Thursday, June 20, 2013

Working Vacation

I have a scheme. A caper. A plan.

My friend Yancey, who owns the apartment I rent, is coming back to the area for his wife's new job which begins July 15th. I pointed out all kinds of fun facts about capital gains tax to him and suggested he move back into my apartment for two years.

This isn't because I want to move. I hate moving and I love living in a Victorian brownstone over Hamilton Park. It's because it would save him a small fortune when he sells his place and I'm his friend first and a conniving real-estate dabbler second.

But alas, he is now a family of four and I live in a one-bedroom railroad. They considered if for about three seconds before deciding to look in the South Orange/Maplewood/West Orange/Montclair/Bloomfield area.

But they still need a place to stay for a few weeks while they house-hunt, and I wouldn't mind a break on rent for that time, so we've cut a deal. They'll stay in the apartment they own (my apartment) for a while and they'll look for a house at that time. It's still bigger than a hotel room. I'll spend that time in a rented studio in San Miguel de Allende, which will cost me a lot less rent than a month in the New York area, and I can use frequent flyer miles to get there and it'll be a new, fun experience for me.

Plus, tacos.

I'll go to mother's for a few days, then fly south. I have booked a little studio on the top floor of a building in the center of town.

I am not sure yet if I'm staying the whole month or a little less. Either way, I pay for the month and book the month as it's either $300 a week or $750 a month. I have a Marvel prose novel to edit with a friend of mine writing it during that time and another ART OF book to work on. Plus, I really want to finish my book proposal.

If I have a little time at the end, I'll head to the Yucatan to dive the underwater sculpture garden near Cancun. But I have to be back for the start of SVA classes in September, and Cancun is an easy trip out of Newark. I can always hold off on that. Or even come back overland. It's easy to get a bus to Austin from Monterrey, and I have Amtrak points from there.

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