Hey everyone.

So, as you may or may not know, my amazing and brilliant roommates Sarah and Ryan are moving out of The Apartment of Awesomeness and Joy fairly soon. Ryan is leaving mid-May, and Sarah is leaving in June.

I am now faced with an insane challenge: trying to replace them. Which is basically impossible. But I have to try.

Currently, my 1-year-lease runs out August 1st. My incredibly nice and sweet landlady has said that I can go month-to-month after the 1-year-lease is up.

I'm looking for someone to take the extra bedroom.

Logistics!

- Rent (for you) is $737.50 per month.

- Landlady pays garbage and water; we pay PG&E and Internet. Internet (wireless) is something like $43 dollars per month, and PG&E ranges widely, from $50ish (in the summer) to $120ish (in the winter). You'd be responsible for half of all utilities (they're in my name, so I usually pay them and then the roommate just comps me for their half).

- Apartment is very spacious. Your room is carpeted and has a surprisingly deep closet. Sounds don't carry between the bedrooms, 'cause they're not connected at all.

- Neighbors (above us and next to us) are quiet and nice. I rarely hear anything from any of them except the occasional strumming of an acoustic guitar.

- Living area/bathroom/kitchen is already furnished and stocked, so you don't need to bring any of that sort of thing.

- We're technically in Oakland, but we live about 50 feet from the border of Oakland/Berkeley (when I walk Oliver, I cross over into Berkeley for about two minutes). We're a very quick walk/bike from the Ashby BART, the infamous Berkeley Bowl, downtown Berkeley, UC - Berkeley, the works.

- Plenty of street parking (and a parking space that I use, but you could also use), no permit required.

- The landlady is sweet and completely chill. She and her handyman get things fixed very fast (same or next day) and are laid back and incredibly nice.

- No dishwasher (I just wash things by hand), but there is an awesome gas stove and (coin) laundry in the complex (just outside our own personal alley and shed).

- Uh, personal alley and shed. The shed can be used to store bikes and whatnot. The alley's just awesome.

- Landlady is totally okay with us painting the walls. The kitchen's already bright yellow.

- If you want to, I'd totally be down for a cooking dinner together a few nights a week situation. This isn't essential, by any means, but I'm down for it if you are.

Stuff about you!

- I'm open to couples, but it has to be The Right Kind of Couple, y'know? I'd prefer just one person, only because it seems to work for the amount of space that we have.

- Must must must must be okay with large, friendly dogs. Oliver is awesome, but it's really important that if he gets excited and bounces around your legs that you won't have a nervous breakdown.

- This is a trans/queer/POC friendly space (in case you haven't figured that out already), so I don't care about your gender identification, sexual orientation, race, or anything else.

- No smokers, please (it's a non-smoking apartment).

Stuff about me!

Here's the deal: I'm a great roommate (seriously - I could give you references), and I'm chatty and fun and always down for adventures and photo shoots and getting lost in strange places and cooking food and watching movies and having political discussions and my roommate needs to be, at the very least, okay with that and honestly, I would love it if they came with me. I've always lived with folks that I've grown very close to, and I want my next roommate, if possible, to become a good friend.

I'm also neurotic and will clean all public spaces compulsively. You have to be okay with the fact that I will do the dishes, and straighten the living room, and scrub down the bathroom with quite a bit of regularity.



Pass this ad around. If you, or anyone you know, might be interested in this room, shoot me an email at carmen dot machado at gmail dot com and put "Roommate" in the subject line.