We’ve come a long way from that little apartment we shared in Little Armenia.

Dear Tina,

Day 6.

Just when you think I’ve highlighted all the major things that are keeping me so busy and inattentive, alas we get to Tuesday when some of the biggest news of the year fell into place. After a long and arduous search for the perfect apartment in Chicago to live in, today my roommate and I found it.

So there we go Tina. Come August 1st, I will officially be a resident of the city of Chicago. My friend Lara said this was two years in the making. I reminded her, it was 24.

Also Tina, you will be so proud to know that the location of my apartment is in your beloved Old Town. Home of The Second City.

I’m thrilled. And it only took viewing 10 apartments to find Mr. Right. I should write a book à la Candace Bushnell.

An adventure that started in the morning and ended with me taking a 45 minute walk to the leasing office after I got off at the wrong stop. By the time I got home, I had to dedicate all of my attention to the interview that would be occurring the next day and, likely, a recorded episode of The Real Housewives of New Jersey. Alas, Dear Tina was left untouched.

My B.

30 Rock Quote of the Day:

Jenna: If your man leaves in boxers and comes home in briefs, that’s a deal breaker ladies!  If he wears an Atlanta Falcons jersey to your sister’s wedding…
Jack: That’s a deal breaker ladies!

Oh hello, sir. I’ve been taking in laundry to make extra money. I just don’t let myself read the T-Shirts with off color slogans.

Dear Tina,

Day 5.

I slept in today, which was not a part of my summer plans. I always planned on setting my alarm every day out of fear that, if I didn’t, it would be mid-July and my daily routine would involve getting up around noon and finding myself still in pajamas at 7 pm. But I was coming off a weekend of little sleep so I thought I earned it.

This day was also dedicated to laundry and unpacking and then a surprise trip to the city for an apartment viewing. Might there have been a moment in there to jot a few quick notes down in Dear Tina? Let’s just say no for my self-esteem and because, sometimes, a girl just needs to maker her delicates a priority.

It’s a good thing my sister moved out as I have successfully turned her bedroom into my drying room.

The apartment viewing was not a success, as you might assume based on Tuesday’s post, but by the time I got home, I only had the energy to fold one last load of laundry, using my laptop solely for playing hot tracks while doing so. No scheduled Dear Tina time.

My B.

30 Rock Quote of the Day:

[Pete walks in wearing a toupee]
Liz: What?
Pete: Don’t ask.
Jack: Who is this leader of men!? What can I do for you handsome?

I got to get my act together. Even Frank owns that chicken ranch in Nevada. He thought he was buying a whore house.

Dear Tina,

I am officially on day 2 of project unemployment. Maybe I should consider renaming this summer “project get a job.” It has a bit more “glass half full” kind of tone. Yesterday was action packed. Not only did I confirm a time for an interview, submit my resume for a recent opening at a prominent Chicago theatre, and contact a woman for a possible sit-down to discuss how the hell I’m ever going to get a job, but I also washed all my delicates! That’s a project that deserves an afternoon all to itself. Today kind of plateaued job search wise, but I did manage to write four Dear Tina entries. After this one, I’ll be all caught up. You may have noticed the extended delay last week in Dear Tina generating new postings. Now that I have the summer off, hopefully this will not be a recurring problem. Especially when it seems a little inauthentic to write about how I’m feeling Monday evening when it’s actually the following Sunday afternoon.

I also got in contact with a leasing agent in Chicago and was confronted for the first time with the reality of how the rest of the world views my unemployment. While I think of it has this courageous step I made to pursue my dreams, this guy was spewing out “co-signer” as soon as I began my answer to his question of whether or not I have a job with, “Well…” He was less than thrilled for me. But congratulated me on being a non-smoker so…thanks Officer Friendly.

I would like to share one news item I stumbled upon yesterday. An excerpt from an article found on tvguide.com, America’s best news source.

This will not be Pavelka’s first stab at acting: In 1999, he played a young version of Chuck Norris’ Cordell Walker on Walker, Texas Ranger under the stage name Jake Landrum.

The article referring to former Bachelor Jake Pavelka guest starring on Drop Dead Diva.

Jake Landrum? Was Hank Higgins taken? You know who I feel most sorry for? The airline pilots who are affected by association. As if there wasn’t enough job-related stress with that profession, they have to have one of their own looking for part-time work on the Lifetime network. Not cool, Landrum.

30 Rock Quote of the Day:

Jack: Kenneth, do you have a minute?
Kenneth: I sure don’t.
Jack: Kenneth, you and I both have a lot in common. We’re both hard workers. When I was your age I was putting myself through college in Boston, paddling swan boats for the tourists.
Kenneth: Is that a euphemism for some kind of sex worker?

It was terrible. I went to her apartment. I don’t think she has a toilet. I saw my future, Jack.

Dear Tina,

Well if saying goodbye to the children wasn’t hard enough yesterday, tonight I will be going into the city for my best friend’s going away party. Not my favorite kind of party. The one friend that has stayed by my side (and by my side I mean in the suburb I live) is leaving in just a few short days and not returning until April. What am I to do? Who am I supposed to watch the premiere of The Rachel Zoe Project with? Who is going to keep all my complaining in check? Who is going to roll his eyes in disgust but still love me when I burp grotesquely a mere foot away from his face? Full disclosure: one time in high school I once burped so aggressively he said that my mouth looked like a horse when it brays. What a lonely time this shall be.

Look at us, like two peas in a pod…

Oh wait. Those are the Sprouse twins. Here we are…

Aren’t we a pair?

To my dear Danny, because I know you technically read this more frequently than Tina, I’ll miss you. Come back in one piece. This request includes not getting a face piercing.

In preparation for tonight’s big event, I decided to spend the day looking for an apartment to live in come August 1st. What did I learn after eight viewings? That some Chicagoans are disgusting. I’m not asking for everyone to be meticulous, but I tell you seeing the layers and layers of dirty dishes in some of those sinks…I can’t even think about it because it’s causing my gag reflex to act up. Rather than letting a cereal bowl, that appeared to be filled with the contents of a garbage disposal and dirty water, sit on your counter, why not just rinse it out and place it in the dishwasher to your right? Honestly. I know that when people move out, they’ll take their filth with them, but I just don’t have the imagination required when it comes to squalor. I just can’t picture myself living in a place that is maintained that way while I’m visiting. P-U. Fix it.

30 Rock Quote of the Day:

Tracy: Liz Lemon, recently I realized I have a hole in my heart.And not the one I got from eating batteries.