My Big Fat Greek Adventure

After work yesterday, I ventured to Astoria to look at apartments. The realtor (and her two kids) picked me up at the train station around 7:30. She is this large (in stature and personality) woman with a great New York accent and lots of Greek charm. Her driving skills were questionable -- she drove 10 blocks with her flashers on while flipping through her listings book and talking on her cell phone (all at the same time). Her parenting was unorthodox -- her kids call her by her first name and the daughter is apparently an ex-Disney Channel star. But, this woman held the keys to the best apartments I had seen in the city yet.

The first was the first floor of a three unit brownstone. Nice place -- but I wanted to tell the landlord that just because the living room has a door does not make it a bedroom. Oh, and the bathroom was VERY pink. Pink toilet. Pink sink. Pink shower. The second place was my favorite. It was a fully renovated unit in a large building. It had wood and tile floors, new appliances, a renovated bathroom, and was in a rent controlled building. "Just beautiful" -- as the realtor kept saying. The last was the most amusing. Like the first, the landlord lived in the building -- which could mean quick repairs. However, he did not speak a word of English -- which could mean very slow repairs. He showed me around the apartment describing every inch in the fastest Italian I've ever heard. His daughter-in-law, dressed in only a bathrobe, was running around the apartment after her two-year-old. His son is yelling to his dad that I don't understand Italian. Meanwhile, the two-year-old has death-gripped my finger and is taking me on a tour of his toys. Beneath the chaos, the apartment was really nice -- too small for Whitney and I, but nice nonetheless.

Whitney is going by to see the second apartment this morning. Keep your fingers crossed for us!

Toula Portokalos: I woke up with this huge zit this morning.
Ian Miller: Where?
Toula Portokalos: [points to spot on face] There.
Ian Miller: I had a huge zit this morning!
Toula Portokalos: Really? Where?
Ian Miller: [points to his face] Well, it was there, but it's gone now.
Toula Portokalos: Why?
Ian Miller: I put some Windex on it.