Gentrification

[achinhibitor.livejournal.com]

Paul McMorrow writes about gentrification in Union Square. He notes that with the arrival of the Green Line, it will be much more desirable to live in. This will cause an increase in demand for housing there, and that there are two choices: Allow enough additional housing to be built to prevent prices from rising insanely, or preserve its "character" (appearance) at the cost of pricing out just about everybody who already lives there.

"Desirable, inexpensive, low-density -- choose any two!"

Entertainment Center up for grabs

[dreams-of-wings.livejournal.com]

So we're going to need to get rid of our big, very nice entertainment center, which comes in two pieces. Both pieces are real wood, with a cherry finish. The big hutch that holds the television is 43" wide and has a two small shelves for other equipment and two drawers for storage. The small piece has shelves for storage of various things (equipment, DVDS, CDS) and is 22.5" wide. Both pieces stand 59" tall. Would anybody here be interested in them? We'd like $300 for them in an ideal world, but will entertain other offers.

Moving with Small Pets

[foxgloved.livejournal.com]

I'm currently looking for a one bedroom apartment in the Somerville/Medford area, and my price range is on the very low end ($1400 or under) so I am aware my options are limited. One problem I'm running into is that most of the apartments in my price range are listed through brokers as "no pets allowed", and I have two guinea pigs. I've never run into problems negotiating this with landlords in other cities, regardless of what the lease originally said. I've offered to get pet-specific references from my past landlords and pay a pet deposit, but the broker I've been corresponding with has just flat out not acknowledged my proposals and has limited me to the one (very undesirable) pet friendly apartment available. I'm not sure how to address this going forward, as I've only ever rented directly from the owner.

Do any of you have experience or advice for renting while having small pets? What strategies have worked or not worked? How should I approach brokers? Should I try to downplay it until I'm closer to signing the lease?* Am I really, truly limited to apartments that say "pet friendly"? It seems hard to believe that every single landlord would categorize caged pets in exactly the same manner as a dog or cat, but maybe I've just gotten used to the much less competitive housing market in Vermont.


*Please don't suggest lying and signing a lease without telling the landlord! Among many other reasons, it opens up the possibility of being forced to surrender my pets if found out, and it's unlikely I'd be able to find them a better home. Giving up pets for non-emergency reasons is kind of a hot topic for me, so let's avoid it.

wing tsun kung fu classes - davis square

[wingtsunken.livejournal.com]

Hi all,
I'm happy to announce wing tsun kung fu classes just outside of Davis Square every Monday!

Mondays 7:15pm - 8:45pm
862 Broadway, Somerville (next to Tufts, a few minutes walk from the Davis Sq. T)
$20/class (1 hour 30 minutes)

Here's my pitch:
"Come train wing tsun kung fu and we’ll teach you a practical and efficient martial art that gets you in shape, builds self-confidence, relieves stress, and is fun and easy to learn.

Wing tsun kung fu was created in China by a Buddhist nun over 250 years ago as a means of defending herself from larger, stronger attackers. She knew that she would not be able to match their size or strength and instead developed a system that utilizes speed, technique, reflexes, and an economy of motion.

Wing tsun works for adults of all ages and all levels of conditioning. Whether you’ve been doing martial arts your whole life or you’re a beginner, wing tsun is easy to learn, safe, practical, and fun."

Your first class is free, so come check it out. I'm excited to get a wing tsun community off the ground in Davis Square. If you're interested, but have questions, feel free to email me at "WingTsunKen(at)gmail.com"

And for more information you can check out: SomervilleWingTsun.com