much. I was in Lloyd Dogshit's district for many years up here. I don't even know who reps Sugar Land. It's all going to get redistricted soon anyway.

I just discovered Hwy 99 that also gives me a straight shot from Sugar Land to I-10 in Katy so I won't have to take the crowded Hwy 6 anytime I'm headed back to Austin.

It will be a big transition, no doubt, but once I'm settled, I'll adapt okay. I knew there'd be sacrifices when I got laid off. From the looks of things, I'm getting off much easier than a lot of other folks so I feel truly grateful and blessed. I can't tell you how much I hated being without a job. It wasn't the money (I'm better in that regard than ever), it was all the stress and hassle of finding work. I hope I never go through that again.

[chuck]

All in all you'll probably be happier in a place like Sugarland but I'm surprised that you couldn't find an acceptable place somewhere near enough to Greenway Plaza. But you're right, driving in for a 2 pm start will be no problem.

And if I were you I might very well take 59 (or 90, depending on where you are) to 36 and get I-10 at Sealy. Once you get through Rosenberg you'll be alone on the highway.

I'd forgotten that good reverend Green's district extends into Sharpstown and over into Mission Bend. What a piece of gerrymandering that was by the felonious roach-boy. I knew he had Sunnyside and Missouri City but I didn't realize it went that far west. Why you might want to live on Westpark and Chimney Rock I have no idea unless you're considering joining a Salvadorean gang.

[HPF Bob]

Why you might want to live on Westpark and Chimney Rock I have no idea unless you're considering joining a Salvadorean gang.

But that's kinda my point. And I'll say right up front that I was doing internet searches from distant lands and then checking www,apartmentratings.com to find out what the complaints were. But the new office is right off of Westpark just inside the loop so I checked many places. Besides crime and roaches, I also had to find a place that would keep my parrot quiet (she wants to see me throughout the apartment and gets upset now if I spend too long in the bathroom or the kitchen where I'm not in her view).

So, in some cases it was the floorplan. In some, it was fear of crime, In some, it was a lack of parking (and knowing I'd be coming home very late). In some, honestly, the rent was too LOW - and I know from experience that cheap rents attract bad tenants. And it would have been nice not to live blocks away from Stripperville (Richmond Ave) or somewhere in which half the business signs were in Spanish (Is there a law where you must have a "tacqueria" on every block?).

So, call me a racist if you want to. I'm just trying to keep me and my vehicle safe and not spend over $900/mo for a 1BR apartment while not turning my bird into a screaming maniac that might get me evicted if the walls are really thin.

Amazingly, I had two people offer unsolicited advice that Sugar Land was my best choice - and one of them is married to a Stafford cop,

BTW, I used to live in Wallis which is between Rosenberg and Sealy on Hwy 36. The road wasn't great but they've had over 30 years to upgrade it since 1979 when I lived there. It was my first post-college employment.

[chuck]

You lived in Wallis? That is amazing. My grandparents had a place in Valley Lodge and I spent an awful lot of time out there when I was a kid. What in the hell were you doing there? The only thing I remember was a feed store there on the main road.

Did you look at the complex on Newcastle and Pin Oak? I don't know anything about it but it looks pretty nice just driving by. A number of years ago a cousin of mine lived in the complex on the other side of Westpark along Wild Indigo. And you know what, it was OK. It may look a little down at the heels and maybe it is but I don't remember any problems and the apartments themselves were pretty roomy as I recall. And an uncle lived in a perfectly nice complex on Wesleyan just south of Westpark. I don't know why the hell I'm telling you this since you found a place in Sugarland. What does your parrot do when you go to work? Does she know that you've left and just chill out or does she fret until you get home? Or do you know?

I don't think there's anything racist about wanting to live in a safe, nice place. You don't see me living on Chimney Rock and Westpark, do you? But since we're talking about it and since you brought up taquerias I will give all of you a free dining tip from good old chuck. The supermarket just south of the corner in question, Teloloapan - while worth going to simply as a supermarket/source of general weirdness - has a BAD ASS taco counter. If your idea of Mexican food does not encompass Escalante's or Pappasito's (or even if it does) (especially if it does) do yourself a favor and stop by this place and get yourself a plate of tacos. These people do not joke around, no sir. When you're in the area, after, say, a gang initiation ritual or a trip to Sam's Club over on Rice Ave (I think a trip to Sam's Club would be more terrifying than a gang initiation) make a point of visiting and let me know what you think.

[popanot]

You want to stay as far away from the Hilcroft/Westpark/Chimney Rock area as you can these days. That is, unless you're looking for a hooker, crack cocaine, beaten for all your money, or a slug of lead in your head (or maybe all of the above). Our office is in that area and I feel like I need to pack a pistol just to safely walk from our parking garage to the office building.