If you’re on the hunt for an apartment right now, you’ve probably noticed that you’re in good company. Each weekend, hordes of hunters arrive at the newest and most luxurious complexes. The apartment business is growing increasingly competitive in many markets, and leasing companies are offering tempting specials to sweeten the deal and lure prospective renters away from competitors. Working in this kind of “every man for himself” climate, however, requires a little prior knowledge before you begin your search. It really is a jungle out there.

Afraid you’re beginning your search too soon? Forget it. It used to be that renters began looking for their next apartment right before their leases were up. Not so anymore. Apartments are snapped up almost as quickly as they become available. In order to ensure yourself as many alternatives as possible, begin your hunt at least six weeks prior to the expiration of your current lease. Apartment communities generally know what their availability will be six weeks in advance.

Research each community before you visit, and find out if it’s even worth your while and the gas money. Find out rental rates and what they include. Believe it or not, some communities don’t supply microwaves for their residents, for example. If you don’t own a washer and dryer, it’s going to make all the difference in the world to have one present in your apartment. Even if you love an apartment, lugging your laundry to an on-site facility is going to color your outlook — and soon. Ask about utilities. While many communities pay for water consumption, some don’t. Whether you stand to gain by paying only for the water you use remains to be seen. To help you get a good estimate of anticipated utility expenses, ask the community representatives for a ballpark estimate of monthly utility expenses. Then call the utility provider to verify the accuracy of that estimate. It’s also important to ask leasing agents if the community is willing to take any measures to help residents cut down on their utility expenses. Some communities go so far as to install a transparent screen on windows if residents are experiencing high electricity bills due to an abundance of summer sunlight, for example.

Before you start your hunt, decide what’s negotiable and what’s not in terms of amenities. Then base all of your decisions on that list. For example, if a security system is top priority with you, don’t be swayed by an otherwise great apartment. If having a security system gives you peace of mind, it’s worth the effort to find another great apartment with a system installed. And you’ll find one — particularly if you live in a major metropolitan environment with a cutthroat-competitive rental market. Another point: If your prospective new home has particularly high community fees, ask yourself how often you’ll really take advantage of those services. Are you a fitness nut? Do you need that fitness center? Do you need drive-through mail service? All of these amenities make life easier, of course, but some of us still don’t mind doing things the old-fashioned (and cheaper) way.

If your upcoming move is being prompted by an increase in rent where you live now, take a moment to consider the costs of moving. Adding to your expenses will be a new security deposit, application fees, boxes and packing tape, moving service, and new phone service, among other things. Now, does paying an extra $25 each month seem awful? And if you’re considering a quick move up the road or a few streets away, it may not be worth the expense.

Should you decide to take the plunge and move, be sure you notify your current landlord, insurance company, post office, and credit-card companies of your upcoming move. And don’t forget that you’ll need to make revisions to your driver’s license and automobile registration, as well.

Plan to move into your new apartment on a date that overlaps with your current lease. A period of one or two days is a good guideline, according to Cathy Macaione, author of The Apartment Hunter’s Survival Guide and the president of a multihousing company. Allowing yourself that time gives you a degree of assurance that you won’t be rushed from your current residence into your next one. In such a scenario, items get lost, are broken, or you run out of time to do things like clean the apartment you’re vacating — which means you’re going to lose part of your security deposit at precisely the time you could use a little extra cash.

Moving is fraught with emotion and stress, and apartment hunters aren’t immune. But doing your homework — and starting it early — is your best defense.

About The Author

Since 1989 Dan The Roommate Man has helped 1000’s of people find roommates. Need help? Contact him at 800-487-8050 or www.roommateexpress.com

info@roommateexpress.com

Just Because The Phone Rings… By David Leonhardt

Brrrrrringgg. The telephone rang.

It was as predictable as Niagara Falls. We had just sat down to
a piping hot dinner, so of course the telephone would ring. My
wife reminded me that just because the phone rings, doesn’t mean
we have to answer it, but…

“Hello,” I answered.

“Good evening, sir. I am calling to let you know about a
fantabulous new insurance program that will protect you, your
family and everyone you ever meet from warts,” The Voice
declared. “Isn’t this an exciting time to be spending on this
planet?”

“Are you trying to sell something?” I asked suspiciously,
knowing that the answer would be…

“Not at all, sir,” The Voice assured me. “I am just calling to
let you know that you can now be protected against warts for
much less than you would think.”

He greatly overestimated my fascination with the actuarial
aspects of living wartlessly. “And you are not trying to sell me
anything?” I asked hopefully.

“Of course not,” The Voice repeated. “I am calling to protect
your entire family from warts forever.”

“My grandmother is already protected against warts forever,” I
mused out loud.

Complete silence. “How did she do that?” The Voice asked with
subdued awe.

“She died,” I replied. “She’s been protected for forty years,
now. We suspect that she will remain protected forever.”

“Uh. I see,” The Voice replied. “You, too, can be protected
against warts…”

“You want me to die?” I asked.

“No…”

“Honey, this telemarketer is threatening me,” I called out into
the kitchen.

“Well get back here, then,” my wife responded. “Your dinner is
getting cold.”

“Now look here,” The Voice began.

“Now see what you’ve done,” I scolded into the telephone.
“You’ve upset my wife. You could at least have waited until
after dinner to threaten me.”

My wife called out again. “Why do you have to answer the phone
during dinner? Just because it rings doesn’t mean you have to
answer it.”

I shouted back. “It would be rude not to answer. The Voice took
time out of his busy schedule to warn us about warts - the least
we can do is take the time to thank him. Now,” I said into the
phone. “About those threats.”

“See here, I did not threaten you,” The Voice tried to explain.
” I am simply trying to help you get rid of your warts.”

“Do I have warts?” I asked in amazement. “Sa-ay, how would you
know if I have warts?”

“I don’t. I mean, you might. That is…”

“Have you gotten rid of the telemarketer yet?” my wife called to
me.

“Not yet, honey. He’s diagnosing my warts,” I called back.

“No, you misunderstand,” The Voice began.

“What warts?” my wife asked, as she came into the room.

“He says I have warts,” I explained.

“I did not say you had warts,” The Voice tried to interject.

“Well, tell him you don’t have any,” my wife said.

“OK. I will,” I said to my wife. Then into the phone, “I think
you have a mistake. I don’t have warts. Where did you get my
number from?”

“I have this list of names…” The Voice tried to reply.

“Could you please hang up?” My wife begged. “Just because the
telephone rings does not mean we have to answer it.”

“OK,” I said.

“Now please get rid of the telemarketer so we can enjoy our
nice, chilling dinner,” she said with not a hint of sarcasm in
her voice.

“My wife wants me to eat my dinner,” I explained to The Voice.
“Can I please have your telephone number so that we can continue
this most educational discussion tomorrow morning?”

“I’m not going to give you my phone number,” The Voice retorted.

“Don’t be silly. How can I call you back if you don’t give me
your number?” I asked.

“I don’t want you to call me back. I just…” The Voice tried to
explain.

“Now hold on just a cotton-pickin’ minute,” I said. “You’re the
one who wanted to talk to me in the first place. I am doing you
a favor by taking the time to speak with you on a subject of
your choosing. The least you can do is let me call you at the
time of my choosing, so that I can enjoy a nice hot meal with my
wife. Sa-ay, are you one of those anti-family crusaders, calling
people during dinnertime just to keep families from spending
quality time together? I’ve heard about people like you…”

——-

A few minutes later, I returned to my dinner, which by now was
as cold as a penguin with no feathers. “So you finally hung up
on the telemarketer?” my wife asked. “Good for you.”

“Not quite,” I admitted.

“What?” my wife started. “Is he still on the phone?”

“I don’t think so,” I replied. “I think the telemarketer hung up
on me.”

Judith Viorst, in her best seller “Necessary Losses”, discusses
how we are forced to grow beyond the losses that are an
inevitable and necessary part of life. For children forced into
the child welfare system, the loss was necessary for their own
well being and safety. These children had to be temporarily or
sometimes permanently removed from their biological environment
due to neglect, abandonment or abuse.

Foster parents are wonderful people empowered with the courage
and fortitude to open up their hearts and homes to foster
children. They understand that becoming a foster parent is a
special mission or calling requiring the ability to be a guiding
and supporting influence on young hurting souls. They realize
that there is absolutely no alternative equal to another family
environment when children, through no fault of their own and for
whatever reason, can no longer live with their biological
families and they have willingly stepped up to the challenge of
making a difference in the life of a child.

I both admire and salute all foster parents because foster
parenting is a demanding commitment. Not only are they required
to acknowledge the bereft foster child’s difficult emotions when
first placed in their home, integrate the child into their
family, teach the child the family’s rules and rituals, routines
and expectations, engender feelings of safety and security, but
they are also required to work cooperatively in efforts to
reunify the child with his/her birth family and so much more.

Yet, I believe there is such a wondrous power in the gift of
human love and compassion. New life emerges in hearts of hurting
children longing for unconditional love, tenderness, compassion,
patience, understanding and hope. When foster parents reach out
and lovingly touch a child, they infuse something priceless of
themselves into the very soul and essence of another. When they
touch a child in empathetic, kind, gentle, healing ways, they
may be incognizant of the lasting impressions they are
imprinting upon the child’s mind screen with each loving word,
gentle embrace, and warm encouragement.

The power of love and compassion is awesome. There is something
subtle, magnetic; redemptive that mysteriously transmits to the
child in a positive, healthy and permanent way. It is the
ministry of healing; the most lasting and meaningful kind of
human touches. It is the silent, holy, and powerful contagion of
a foster parent’s influence.

Literally thousands of lives have been positively affected by
foster parents who have volunteered their homes, their lives,
and selves to these children. As a former foster child myself, I
can attest to the sustaining power that an understanding look or
warm embrace can have on crushed spirits. I know what a loving
foster home environment is. It is more than just a place to
sleep comfortably and it is more than wiping away sad tears, but
it is a refuge from the world of chaos. Foster Parents do make a
difference.

Staff at the Children’s Place at Home Safe wear shirts with the
inscription: When all is said and done all that matters is that
I have made a difference in the life of a child. What a great
testimony!

If you have not thought about it before, “now is the acceptable
time” to consider becoming a foster parent. You remember what
Jesus said in the gospel of Mark?

“Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name
welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the
one who sent me.” Mark 9:37.

People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch
them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he
was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to
me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to
such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive
the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” And
he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and
blessed them. Mark 10:13-16.

The need for loving foster homes is GREAT! There are children
waiting for families in your community. If you have room in your
heart to give the gift of hope and healing and if you have room
in your home to provide safety and stability for children who
have been neglected, abandoned, or abused, please consider
becoming a foster parent.

For Floridians, call 1-800-981-KIDS or visit The Children’s
Place at: http://www.childrensplace-homesafe.org for more
information.

All others interested in foster parenting, please contact your
local Department of Children and Family Services

There was always an important role in ritual and tradition for tattoos. Women in Borneo used to tattoo symbols on their forearm indicating their particular skill. If a woman was to wear a symbol showing she was a skilled weaver, her status was then considered as prime marriageable material. To ward away illness tattoos were place around the wrist and fingers. All throughout the history of tattoos, they have signified membership in a clan or society. Even groups today, like the Hells Angels, tattoo their group symbol. It has sometimes been believed that the wearer of an image that was tattooed calls the spirit of that particular image. If that belief holds true, the ferocity of a tiger would belong to a person with a tiger tattoo. That tradition seems holds true even today shown by the images of tigers, snakes and bird of prey tattoo on a person’s body.

The word tattoo is said to come from the Tahitian word “tatu” which means “to mark something”. Tattooing has arguably been claimed to have existed since 12,000 years BC.

Tattooing’s purpose has varied from culture to culture and its place on the time line. The earliest tattoos can be found in Egypt during the time of the construction of the great pyramids (It probably started much earlier) but this is the earliest recorded history. After the Egyptians expanded their empire, the art of tattooing began to spread as well. The ancient civilizations of Crete, Greece, Persia and Arabia picked up tattooing and expanded the art form. Around 2000 BC tattooing was then spread to China. For communications among spies, the Greeks used tattooing. Certain marking identified the spies and showed their rank. The Romans used tattoos to mark their criminals and slaves. This tradition continues even today. In western Asia girls coming of age were tattooed to show social standing, as were the married women.

The Ainu people of western Asia were known to show the Japanese the art of tattooing. It Japan tattooing was developed to be used in a religious and ceremonial rites. The women of Borneo were the tattooists. They were the one to produce designs that showed indications of the owner’s station in life and what tribe he belonged to. New Zealand developed a facial style of tattooing that is still used today. It is called Moko. There are even tribes found in Alaska that practiced tattooing. Their style indicated that it was learned from the Ainu. There is even evidence that the Incas, Mayans and Aztecs used tattooing on rituals.

William Dampher is the one who is responsible for re-introducing tattoos to the west. He was once a sailor and an explorer who traveled the South Seas. In 1691 he brought a heavily tattooed Polynesian named Prince Giolo to London. He was known as the Painted Prince. He would later put on exhibition, a money making attraction showing off his tattoos and became the rage of London. Before that it had been 600 years since tattoos had been seen in Europe. It would be another 100 years before tattoos would make it’s mark in the West.

Chatham Square in New York City was the birthplace of the American style tattoo. At the turn of the century, Chatham Square was a seaport and an entertainment center that attracted working-class people with money. Samuel O’Reily came from Boston and set up shop there. Samuel O’Reily was the first one to patent the first electric tattooing machine. The machine was based on Edison’s electric pen which punctured paper with a needle point. The basic design of this machine was with moving coils, a tube and a needle bar, are the components of today’s tattoo gun. The electric tattoo machine allowed anyone to get a reasonably priced and readily available tattoo. As the average person could easily get a tattoo but it was the upper classes that turned away from it. He took on an apprentice named Charlie Wagner and when O’Reily died in 1908, Wagner opened a supply business with Lew Alberts. Lew Alberts had trained as a wallpaper designer. He then transferred those skills to the design of tattoos. He was noted for redesigning a portion of early tattoo flash art.

It wasn’t until the late 1960s that the attitude towards tattooing changed. A lot of the credit should go to Lyle Tuttle. He then tattooed celebrities, particularly women. Television and magazines went to him to get information about tattooing. Tattooing has made a strong comeback. It is more popular than ever.

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to Tattoos