Anti-Climacus

MOMENT OF BEMUSEMENT: I took advantage of my presence at a conference in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania (and an afternoon thankfully free of scheduled activities) to drive over to the lovely city of Plainsboro, New Jersey, in order to look for apartments for the fall. I learned, much to my amusement, that most (if not quite all) of the apartment complexes in Plainsboro were built from the same plan by the same architect. Maybe it's just because I've spent the week with a bunch of economists, but it was fascinating to observe how places selling a nearly-identical product tried to differentiate themselves. Some focused on updated appliances (it's surprising how many places think there's nothing wrong with a 30-year old stove), some focused on service (I liked them the best, but their apartments were in the worst condition).

My favorite, though, was the last place I visited. When the person I was speaking with inquired why I was moving to the area, and I mentioned the name of the major research university at which I will be post-doc-ing next year, she told me that this fact entitled me to a rent reduction worth... 3%. I'm looking at the inexpensive side of apartments, and even there, 3% is basically a rounding error: it's the complete opposite of something to get excited about.