evicted

We have to move.

Our landlord's friend just gave him 90-day's notice, and our landlord, in turn, did the same to us. Although we knew this was a possibility, it still came as a shock.

Damn.

After the shock subsided a bit, we picked up our Toronto Star and started circling rentals.

If we wanted nothing more than a nice apartment or townhouse somewhere in Mississauga, we could choose from dozens of places right away. There's no shortage of housing here, which is certainly nice (and very different from New York).

And even with our somewhat more complicated criteria, we still called four or five places yesterday, and went to see one last night. So we're confident we'll find a nice place and we'll be happy there.

But damn. We don't want to move.

The worst part is the physical inconvenience - the packing, moving and unpacking. Last time we did that - after 13 years in the same place - it was with the excitement and expectation of moving to Canada. Now it's just a pain in the arse.

I look around this house, at all the little improvements we made - the sleek Ikea light fixtures replacing the dusty fake chandeliers, the white switchplates replacing the fussy brass ones, the clean, painted walls where there was grimy, peeling old paint, and much other expense and effort - and my heart sinks. I know I wouldn't have done it any other way. But damn.

In the "making the best of it" department - although we never would have chosen it - we're likely to find a much nicer house. Here, we're paying for location - steps away from the Lake, walking distance to the GO, walking distance to all the shops and restaurants of Port Credit. Everything being a trade-off, the bathrooms are small and old-fashioned, the warped, decaying windows don't open and shut properly, and we really have twice as much yard work as we need to bother with. We think it's likely we'll find a newer house with better amenities in a less convenient, but still manageable, location.

Adding to the stress, I have two little trips coming up (one alone, one with Allan and Cody) that can't be changed. So there's a chunk of time when we can't be looking, packing or anything else.

I'll be emailing friends in the GTA with what we're looking for, in case anyone hears of a possible match. If you think you can help, please email me and I'll put you on the list.

Damn.