the dirty filthy apartment search

When you come across a landlord who doesn't quite have all her teeth... maybe that is the first clue to turn and walk in the other direction... just throwing that out there...
The search for a new place to live has been a disaster! You know the shows where those two British ladies go into the dirtiest, most disgusting homes you've ever seen in your life... these apartments could easily be on the show! The stench of the first one was intolerable, the bathroom was horrible enough to trigger the desire to throw up... and the thoughts of it continue to do so even 2 days later, there was mold growing on every surface in a bathroom... but that landlord said, we'll be able to get rid of that no problem... in the one I looked at today, the mold on the window cill was at least a millimeter or more thick... so that's a bit of an issue, as was the filth that seeps out of every surface... Luckily day one I went with my friend Dawn, so she can vouch for the uninhabitable conditions we saw... today I ventured out on the town on my own, which might not be smart based on the areas I've now travelled to, but desperate times call for desperate measures.
And, taking the bus to look at apartments, or hand out resumes has been a little more than I bargained for. I am beginning to think God has a pretty funny sense of humor, as the days I've been out have been windy, cold and snowy... so cold that I thought there was a rock in my boot, which turned out not to be a pebble, but my very own poor little frozen toe. The snow banks, and out of service buses in the middle of the blowing snow sort of take the energy right out of you... At the moment, I'm feeling a little nervous, most people say it will work out, but the despair of the first few has not been helpful at making me hopeful... but, life is an adventure right, and what is an adventure without a few scrapes and bruises and a lot of good stories... right?