Well, JenniK had a Disney audition this week, and while she didn't get selected this time around they loved her voice and asked her to audition next month as well.
So we went to the casting center and applied for FT jobs,which are fairly scarce at Disney World. . . and they hired us both.
I don't know if I will accept the job as it is entry level and pays crap, but I am looking at other options as well, and at least I have a job for now. They are doing a background check on me now, and if that pans out (no reason it shouldn't, as I have had only very minor problems in the past, and was honest about those) I will be free to start in about 3 weeks, although I don't know if I would be able to move in that short of a time....
But JenniK is starting Sept 3rd, unless we are able to delay that start time. If not she will be living with her Aunt while I pack up and move on my own....talk about getting the short end of the stick, huh?
So we will be moving to FL, providing everything goes as planned, in a month or so!
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
w00t!
Posted by Goody Scrivener (Member # 6742) on :
Woohooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!! congrats to both of you!!!!
Posted by Beren One Hand (Member # 3403) on :
Congratulations!
"while I pack up and move on my own"
Is that our secret code for the next great Ogame Offensive?
Must. Remember. To. Change. Email. On. August. 24th.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Congrats! I know you've really wanted to move there.
But this means you won't make the Sept. 11 get-together in NYC, neh? Bummer!
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
Beren, I doubt it...I have been in vacation mode for almost a weeek now.
Want the account back? THAT would be funny, adn really mess up the Mods, huh? Posted by Beren One Hand (Member # 3403) on :
If we mess with the mods again I think Germany will declare war on America. Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
We would get killed, since WE don't play on our cell phones like they do...lol... Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
Congratulations! I will really miss having you nearby, but I know how much you two have wanted this.
Posted by zgator (Member # 3833) on :
So what are the jobs at Disney going to be? Did you send out any resumes to restaurants?
Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :
On the plus side, you'd be able to make the Serenity premiere shindig in Orlando...
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
We probably will too, as we are looking towards going to see that movie very much...
I have not sent any outside resumes yet, although I might play hookey from work today and do that...
I am going to apply at Wolfgang Puck's and Shula's when I get down there, I think, and will be looking for other high-end places as well.
JenniK got hired for Epcot attractions/rides, and I got hired (tentetivly, based on an upcoming CORI report) for Quick Serve foods, which pays a little (very little ) better. We were BOTH told that we were overqualified but that Disney hires managment from within, and that at the 90 days mark we should apply for other positions....90 days being the soonest we would be eligible.
I am leaning towards NOT taking my offered position now that Jenni has been accepted, and I will be looking into a possible transfer to the JCPenney at the Florida Mall, I think, as it probably pays a little better than the Disney position. Well, it does if it is a commission position, that is, like my position up here is...I may even be able to transfer to the jewlery depatment or something too, you never know unless you look into it. Posted by Derrell (Member # 6062) on :
Congrats to both of you. Posted by zgator (Member # 3833) on :
That sounds great. Do you have to go through casting to work at restaurants like California Grill since they are on Disney property or would you apply directly there? There are many high-end places off the resort, like Victoria and Albert's, Arthur's 27 and many other places they wouldn't ever let me into.
It would be pretty cool, though, if you ended up at JCPenney. The Florida Mall is only about 5 minutes from my office.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
Well, I am a little fed up with JCPenney, but it will do...for now.
I have to go through Casting for any restraunt job on Disney park property, although for Downrown Disney and other place I am not sure. If it is in a park or a hotel I have to use Casting as well....she tole me the tipped position were the most sought after in Disney, and that they hire enriely from within....and then she said after 90 days I should apply for tipped positions or for managment, as I was qualified for either...or at least qualified to be considered. Posted by Beren One Hand (Member # 3403) on :
If you stop working for JCPenney it will certainly be the end of an era.
I remember the first time I noticed you was when you were giving out suit buying advice on Hatrack.
I was still a grad student back then, desperate for tips on what suits I can buy for $100-200. Ah, memories.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
lol
Posted by zgator (Member # 3833) on :
At least in Vegas, you still have a chance of being rich when you leave.
Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
Congratulations, you two!
Woohoo!
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
*makes note that she and Nathan will apparently be driving out to W. Mass in the next month*
BEFORE you guys leave.
but 'cause it's what you want.
Posted by Goo Boy (Member # 7752) on :
quote:There are many high-end places off the resort, like Victoria and Albert's, . . .
Victoria and Albert's is on-property, not off.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Oh, yay for people getting jobs.
I know how it is to hope and hope and hope... I'm glad it's going to work out for you.
Posted by zgator (Member # 3833) on :
On property, off property - I still can't eat there.
Posted by Hmm216 (Member # 8403) on :
Congrats...I just recently started working at Disney (they really do pay crap for entry level positions)to cover my co op hours for school!
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
You don't want to eat there, Zan. Awful food, teeny servings, outrageous price, and überstuffy atmosphere.
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
quote:On the plus side, you'd be able to make the Serenity premiere shindig in Orlando...
I'm not aware of such a shindig . . .
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
quote:Originally posted by mackillian: *makes note that she and Nathan will apparently be driving out to W. Mass in the next month*
BEFORE you guys leave.
but 'cause it's what you want.
Yeah...you STILL owe us dinner for standing us up the first three (dozen) time(s)!
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
We were there for 5 day, and just got back to MA last night, so I know what the weather is like down there, and JenniK lived down there for three years.
I am not particularily fond of the heat, but I can deal with it, and JenniK hates the winter months up here, so we will be fine.
I do need some suggestions for finding an apartment in the Kissimmee area, I know that a lot of times the best deal is if you can find someone who is renting an apartment off of their house, or a small, well-kept place off the beaten path...
Anyone know of such a place? We don't have a lot of money, but rents up here are about the same as what I have been seeing down in the Kissmmee area so we proabbly won't have sticker shock for most places we would like.
We are looking for a large one bedroom or a medium two bedroom apartment, in a fairly decent area close to Disney . . .
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
Any idea of how much you want to spend?
I can help you, but I want to keep from suggesting things that are out of the question.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
Near the $600 mark, although we might go a little above that if we have to....I have been looking at some 2 BR-2BTHRM apartments that are about $630...
Most of the 1 BR ones seem to be about the $540-590 mark, with the 2 BR ones between $590-680...
Posted by Bob_Scopatz (Member # 1227) on :
Kwea, congratulations! This is excellent. I hope you find a place in your price range that's in a decent-enough neighborhood. Please get advice from some locals (like Icarus and zgator, and others) because Orlando area is not a place you want to go choosing at random.
I would also have to say that one Disney employee in the family will probably seem like enough after awhile. I'm not saying it's a bad company to work for, but things like total work hours ramp up and down there and the "work your way up" model is a lot less stressful if one of you has stability while the other takes on the new weird schedule and the "opportunity experience."
I know people who love working there and have been there decades. I know others who couldn't stand it once they figured out how things really worked.
Fortunately, the growth in the area has been so strong for so long that there are a fair amount of jobs. The average wage is low. And since not much is unionized you can expect a certain level of abuse from employers. It just works differently from the North East.
Enjoy the adventure!
Another piece of advice. Ramp down your spending and be VERY frugal when you first get down there. If things seem cheap, don't take that as an invitation to spend. It's a trap a lot of new transplants fall into. They spend at their old wage level and then realize what the new income level will support. In fact, locking up the credit cards until you adjust to the place is not an entirely bad idea.
(Sorry for presuming, but I've seen too many people get into serious financial trouble this way when transplanting to the South).
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
Almost every apartment complex in Kissimmee is going condo, but I'll keep my ear out.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
Cool, I would appreciate it.
Bob, I work for JCPenney...what is this "union" stuff you keep talking about?
I plan on getting two jobs if I can't find a career, but if I can find something that pays well enough I will focus on that. I don't care how hard I have to work, it is time for me to get going. Jenni and I want to have kids soon before we get much older, and where we currently are we just can't afford it, and might not ever be able to.
FL is going through growing pains right now, growing faster than ever, and there is tremondous oppertunity there . . . as well as tremendous potential for failure, of course. However, at least this way I will know I at least gave myself the chance to succeed, and that is more than I have tended to do in the past.
Posted by Space Opera (Member # 6504) on :
How wonderful! Best of luck to Jenni on next month's audition.
space opera
edit: Jenni with an "i" not a "y"!!
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
quote:Originally posted by Kwea: Near the $600 mark, although we might go a little above that if we have to....I have been looking at some 2 BR-2BTHRM apartments that are about $630...
Most of the 1 BR ones seem to be about the $540-590 mark, with the 2 BR ones between $590-680...
*coughs*
*chokes*
*sputters*
I clearly have been living in SoCal too long. I'm starting to think what we pay for rent is normal!
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
To be fair, I think he's looking at apartments in Deliverance or something at that rate.
Do they have electricity?
My father pays $650 or so (more, I think) in Kissimmee for a one bedroom apartment that is maybe 250 square feet.
(Maybe Haines City or Davenport will have more options in this range.)
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Deliverance? Like the movie? O_O
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
I have found more than one place right in Kissimmee within that range, and I looked at one of the places myself while I was there...it seemed fine, and was right off on 192...
I pay about $525 now, here in MA, and make $4 per hour more than what I was offered as pay there . . .
So unless things are a LOT cheaper than I think they are down there we may have a problem...
I am not looking for a slum, but I can't move down there making a lot less per hour and spending a lot more for rent, at least not right off the bat.
I can drive half an hour if necessary, if that is what I need to do to get the rent down. Whatever it takes, to be honest...
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
And all the apartments I have lloed at are at least 600-700 sq feet, and the two bedroom ones are 800-1040. Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
Good lord. We pay $650 a month for a one bedroom and that's CHEAP for here. Average is $750-800.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
No one ever said you were bright, mack...
Well,ok...I never did. Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
Bah. Can't see any of those without registering.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
Ok, wait a sec, I will post the addresses, anyway... Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
Outrigger Village (866) 301-2206 ext. 5453 1701 Mabbette Street Kissimmee, FL 34741 Managed by: Royal American Managemen
This is one......
Here is another...:
Address: 201 St. Cloud Village Court Kissimmee, FL 34744
Phone: 407-957-4111 Fax: 407-957-4834 Number of Units: 208 Lease Terms: 12-Month
Office Hours: Mon-Fri: 9:00 to 5:30 Saturday: 10:00 to 5:00
Type & Pricing:
Beds Baths Price Deposit Type Sq. Ft. 1 1 $514 $300 Apartment 2 2 $574 $300 Apartment 3 2 $668-$705 $300 Apartment *Prices might be out of date. Contact apartment for up-to-date information.
Features:
Apartment Features Community Features
* Air Conditioning * Cable TV Available * Wheelchair Access * Dishwasher * Pet - Friendly * W/D Hookups * W/D in unit * Walk-in Closets
* Clubhouse * Emergency Maint. * Storage * Fitness Center * Laundry Facility * Playground * Public Trans. * Swimming Pool
Custom Features:
* Swimming pool * 1st floor private entrance * Clubhouse * Frost-free refrigerator * Fitness center * Fully equipped kitchens * Washer/dryer connections * Professional staff * Laundry facility * Small pet welcome pet deposit $300
Pet Policy: Weight Restriction - 40 lbs.
Directions: From Orlando take John Young Parkway South to Highway 192 East. We will be located on your left just after the Florida Turnpike overpass.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
These are newer listings, so the prices should be right on, although I have sent out inquiries to make sure.... Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
Address: 4100 Arrow Ridge Place Kissimmee, FL 34741
Phone: 407-932-1010 Fax: 407-932-1213 Number of Units: 320 Lease Terms: Variable
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
It seems like most of thses places are rental companies, unlike here in the NE...my credit is fair at best, as is Jenni's...and most of them require application fees, which I have a problem with. If you want to look up stuff, fine, but don't try to charge ME for it...it is part of the cost of you chosing to do business like this...
I hope we can qualify. Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Most places will take you with so-so credit if you've got a solid job and no recent severe delinquencies. But honestly, you've never been charged an application fee? Gosh, we've never NOT...
Oh, and you don't want to know what the HUD fair market value rents are like around here.
Posted by MyrddinFyre (Member # 2576) on :
Oh my goodness!! Congratulations, you guys will move up quickly! I'm SO jealous, I always wanted to work at Disney
We definitely need a fare-well dinner of the NE crowd!
... and now there's more reason for a Hatrack Disneycon >_>
Did I mention I was JEALOUS?!
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
Myr, you are more than welcome to come visit. We get all sorts of discounts and free passes, and Southwest Airlines has an Internet special they just expanded to cover the rest of the year....$49.99 each way from Hartford to Orlando! It cost us $116 round trip with all of the fees included, so it is very inexpensive right now...
My father suggested I look into working for JCPenney in the furniture department, I guess with all the property damage last year they are extremely busy right now. Posted by zgator (Member # 3833) on :
<--is not familiar with any JCPenney furniture departments round these parts.
When you were looking at apartments, did you find the website that includes ratings of them and reviews from tenants? What you posted might have been it, but I didn't register.
Did you go to the one place you posted that's in St. Cloud? I'm not real familiar with the traffic in that area, but that's a pretty good drive to Disney. Joe would be much better at helping you find a place down there though.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
I wrote down which one I visited, but I don't remember offhand. I think it was in Kissimmee though, not St. Cloud.
If I have to drive half an hour to get a rent I can afford, so be it, although ti would be nice to not have to do that....
Posted by Goo Boy (Member # 7752) on :
St. Cloud is doable if you take the turnpike and Osceola parkway (at least during peak traffic hours), but then we're talking about $2.25 in tolls each way.
I will try to look at these later . . . maybe bugmenot can help with the registration.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
Someone at work just told me they were selling a full size pick up for about $500...well, it was more, but I have worked for her for 2 years and we get along well so she lowered the price for us...and it just passed the MA inspection last month and has 4 tires less than a year old.
Sounds like I am buying a truck this weekend!
Kwea
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
o_O
Busy coupla days, hunh?
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
HAH! Bugmenot does have a login for rent.com!
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
Check out this site.. They have apartment complexes rated, apparently by people who have lived there. FWIW.
Outrigger, if they're the ones I'm thinking of, have a cute front facade. They are in a minority (read: Puerto Rican) area of Kissimmee, convenient to both 192 and to the Osceola.
Posted by zgator (Member # 3833) on :
A pickup truck? You will fit into Osceola County so well.
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
Reef Club seems to be in the same neck of the woods, but I can't bring up a mental image for it. I'll ask my father what he knows.
Summer Cove is well in the heart of Saint Cloud. St. Cloud is a less expensive town than Kissimmee. It's population is largely farm-oriented (when it is not work-at-the-parks oriented). I would worry about the commute to work--especially tolls.
What is the name of that other one? Do you have a link?
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
I've got to go out later tonight. Maybe I'll try to swing by these and get a sense of them.
-o-
Will you have to rent an apartment sight unseen?
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
No, Jenni will be coming down before I am, she will be staying at her cousins house in Lake Mary for a few weeks.
It is a ride, but for a short term stay it is workable, as long as this pickup works out when I look at it tomorrow (tonight maybe)...she will drive down, probably with ther mother. I will keep the pickup, and perhaps drive down with a friend.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
Carlton Arms Apartments 300 Jamestown Dr Winter Park, FL 32792
This seems a bit far, but Jenni says it might be OK (a little long but OK).
The place has gotten wonderful reviews, and the rent is about 600 I think...
Posted by Bob_Scopatz (Member # 1227) on :
No! DO NOT move into Reef Club!!!
Another thought, though... Ask your Disney compatriots where some good places to live are. You're moving down toward the end of the summer season. I expect there are lots of people vacating places that they rented for the summer while they interned or something.
St. Cloud isn't bad, except for the tolls. Disney is a bear on tardiness, so you definitely want to live somewhere where you can find an alternate route to work if necessary. St. Cloud does fit the bill as you could always jump on the toll roads if you were running late or traffic was backed up.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
Have you had a bad experience with Reef Club Bob? I take it either you ahve or you know someone who has...
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
quote:Disney is a bear on tardiness, so you definitely want to live somewhere where you can find an alternate route to work if necessary. St. Cloud does fit the bill as you could always jump on the toll roads if you were running late or traffic was backed up.
This would suggest rather strongly against Hanes City and Davenport and the other cities down I-4 or US-27, and there is only one basic way from there. And I-4 (lately anyways) has frequent construction between Hanes City and Disney, that sets traffic back for miles and miles.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
I am currently looking into Maitland...Kev says it takes about 20 min to get to work, and he lives about 10 min from Disney...
I like St. Cloud, and I am looking at Southwestern Orlando but it makes me nervous because I don't know anything about the area so I don't know where to stay away from, you know....
Posted by Beren One Hand (Member # 3403) on :
quote:Originally posted by rivka:
quote:Originally posted by Kwea: Near the $600 mark, although we might go a little above that if we have to....I have been looking at some 2 BR-2BTHRM apartments that are about $630...
Most of the 1 BR ones seem to be about the $540-590 mark, with the 2 BR ones between $590-680...
*coughs*
*chokes*
*sputters*
I clearly have been living in SoCal too long. I'm starting to think what we pay for rent is normal!
My thoughts exactly. Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
Southwest Orlando, as in west of OBT and south of Sand Lake, is all a pretty decent area.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
I ahve found that the prices varies as much as $150, even between places close to each other, with similar amenities...
Most of the 2 BR/2 BTHRM apartments seem to be between 600-700, at least outside of Orlando. In Orlando they seemt o be higher, of all things... Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
Apparently, my father's only paying 580. My mistake then. I'm not sure of his square footage, but it sure seems small.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
That makes a little more sense... Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
Does he like his building?
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
He does, but it was sold and went condo like every other apartment complex in Central Florida. But, like a lot of condo buyers, his is willing to continue to rent it to him. Apparently it was bought as an investment. Or, we think, as a drug money laundering scheme. We suspect that this may be part of the huge price bubble in Central Florida.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
I am fairly sure of it myslef, but a lot of it is possible because of the huge population growth one way or another. Even if it is a sacm or a laundering scheme.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
Jenni is calling Disney tomorrow to try and push back her orientatio a few days, maybe a week, they told her to call if it was a problem when we were down there interviewing.
She want to give a full two weeks notice, adn help pack a bit around here. Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
I go to look at the truck today, and I hope that it is in decent shape...if it is it will be a godsend. Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
Well, there is good news and bad news about the truck....
First of all, it is NOT a full sized truck, it is a Ford Ranger XLT, which is a very SMALL truck. I believe it also had a 4 cylinder engine which will limit how much I can pull with it.
I seems to be in fairly good condition, although there is come rust in the wheel wells which has been Bondo'd up well and painted over. It looks pretty nice for a 1992...
I will probably buy it providing it rides well, but there is another potential snag...I couldn't tell if it had air conditioning.
Now I know that seems like a quibble to a lot of people, but trust me it isn't...not when we are moving to FL. I have had quite a few cars and trucks that didn't have air conditioning, and up here that is just a minor issue. Most of the time you like to have it here, but it is rarely (if ever) a necessity.
In FL it is so hot that the inside of the car/truck can exceed 180-190 degrees at times.
I will buy it one way or another, but to be honest I probably won't keep it if it doesn't have AC. I can't, it is actually dangerous.
[ August 25, 2005, 10:54 AM: Message edited by: Kwea ]
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
One thing to consider, though, is that it will be hard to unload it in FL if it has no air conditioning...
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
Right...but since I am only paying $500 for it it would seem to be worth it, at least for now. I can'tr afford much with the pending move and all, and I plan on being up here for at least 3 weeks without JenniK, so I really need a car/truck for the time I am up here alone as well.
I am taking it for a test drive tomorrow to se if it is worth it. Posted by Hmm216 (Member # 8403) on :
Air Conditioning is very important to have here in FL...it is a killer to live without!
Posted by JenniK (Member # 3939) on :
Right...but I think I could deal with it as long as it was short term....
Jenni and I pay off her car in 9 months, and I would be getting a new(er) car at that point anyway... Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
You say you're not sure. That would imply the seller is not sure either, or is hiding the information from you. It would also implied that it possibly *might* have A/C, and therefore, the agreed-upon price is, in both your opinions, a fair price for a truck *with* A/C.
Could be a basis for knocking the price down a little further?
If the price is good enough, you could always just pay someone to fix the A/C.
Posted by Storm Saxon (Member # 3101) on :
Glad to see you're able to move here as you wanted to, Kwea.
I don't really have any apartment complex recommendations as I've never lived in any in the Orlando area. I usually try to rent whole houses or subdivided houses when I can. However, I believe a lot of people doing the Disney thing are living in the Clermont area as it avoids a lot of the Orlando traffic. Maybe you can look for places there, too.
The main thing I've heard about Disney is that they aren't too flexible in terms of giving you days off when you need it. Also, it seems like every couple of years Disney goes through spasms where it fires a ton of people and then a few months later hires a bunch of people....
Hope you're used to crappy traffic. Posted by JenniK (Member # 3939) on :
The owner is in Poland, I am friends with his Aunt...
With all the work that was done to it in the last year, and the fact that it just passed the MA insepctions last month, $500 is as low as I could expect, with or without AC. Good idea though....
I won't know until I can get inside the truck...it was locked today, I just went to go look at the body of it and see it first hand...some of the older AC's didn't have a seperate control, just a little button adn the temp slide thing.....so it COULD have AC, but it is doubtful.
I take it on a test run tomorrow, I should know more about 6:30 pm tomorrow...but AC or not, if it runs well I am taking it.
It is a 4 cylinder Ford Ranger, 1992, with about 200,000 miles on it...I am ot putting a DIME into it other than a trailer hitch. Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
I'm not convinced that a 4-cylinder car can tow a trailer.
I think all cars came with A/C by 1992, so I would think the question would more be does it still work.
Posted by JenniK (Member # 3939) on :
No, you can still buy them without it, although living in FL I can see why you would not know that.
It can tow a trailer, just not the trailer I was planning on using. I will be using a small one, to be sure...although it might be a 6 cylinder, I haven't seen under the hood, or in the manual, yet. Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
BTW, I HATE it when she doesn't log out.....
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
Have you heard anything about that Outrigger Apts? It got a fair rating on the site, mostly complaints about the cabinaets....
I know you said it was in a minority area, but that doesn't mean it is a bad part of town...or was that what you were getting at?
I live in an area now that some people look down on, but the rent is great and the neighbors are cool, and we have never had a real problem in the almost 3 years we have lived here.... Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
Outrigger Apts 1701 Mabbette St Kissimmee, FL 34741 407-846-2040
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
I haven't had the chance to talk to my father about it.
It's not really a bad area. My father lives not to far from there. It's just that not being prejudiced and being comfortable living where all your neighbors speak Spanish first are two different things. If you're going to live in the US-192 area, in the rectangle that is formed by Columbia, Oak, Main, and Hoagland, you'd better be comfortable being a minority. And I'm not saying that you're not, just giving you food for thought.
-o-
One piece of advice I would give for all potential renters is visit a complex at night at least once. How many teenagers are hanging around in the parking lot? How loud are people? What's the atmosphere like? Is it one you're comfortable with?
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
Yeah, I was going to recommend that to Jenni...check in on a Sunday night...Sunday because a lot fo people work all weekend at the parks in the area, Mon/Tues are a weekend for a lot of people. Either that or just check in on a Fri/Sat night.
I would prefer to be able to speak in English to my neighbors, but Jenni speaks Spanish well, so we would be able to get along if necessary.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
OK, I try out the truck in about an hour... Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
Here is the deal..
It is a SIX cylinder, not a four, which is great news...
It does NOT have AC, which is bad. Also, it was a little lound, but not bad, and there were no warning signs...no clicks, squeals, clanks....
The steering column had been broken into a while ago, but the key still works, and still locks...I tried it with another key AND a screwdriver and it wouldn't turn.
I am buying it to be sure. She was a little late getting to the truck because of an accident closing a lane down over the only bridge into town, so it was too alte to get the cash from the bank, but we will be buying it on Tuesday.
Now, I need a trailer hitch...also, the mirrors are too weak...they move inward when I go over 50 mph...so I will replace those, and add a hitch, and that is it. Posted by Bob_Scopatz (Member # 1227) on :
At that price, I'm sure you can unload it again later without too much trouble.
I asked a buddy who used to be in Kissimmee PD for some ideas on good/bad/ugly for apartment complexes. There are a couple I liked over off of the Osceola Parkway. I can't recall the names of them, but they weren't bad.
You might be able to rent a house in an area called "Indian Wells" for around your price range too.
Not the be-all/end-all of neighborhoods, but I think they're a bit better than Reef Club.
I'm hesitating on where else to look because I don't know the price ranges and I can't recall the names of the ones that were truly notorious.
I hope my friend gets back to me in a timely fashion. He's a bit of a problem that way.
Anyway, since it's a rental, you aren't really stuck FOREVER anyway.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
Right...some of these places even offer a 6 or 7 month lease.
Where would I find out about those houses for about that price? I would MUCH rather move into a house, all other things equal. Posted by Bob_Scopatz (Member # 1227) on :
Okay...
well, here's a link that will give you a map to where it is. Frankly, the link is about vacation rentals and you'll probably get freaked by the prices they're asking ($600/wk US). But there are a fair number of people who bought in that subdivision who have moved up in life and didn't do the conversion to a holiday rental (it's expensive to make a property legal for short-term rental). So, there are usually a lot of places to rent and/or for sale in that neighborhood.
I personally wouldn't recommend buying there unless you got such a great price that you know you could get your money back out of it later when you moved to a nicer area.
The houses are pretty simple, but the builder (Greater Construction) is one of the better ones in the area. They did a nice job and had a few nicer features for what were basically entry level houses.
I used to live in a sister development of theirs called Indian Ridge. That's off one 192 up closer to Disney. I doubt you could find a house there to rent for less than $1000 a month. And a lot more of them are vacation rentals.
Edit to add: when you zoom out on that map, the locations tagged "Old Lake Wilson Subdivisions" is about where I used to live -- Indian Ridge is in there.
So...I'd say at least check out Indian Wells.
Location-wise, it's in a good spot. You can get to Disney by one of several routes.
Good luck!
I think you'll love it there! (I mean in the Kissimmee/Orlando area)
Have fun.
by the way, check out 104.1 in the afternoon drive time. Jim Phillips show (The Phillips Phile) is a lot of fun. The other stuff on WTKS (104.1) can be a bit too raunchy for my tastes, but I always enjoyed Jim Phillips' program.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
Summer Cove (866) 334-5791 ext. 9069 200 PINE VALLEY RD SAINT CLOUD, FL 34769 Managed by: Concord Management Ltd
This is right inbetween St. Cloud and Kissimmee...I don't know anything about the area though...
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
Bob, thanks, but I can't seem to find any homes there for rent except the short term stuff....maybe Jenni can go take a look later....
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
I told Jenni about that area, she will be asking about it and taking a drive through when she gets down there. If I could get into a house for about the same amount (renting that is, I can't but yet, although I will be trying to save up for that as well...) it would be well worth it!
I need to get started at the new job to see what I will be making per hour, if necessary I can get a night job.
JenniK is already planning on getting another job.
Posted by Bob_Scopatz (Member # 1227) on :
Gah! Welcome to Florida...
Beware the 2nd job when you work for Disney. They will not work around your schedule. And many employers seem to delight in changing hours and making you choose. I don't know what it is with people, really. It's an economy that practically demands that many people work two jobs, and yet, each employer acts as if they are the only one with demands on your time.
Now, I could see this if they were giving you a full 40 hours per week and you had benefits, etc. But what many of them do is short everyone enough hours so that they don't qualify for benefits and THEN get upset when told you have a second job.
Seriously sucks.
I could probably get you a few contacts in the hotel industry. Maybe a couple of other places if you start to worry. Really, I've been away from there so long that I don't know what the job situation is.
I am sorry to be such a doom and gloom messenger here. I do know that there are always jobs. I think it's possible to walk in to many places and be hired practically on the spot.
I don't know how the retail situation works, but most of the schools are already back in session so all those jobs are open.
It just depends on what kind of stuff you want to do.
Good luck...again!
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
Anything that pays well at this point..and my idea or "paying well" isn't real high compared to most.
I like the hospitality industry, and may take you up om that, but as of right now I will give JCPenney a try down there, the area I am going into already pays better than my current job up here.
I am a people person, and do well in interviews, and have a TON of experience in the food service industry as well, including the high end serving/managing areas.
I am sure it can't be worse than up here, where teh worst house I have ever seen just sold for $136,000 last week. Posted by Goo Boy (Member # 7752) on :
If you're considering staying in retail, you might look into Appliance Direct. They're an appliance store with the most annoying commercials of life, but their opening a new supercenter of some sort near Osceola County, and advertising for jobs all over the radio. They claim that they pay substantially better than other retail-type jobs. They could be full of it, for all I know, but it might be worth checking out.
Posted by Goo Boy (Member # 7752) on :
I will try to drive around and look at those neighborhoods if I get a chance, btw. I'm not ignoring that, I just haven't gotten out yet.
Posted by JenniK (Member # 3939) on :
well, I for one can't wait to go back to the sunshine and warmth...where there are palm trees... and the only snow is made of soap flakes! I miss it already and I hven't even been here (in the frozen north) for a whole week yet!
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
Funny thing is the "frozen north" she is talking about has been a nice, non-humid 84 degrees.. Posted by MyrddinFyre (Member # 2576) on :
lucky!
the air here is like wading through pea soup!
Posted by Hmm216 (Member # 8403) on :
Kwea,
Have you ever though of getting your Real Estate License? That is a good Second job, you can work on your own schedule. It is a good business to be in right now.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
Yeah, that one of the things I am considering, although I am also considering the mortages side of it as well, I have a little bit of experience with that already. Not a lot, but a little... Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
Well, I said goodbye to my parents today. It was really tough, we are pretty close...
I will be starting a thread about that later...
Posted by MyrddinFyre (Member # 2576) on :
Goodbye? When do you leave?
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
My dad just retired, and they are moving back to MI (and AZ in the winters). They have the moving company comming tomorrow and they leave Wed...
JenniK leaves in about a week, and I will follow about 3-4 weeks after. Posted by MyrddinFyre (Member # 2576) on :
Ohh! I see, I see. Busy couple weeks you have ahead of you!
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
Yep, it was tough saying goodbye, I will be lucky to see them a couple times a year from this point on. I usually spend AT LEAST every other weekend there all summer, and 1 weekend a month down there with them in the winter, not to mention every holiday and birthday I can get to.
I buy the truck today though, so I am happy about that at least.
[ August 30, 2005, 09:44 PM: Message edited by: Kwea ]
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
She is at work, I just missed her!
I will catch up with her tomorrow, I guess. Posted by zgator (Member # 3833) on :
This is the first time I've checked back in a while. I thought I saw something a page or so back that said that you were looking at the Maitland area, as well. Don't! You would have to drive down I-4 through downtown Orlando everyday to get to Disney. And they will start reconstruction of the I-4/SR 408 interchange right downtown within a year.
I also want to second what Storm said about looking at Clermont, as well as Winter Garden and Ocoee due west of Orlando. Those would be fairly easy commutes to Disney taking SR 535 straight south. I'm guessing you have a map of the area. Also, that leg of the Western Beltway is under construction and should be open in the not so distant future.
If you end up at JCPenney at the Florida Mall, you can jump right on the Turnpike in that area and will drop you right off at the Mall area. That JCPenney is the largest in the area I believe and has the largest suit department.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
Yeah, but I am not doing suits there, there isn't much money it suits in FL compared to the rest of the country. I will be working in the Drapery department, which is the largest and bsuiest in teh state, and one of the first stores in the entire country to reach 1 million dollars in drape sales.
As far as Maitland, my best friend takes the back roads to work at the Applebys every day and he said it was about 30-40 min to Disney using those back roads. I am trying to find something closer, to be sure, so thats for the heads up about the distance.
Jenni had her start date pushed back to the 13th, so she will be leaving in about a week or so. Her and her mother will be driving down, and her mom will fly back a week later.
I have found some real leads for a place to stay, and will be following up on some of them from here, and I will have a list of places for Jenni to check out by the time she leaves. I have Kevin, who I spoke to last night (now he is one of those darn lurkers.. ) looking at the Indian Wells area Bob_S mentioned as well. He also gave me a heads up about a couple places in Kissimmee/St. Cloud that I had him check out.
Having friends in the area makes things so much easier, huh? Posted by zgator (Member # 3833) on :
I know you guys are probably buried in looking at places, but seriously, Winter Garden or Ocoee might be good choices.
Ask your friend what back roads he's taking from Maitland. I can't think of any roads out of there that aren't pretty congested, so I'm curious. I'm always happy to learn a new back way.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
Will do, I am suppose to talk to him in the next few day again.
I am looking at everything and anything...but when I did a search for those areas I got very few hits to be honest. I didn't have time to go real in-depth, but I will consider them, of course.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
The lady selling the truck and I have opposite scheduals for this week, so I might not have the truck until this weekend.
Jenni pushed her start date back until Spetember 13th, so she will be leavign the 8th we think.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
OK, I bought the truck, and tomorrow I plan on registering it, as long as work lets me take a 2 hour lunch... Posted by MyrddinFyre (Member # 2576) on :
Yay!
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
I took this afternoon off to go register it...and look when I am, here at Hatrack while getting ready to do just that.
I am so sick....I need help....
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
OK, the truck si running, and registered and insured. Jenni had 4 days of work left...that really brings home how much work we have left to do, let me tell you...
My friend Kevin, who at SOME point will post as VelourMan here at Hatrack (he is stuck in lurker mode for now, he says), just checked out two places for me yeasterday...both as possibiliies, although he said one of them wasn't in a great section of town...but it wasn't real bad, and the places themselves seemed pretty nice.
The place that seems to be leading at the moment is an apartment in a two family home, with a fireplace and air conditioning, for about $595. It is about 1000 sq feet, 2 bedrooms and one bathroom, which is what we have now...actually it is larger than this place is to be honest. Kevin used the renal company when he was renting out his home a few years back, and he said they do a good job, so I went to their site and found this place.
I would like to have a pool and a fitness room, so I am looking at other places as well, but this place seems to be pretty good, Kevin said they were painting the house and they were fixing it up pretty nice when he went by it.
It is in Kissimmee, about 20 min or so from Disney, I think.
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
Rob, if you're up, call me on my CELL PHONE.
(Do NOT call the house!)
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
*bump*
Posted by Goo Boy (Member # 7752) on :
Oh well, sorry I missed you. I was out and I had nothing better to do, so I figured I would look at apartment complexes. It was too hard to follow links on my phone, though, so I was hoping you could recap them for me on the phone. Anyway, I found a really cool place in Lake Buena Vista cheaper than anything in Kissimmee, maybe five minutes from employee parking at Epcot (tops), and convenient to I-4 and, therefore, JCPenney. And it has a pool and workout room, and LARGE laundry facilities.
Interested?
I also saw a complex with fantasy theme street names, like Hobbit Circle and Wizard way, but I was otherwise less impressed.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
Icky, of all nights for me to go to sleep early...
I am interested in the LBV one, do they have a listing on the web? What is the place called? Or were you just pulling otherwise unmentional bits of my anatomy? Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
Icky, Cor, and zgator have all been a great help!
As has my friend Kevin...aka VelourMan (if he ever stops lurking!)
[ September 04, 2005, 02:01 AM: Message edited by: Kwea ]
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
Icky, did you get a chance to look at any of those places I sent you? I know I sent a lot of them, but I figured since I have no idea what was and wasn't close to you I would let you pick and choose from all of them. Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
::bump::
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
I didn't make it out yesterday, sorry. I'll see if I get out today.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
It's all good. Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
Icky, I don't want to call this late, give me a call if you see this, I am up (and watching the FSU game as well. ).
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
I'll call you if you want, but my father bailed on me, and I never made it out today, so I have nothing new to report. Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
(Let me know.)
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
It is all good, whenever you can....I am not going anywhere...although Jenni leaves in two days now....
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
o_O
Did Jeb! just say, "It's payback time"?!
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
Actually...if you could get the name of that place near the EPCOT parking lot, in LBV< that would be really cool. I looked, and I can't find anything. I need the actual name of the place to call them or look them up online.
Whenever, not an emergency. Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
I'll try to call my father from work tomorrow--I suspect he's sleeping now and don't want to wake him.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
That works, as I said it is important but not time crucial. Thanks for the help so far, BTW. Even just hearing about the area helps a lot.
Posted by Goo Boy (Member # 7752) on :
Are you online right now?
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
just got here, why?
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
OK, I am gone now, or will be shortly...
Be back later though...I hurt my back so this is about the extent of my activity for tonihgt. Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
The place in Lake Buena Vista is called Buena Vista Place:
They do something pretty cool, if you think you might eventually buy a house. If you leave them to buy into a house, they will rebate you a percentage (5%?) if your payments to them to be used as a downpayment.
Another one my father says you should look into is Wellington Woods. This is located in Kissimmee on Hoagland, about 11 minutes from Disney via Osceola Parkway, 20 to 30 minutes away depending on traffic on US-192. It is about 20 - 30 minutes from the Florida Mall (again, possibly less, depending on trafffic.) (See below regarding their cable prices.)
-o-
Outrigger Apts on Mabette is in the downtown Kissimmee area. Probably not the best of areas, but I'm just basing this on mapquesting, not on a driveby (yet).
My father concurs that Reef Club is no good.
Arrow Ridge is not bad. It is right next to my father's apt, and owned by the same people that own Wellington Woods. (He likes Wellington Woods better, though.) My father says it is not bad. Both are gated (Wellington Woods closes their gate more regularly than Arrow Ridge.) Both of them have free after-school childcare programs. Neither includes cable in the price of rent. (I don't know if others do, but my father's does, and he says their cable is particularly expensive, and they don't allow you to have dishes unless they are physically inside your apartment.)
As noted, this information is from mapquest and picking my father's brains. I have not yet driven around to these places.
-o-
My father recommends against any place that charges redecorating fees, as they will tend to nickel and dime you forever. He also recommends that you argue against having to pay separate application fees for the two of you. (But the Tremmel Crowe properties generall try to make you do this.)
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
Buena Vista Place seems to be referenced here.
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
Something else to consider:
Displaced families from Katrina are coming here (among other places) to live and go to school while their homes are repaired. Our district alone is taking in over a thousand students from the affected areas into our schools. So there might soon be a shortage of apartments. You'd best get while the getting is good. Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
Did you say you're working in furniture at JCPenney? Is that at the mall, or in a separate store? I haven't looked for furniture since I moved here, but I know that in Miami, JCPenney sold furniture through a separate store called "JCPenney Home Store" or something like that. I don't recall seeing furniture in the Florida Mall dept. store. So do you know where exactly you will be commuting to?
(Did you ever look into that Appliance Direct place? Was that a total bust, or of any interest at all?)
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
I will be selling drapes, actually, although tehy are looking at buying the space from the Lord and Taylor right next to them and making it a furniture department.
They were the first store in the company to hit 1 mill in drapes sales, so they said it should be a considerable raise from what I make now....and I keep my days of service with the company, almost two years worth at this point.
I would like to have decided on a place within a week of Jenni getting there, and we have the cash to put down if necessary.
Kwea
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
Okay . . . did you see my last post on the previous page?
(I hate it when stuff gets lost on the bottom of the page!)
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
I read too fast, and thought you were selling grapes.
When do you leave, Kwea? Any chance of one last W Mass. gathering?
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
Jenni leaves on Thursday, at 6 am. I will be following in 3-5 weeks.
Icky, I had not see it, thanks for mentioning it. I sent a few emails out to two places mentioned, including the LBV one. That one looks most likely, to be honest.
The move in cost is fairly cheap, but I am busting their balls a bit, asking about a Disney CM discount. Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
According to the thread I linked, they offer one. Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
Yep, bu they don't say what it is, do they...sneaky guys...some places don't do a credit check if you are a Disney employee, they just verify your employment wi them.
Our cresit isn't great, to be honest, although eprerian seems to think I have owned 2 houses already.
I hope that doesn't become an issue. Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
I hope not. I had massive amounts of incorrect stuff on my report (still do, for all I know), and when I tried to correct it, they either told me it stayed, or removed it, only for me to find it there again after six months.
Let's just say I stood up and cheered at the end of Fight Club! Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
I never saw that, it held NO interest for me. Posted by Goo Boy (Member # 7752) on :
Hmm . . . why not? I didn't see it in the theater either--it looked from the comercials like some sort of macho empowerment flick. A friend made me see it on video, and let me tell you, it was nothing like what I expected. It was, frankly, one of the most brilliant (albeit violent) movies I have ever seen. (One of the more subversive, too.)
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
I don't like Brad Pitt, usually, and I don't like fistfights, although I don't usually mind them in movies.
I will have to check it out then. Posted by Goo Boy (Member # 7752) on :
You can see it over here sometime. Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
Works for me! Or we could have you over, I have a 32' tv and a surround sound system still. Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
I sent messages to both Cagen's Crossing and BVP, but they didn't write back yet.. Posted by Bob_Scopatz (Member # 1227) on :
quote:I have a 32' tv
Wow! That's like 384 inches!!! Holy cr@p! You coule probably see Brad Pitt's enlarged pores with that baby!
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
quote:Risin' above the city, blocking out the noonday sun It dwarfs the mighty redwoods and it towers over everyone I still remember when that delivery truck came down our block What a lucky guy, I hear he got the last one in stock And the neighbors are just green They say, "That's the biggest screen we've ever seen!"
It's Frank's 2000 inch TV (Frank's 2000 inch TV) Everbody come and see(Frank's 2000 inch TV) Frank's 2000 inch TV (Frank's 2000 inch TV)
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
LOL...you don't need that big of a TV to see THOSE pores, man... Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
Jenni leaves in 4 1/2 hours...;(
I will miss her a lot, this is the first time we have been seperated for more than a couple of days since we started dating...
Posted by Bob_Scopatz (Member # 1227) on :
Bye Jenni!
Get up! Get going! It's almost time!
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
She gets up almost this early every day...she left within 10 min of her self-imposed start time, which is better (much better) than when I try to get her to leave for trips. Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
Jenni is in FL now, and will be looking at apartments and houses tomorrow. I will send her to teh Indian Wells area the next day, if possible, to see abuot a long term rental of a house in the area, providing any are avalible and in our proce range.
I also looked at a mortgage calculator, and we may be looking into houses as soon as next year, providing things don't go even more nuts down there next year. Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
Jenni should be looking at places now, and we may even have definitive news as early as tonight, at least from our end of things....we would still have to get through the application process, but I am cautiously optimistic about that.
I told her to check out Cagan's Crossings and LBV Point first...if they look good, and there are no houses avalible for what we can afford to pay, then we will probably go with one of those two.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
She looked a two places today, and is going to look at a few more tommorrow, once the offices open and she can make an appointment. Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
OK...SO*, I am talking to JenniK today, and I ask "Did you go look at any apartments today, since this is your last day before you start working?". She replied" No, I didn't get a chance to, but guess what? I bought "us" a cell phone today!".
...
She said we could use it rather than getting a phone in the house....to which I said " What about the cheap dial-up Internet we had discussed? You need a phone line for that"..
Glad to see that we have our priorities straight.
So next month, when I am living in the shelter there, with a stolen trailer from U-haul because I have no place to put our stuff..at least I can call her on her cell phone....
Providing I have $.50 to call her from the pay phone...and I can find one that works.
She has plans to see what her work is like this week, then call around. The real reason was that the offices needed to plan tours for her, and none of them had called back. . .but it took a little bit for me to get that out of her. Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
What is up with realtors in FL?
I ahve callled three of them, as has Jenni, and emailed about 10 of them, but only three of them got back to us.
I guess my money isn't good enogh for them.
I found an apartment complex for Jenni to check out, then looked it up on a site where people rate their apartment complexes...
And there was a post there linking to teh state sexual offenders list.
Two of the people on the front page lived at that complex.
A third person was labeled a "sexual predator" and listed that place as a residence, but he was in jail for now.
I don't think we will be looking at that place. Posted by andi330 (Member # 8572) on :
Yuck! Posted by zgator (Member # 3833) on :
quote:She said we could use it rather than getting a phone in the house
I wouldn't have advised that until you knew where you were going to live. If you find a place and you have lousy reception, your screwed. If you already had a place and found that out, you could take the phone back and get out of the contract.
Posted by Goo Boy (Member # 7752) on :
I keep forgetting to ask, Kwea: I know several people who take jobs at Disney where they only work one shift every month or three, and most of the time they work somewhere else, so they still gt their own personal admission free (not the blank tickets, though--I think you have to work more hours to get those). Are you looking into doing that?
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
I am thining about that. It is called casual temporary hire, and I applied for full time.
Anita, the woman who interviewd me for Disney, called last week and confirmed that I had passed my background check and that I was hired. I told her I was just going out the door, and made arrangments to call her back this Friday...tommorrow.
I am calling JCPenney right now to talk to teh manager and give her the dates I am moving....she callled teh store three days ago but I wasn't there. She looked in te transfer portion of our benifit page and didn't see my name...
Because I didn't maintain enough hours (they didn't even schedual me enough, just barely, plus I was doing the mortgage thing for a few months), so I offically can't transfer....but she can still hire me when I apply down there.
Once I get in touch with her I will call Anita, and perhaps we can discuss the casual temp thing then. Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
quote:Originally posted by zgator:
quote:She said we could use it rather than getting a phone in the house
I wouldn't have advised that until you knew where you were going to live. If you find a place and you have lousy reception, your screwed. If you already had a place and found that out, you could take the phone back and get out of the contract.
Zan, you ahve no idea how irritated I was at her for doing that...but there is nothing I can do about it now. I understand she wanted a cell phone so she could talk to me for free/low cost while she was down there, but my choice would have been to wait, hands down.
Oh well, whatever works...
So*, looks like I will be down there for the first week in October, even if Jenni hasn't found a place yet. Posted by zgator (Member # 3833) on :
Depending on when she got it, she might still be able to take it back. Isn't it 72 hours on a contract or something?
My B-i-L did the casual hire for quite a while in security. I know at some point, they changed the number of hours necessary to get blank tickets, but I could swear he could still get his family in.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
Yeah, all you need for casual hire is to work once during the year, actually...my friend Kevin does it. I don't know what the deal with getting others in, but since Jenni works there it really isn't much of an issue.
The 72 hours thing isn't a problem, I think, since she took so long to get back to me. Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
Jenni found one open apartment, a large two bedroom in a decent location...she has an apointment to see it soon, her next day off is Monday I think.
Dorado apartments, I think....
She will also be looking at Waterbridge, St. Cloud Apartments, and Simpson Ridge. And Outrigger too.
St. Cloud is one of two places that bothered to get back to us, and they have a 2 BR open as well...but it would be a 35 min commute for me, although for Jenni it si only a 16 min one.
The clock is ticking, I sent my official notice in today....Friday next week is my last day.
Posted by MyrddinFyre (Member # 2576) on :
That's so exciting! Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
Not all of it in a good way though...I would be a lot less stressed if I knew I had a place ready, and knew how much the move in cost will be.... Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
My sis is in town, and I will be going out for drinks with her and some friends I haven't seen in years, as long as my brother-in-law doesn't mind.
The only bad thing is that she didn't bring my neice, who is about 2 1/2...I was really looking forward to seeing her today.
[ September 23, 2005, 09:29 PM: Message edited by: Kwea ]
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
I wouldn't necessarily rule out the places that didn't get back to you, but that's just me. Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
I am not, but it is crunch time people! I move in 8 days, and as of right now I have no place to live.
If they never get back to me Jenni can't even get in to see the apartments.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
Jenni is getting sick...not a good thing.
Well, she is looking at a few place tomorrow, she has teh next two days off I think she said.
Wish us luck!
I should be down there between Monday and Wendsday, not this coming week but the following one.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
OK, mixed news...
I am having problems with my exaust on the truck. It has detached in two places, and is now unbearbly loud.
But the place where it snapped off are not close to the manifold, so they can be repaired, at least well enough for the trip down and a few weeks after. I can even do most of it myself...but it is raining right now.
Still no place to live yet, but JenniK is looking at several places today. Oddly enough the largest problem we are having sin't a lack of apartments, it is..we make too much money.
That is bull$hit. We made a pitiful amount last year, evne combigned...but most ot teh income restricted places have a restriction of 26,800 a year...
Combigned.
That's right, for both of us.
But the rents themselves are in the $600 range. If you and your spouse made %26,800, how could you afford that?
Simpson Ridge is close to both our works, seems to be a nice place, and has a 1 BR apartment availible right now...I just talked to them about 3 hours ago, and Jenni just called them back. Their application fee is $45, which is fair (if any such fee is fair), and the deposit is $350-400. Rent is $575, and it is suppose to be a fairly decent size, although I forgot to ask what the footage was. Also, Jenni is inquiring about a CM discount, as some of their competitors offer one.
They will ahve a 2 BR apartment for rent at teh end of October, and I am pretty sure that if we want to move into it we could....but it is $745 a month, more than I wanted to spend. At least until I find out how much my take home pay will be there, you know..
I talked to the manager of the JCPenney at the Florida Mall, and she knows I am coming down this week...I will probably start the week after, although I will try to start after a few days; we could sue the money.
JenniK's pay has been higher than we expected, although that is a good considering I missed almost a weeks worth of work with a bad back two weeks ago.
I will let everyone know exactally when I will be moving out...I expect to be on the road by Sunday at the latest, and more likely on Sat, although I AM going to see my sisters family on Friday night.
Let the countdown begin!
Posted by Boon (Member # 4646) on :
That restricted income thing is why we don't live in Florida anymore. They required us to get a 3 bedroom because our children are of different sexes (they won't allow boys and girls over 2 to share a bedroom). That meant rent of $900+, but we couldn't make over $30,000 combined. Hmm...$900x12=$10,800! More than 1/3 of the MAXIMUM allowed! No thanks.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
Yeah, it is weird.
Makes me wish I was a waiter though, at least we would still qualify for it. Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
Still no apartment...I am starting to think I should ahve flown down there and done it myself despite the cost.
Jenni is doing what she can, but a lot of these places are only open while she is at work.
I am reallly starting to get scared.
6 days.
Kwea
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
Hope she finds one today, before she goes into work.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
No such luck, although what I am finding out is that the income restriction they list is fairly flexable...you can state an income, and just have them accept it...the only proof they asked for was a letter from the store stating my hourly wage, not including my commission.
Kwea
Posted by Bob_Scopatz (Member # 1227) on :
Kwea,
I found out that my information on neighborhoods is horribly out of date. I'm sorry if I sent Jenni on a wild goose chase re: Indian Wells. I heard that houses there are selling for $200,000 on up!!!
Seriously, 5 years ago, those places could still be had for less than $90,000. I figured there must be a few still renting for a rate that would cover the old original mortgage, and that would've put them below $800, easily.
Sorry.
Good luck with your truck. It brings back memories. I moved to FL in a 1971 Econoline 3/4 ton van I purchased down there and drove back up to NY. When I got to NY, I had to have the stearing box tightened. The battery was stolen out of it when I left it with the repair place.
When I got back down to FL, I had it checked out to see if I should keep it. The cam shaft was being held in place by 2 of 8 (or was it only 6) of the pieces that are supposed to be there. The transmission had been rebuilt by someone who must've looked at the manual upside down and backwards. And the lighting system had rewired itself at random.
Sadly, I kept it and had all that stuff repaired.
When I traded it in, they laughed and then ended up giving me more in trade than I'd paid for it.
Of course, I paid more for the new used car I bought.
Good luck!
Be safe!
Don't drive past the point of fatigue. Pull over and get some rest!
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
Wow, they have an income restriction in Florida? Is that state-wide, or is it an Orlando thing?
-pH
Posted by Boon (Member # 4646) on :
Income restricted housing...a lot of apartments will not let you move in if you make over a certain amount because they get lots of incentives from the govt for providing "low-income" housing.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
There isa "trick" to it, as I found out today.
They need to know your BASE pay, without overtime. . . or commission.
They say that there is an exemption for commission because it isn't "steady" pay, although that sounded a little dicey to me, but they are the ones who have to make sure everything is followed.
I also asked about second jobs, or if you make more money becaue of promotions...she said that the only time that matters s when you are looking for a NEW place...once you are in, you are in.
Had I known that (or more to the point if Jenni had asked about it in the first place, she told me they went by last years taxes) we could ahve qualified for any place she looked at these past two-three weeks.
My base pay is only $6.15 an hour down there...but my commission pay is, on average, at least that much if not more.
We just applied at Outrigger Villiage, which is right inside Kissimmee, not the best place in the world but not a bad part either. Kevin (aka VelourMan) checked it out, as a matter of fact it was the very first place I had him check out, and he said it was fair.
We are moving into a 2 BR apartment, providing oour credit checks out. JenniK just bought a cell phone from Verizon, and all they wanted was a $50 deposit, so we should be fine.
Talk about a load off my mind, providing it all works out.
SO*, today I tried to wire the trailer harness on the truch. I tried to find a kit that would just let me plug it in to the joiner, but as this is a 1990 I had no luck, The kit I tried was opposite of what I needed..there were little plastic guides that wouldn't allow me to reverse it, and it wouldn't fit out of the package.
I wanted to aviod cutting and splicing the actual wires because on older cars and trucks sometimes you can short out the whole system cutting into it...but I did find this one kit that would snap in place, cutting it for me.
As I wa pushing the clasp shut the trailer wire fell out...and when I tried to fix it the whole light system stopped working.
So even though I am fully licenced, registered, and insured, I can't drive it at all.
I will try to splice it higher up tomorrow when I have better light..and I finally got the mirrors off so tomorrow I can go to the junkyard and buy some new mirrors for it, ones that stay in place on the highway.
Bob, we did find places to rent in that area, but they were i the 100-1200 range. I found one other place for 850, but that was still out of our range.
To be honest, after seeing the rent prices down there I am having serious second thoughts about the whole move...but it is too late to back out now, you know. I hope we will be OK, but I have no idea how people are suppose to survive on what the pay is down there if housing is so expensive.
We will see, I guess. Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
For what it's worth, I did express doubts about how much you were looking to pay for rent.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
I know, but even at 35% of income (which is more than they recommend) we couldn't find much...all the Katrina refugees are taking a lot of apartments in an area that already had a housing shortage....
Not that they had a choice and all...just bad timing for us.
Next time we have a national disaster I expect it to be a little less trouble for me, you know..
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
Unhooking the Computer now!
See you in a few days, Icky & crew~ Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
Hi all! I am posting from a public kiosk in Jersy, about half an hour from NYC. The truch has been running well, even though the trailer is overpacked, and the truck bed is packed as well.
I a not used to pulling a trailer these days so it has been aa little weird, and th truck is leaking Power teering fluid fairly bad now.....noting drastic, but I will put some stop-leak in in before we pull out just in case.
See you in about two days!!!
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
Hi all! I am posting from a public kiosk in Jersy, about half an hour from NYC. The truch has been running well, even though the trailer is overpacked, and the truck bed is packed as well.
I a not used to pulling a trailer these days so it has been aa little weird, and th truck is leaking Power teering fluid fairly bad now.....noting drastic, but I will put some stop-leak in in before we pull out just in case.
See you in about two days!!!
Posted by Goo Boy (Member # 7752) on :
Are you in town yet? Are you still waiting to see Serenity? Do you want to see it today? (I've already seen it, but I would enjoy seeing it again.)
I don't have new contact info for you, but you still know how to reach me . . .
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
Icky, we ARE in town, and I just got the computer hooked up today...I still have no intenet at home though, so I am at the internet cafe at the LBV Outlet Stores.
I will be home in about half an hour, and will call you then. We have decided to go with cell phones rather than a land line as we get 3-4 bar reception at our new apartment.
We had some trouble getting into the apartment...the move in cost was much higher than orignally indecated, even though my credit was better than I thought it was overall. We only moved in two days ago, I was staying at hotels until then...I brought a freind who truned out to be deathly afraid of dogs, so I couldn't stay with Kevin as I had planned...
Not a good thing.
Jenni and I saw Serenity, but we both loved it and want to see it again, and she gets off work at 8:30 tonight....
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'cause it's what you want. ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
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Congrats to both of you. ![[Dont Know]](graemlins/dontknow.gif)
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