Back in Buffalo, safe and sound. This last day of my trip ended up being incredibly productive, thanks to Matt's OCD, pushy, take charge Long Island mother. I woke up this morning to her basically handing me a stack of papers she had printed off of the internet, and a list of people she had been e-mailing for me. I had no plans on seeing any more rooms, and I ended up seeing 4 today. Not only did I see 4 rooms, I saw the room that I decided was the one. It's a great place in Astoria, close to the trains, in a nice neighborhood, near grocery stores and laundromats and restaurants. I even sampled the local pizza place, and it wasn't bad. The apartment is quite large, with 3 bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, tons of closets, and even a guest bedroom. The guest bedroom was bigger than most of the main rooms I've been offered so far. The apartment is $600 per month with everything except internet included, but he said he'd be willing to split that, which isn't bad 3 ways. That's about the same price as all of the other places I've liked, plus it's in a better area, has a better room, and the apartment is bigger overall. I called him almost immediately after my search was done for the day to let him know I was definitely interested. I was a little disappointed that he told me he still wanted to show it to a few last people tomorrow, and I'm not sure how to take that. I'd think that if someone called you, said he wanted the room and would mail the security deposit tomorrow and you liked that person that you wouldn't hesitate, but he says he wants to give the other people who have appointments set up a chance. So I have to wait until tuesday night to find out. Talk about 2 of the longest days I'm ever going to have. At least I have options, though. Of the 13 apartments I saw, I would be happy with 4 of them, so chances are I'll end up with one of them, and be out of Buffalo in a little over 2 weeks. My second choice was another one I saw today, this one in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. The neighborhood isn't quite as nice as Astoria, and the apartment is a little older, but it's still big, and it's ridiculously cheap. He wanted $475 per month with everything included, even internet, and a local gym membership. The biggest problem with that place is the room he is offering would be shared with someone else, however he has agreed to find a way to separate the room by a semi-permanent wall, and even going so far as installing another door next to the existing one to make them completely separate. I figure if I end up going with this one, I would simply made sure I had something in writing that guaranteed he would separate the rooms, or else I'd pass, since I'm not moving out to go share a bedroom with someone. By tuesday night, though, I should know where I'll be living in New York. It's good to know that's finally almost a definite now.

Last night Matt and I saw the Producers and it was fantastic. It was probably the funniest musical I've ever seen. We had an incredible time, and we both agreed it did the movie a lot of justice. Afterward we hit up a bar called the Brew House. Great beer selection but lousy bartenders. I'm sorry, but a place that has 20 beers on tap, and probably twice that many in bottles should know a little bit about them. These guys were clueless. I'm going to be a way better bartender than that. By the way, I start my bartender certification class tomorrow night. I'm stoked, in 2 weeks I will be a certified bartender by the New York State Department of Education, which will hopefully help me land a job in New York. Now I finally get the chance to get paid for what I love doing anyway at parties.

Tonight Matt and I had dinner at his sister's house in Sea Cliff. I met his adorable one year old niece, Olivia. At one year old, she has quite the vocabulary, and understands commands in both English and Spanish. Smart little one. My flight tonight was delayed well over an hour and a half, so I didn't get home until after 2 am. I should be exhausted, but I'm not unfortunately. I'll probably take tomorrow to sleep in a bit and get ready for what I'm sure is going to prove to be 2 of the most stressful weeks of my life, assuming I end up with a place. Would everyone please collectively cross your fingers for me? Thanks.