Sudden Opportunity

Last year when we were moving to Seattle I applied for a position as an apartment manager. I interviewed over the phone, but the timing didn't work out well and we didn't get the job. Then a month or so ago I was looking at jobs in craigslist and noticed the same company looking for a manager. I submitted my resume and got a phone call a few weeks ago. That opportunity didn't work out either, but I just got a phone call from the guy wondering if we're available for another complex. We're meeting with him tomorrow to take a look at the apartment and to do a in-person interview. I have mixed feelings about this:

First of all, our location here in student housing is fabulous. Mr. Fob can quickly walk to school, we can walk to the grocery store and other places, and we are right next to the bike trail for exercising. Plus I love our little community and the playground right outside our door. Our rent really isn't very high for Seattle and especially not for our location. I've also finally started feeling comfortable in this ward and there are a lot of people I would miss here.

On the other hand, free rent is not a bad thing. The other apartment has more square feet (it is still two bedrooms) and includes covered parking. We drove over there tonight and took a look. I don't like the fact that there is no balcony or private outdoor space, but there is a teeny bit of yard in the front of the complex. The building is also newer so we have a high chance of getting a dishwasher and carpet that isn't brown and thirty years old. Those would be novelties for us. We would actually have a bit more privacy than we do here, though I think I would be paranoid about the windows and small children. Also, Mr. Fob would have to ride the bus to school and that would probably take nearly an hour. But he wouldn't have to get a job so he'd only need to go two or three days a week.

It's so hard to make decisions. The actual work of managing apartments is not my idea of a dream job. I'm not usually very outgoing and I'm not sure I feel like cleaning up other people's messes. On the other hand, my last four months of job searching have been frustrating and fruitless. We only have a year of school left, so if it's horrible we have an end date in mind. Depending on the scheduling, I could probably still work in a teaching gig if something ever works out. We're meeting with the guy tomorrow afternoon, so I'm already praying to know if this is a good thing for us or not. Oh, and I didn't tell the guy we're leaving next Thursday for ten days in Hawaii. I hope that he needs someone so badly that he'll work around that. If not than it's back to more submitting my resume in the vain hope that someone out there cares.