You know what?

This is fucking recockulous. I get accused of not loooking often and/or diligently enough on CraigsList while my mother informs me she's gotten someone to do some searching for "us," (w/o actually knowing what I'm looking for) and I get bitched out while my mother sends me this drek that's been passed on. (Mind you, I don't blame the searcher, I blame the bitter, controlling mother that's trying to force me into living in a "nice" area's pocket ghetto, inside a cement box that's cost me $1,200 a month or more. She knows -exactly- what I want, and -precisely- what I need out of an aparment. Wanna know what she sends me???

This: http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/apa/367821185.html
This: http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/apa/367264399.html
This: http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/apa/365013451.html
This: http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/apa/364297493.html
And if that's not bad enough, a list "full" of links to places "that fit my criteria," this: http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/search/apa/nva?query=arlington&minAsk=800&maxAsk=1200&bedrooms=1&addTwo=purrr

Now, some of 'em look okay at first glance. But if you ---go and look them up on their web pages or on renter's sites, you actually get all of the information.--- Apparently my mother hasn't bothered to do this before accusing me of being a lying, overly picky layabout. *snort* You'd think that your mother being oh.. YOUR MOTHER that you could depend on her to stand up for what you're hoping for, and HELP YOU find what you're looking for. But no. She gets stuff SHE wants me in, and from the links above, half the time not even that. She just trusts somebody else's searching and say more than mine, and then bitches at me when I don't hand her their finds, instead of my own, already researched ones. (Because obviously I want too much, am searching too little, and am not looking for the "right" things. I clearly have NO idea what it's like to find an apartment, live on my own, pay my own bills, use crappy, community washers n' dryers that cost you a fortune over time, how to do my own searches, or find places w/access to RELIABLE transportation. ... NONE. Suuuuuure.
What.
The.
FUCK???

Not ONE of these places have all of the few, simple criteria I have on my "musts" list.
My budget is $900-$950, $1,000 or so if there're utilities included, for a 2BR or a 1w/Den. (I am SICK of making my art- and thus messes- in living rooms & bedrooms.)
The place MUST accept cats. Period.
There MUST be GOOD access to PT, preferably a Metro station AND a bus station- so that if one's late/not working, i can use the other to get to work. (I -have GOT to be reliable at this job.)
And I'm looking for a place w/ AC, W/D, and a dishwasher.
Yes, I know that all of these things cut down the odds a bit, but I've lived w/o them in some cases, and w/them in others, and they're important to me to make the year not only livable, but often affordable! I -don't- mind a commute, and I'm -okay- w/living in an iffy neighborhood. (Iffy.. not a total slum/violence-riddled ghetto. :))
So what does my mom send me? Well for one thing NONE of these places have W/Ds, the ONE place that's in my price range -doesn't accept cats,- and that's just the start. She's on this kick of "you're gonna have to give up some things to find something in 'a good area.'" But what she doesn't seem to get is that NOWHERE that has a place I can afford is going to be in a truly GOOD area... And that I'd rather live in a place w/an iffy neighborhood and be HAPPY w/the apartment I'm in, than be MISERABLE in a little hole where the neighbors are supposedly "nice." Yes, I value good neighbors, but I want to live in an apartment that I can enjoy, has enough room for me, my cats & all my shit, and that's actually accessible to I CAN GET AROUND ON MY OWN. Why do I feel like I'm dealing w/an agent instead of my own mother??? Because she's trying to push places on me that are pits- inside and out, w/few (if any) of the things I need- let alone in the price range that I can actually -afford.--- (I told my aunt I'd found a place for $1,200, and when I informed her I'd be making $1,700 p.mo. net, she actually laughed good-naturedly and said "well, you won't be able to afford THAT!!" ;P Why does my AUNT get it, but my own mother fail to???

I know she's supposedly trying to help, but all of this just feels like one more way my mom's attempting to control me, my life, and my decisions.
Hell. If she likes these places so damned much, she can go live in 'em.

If you, for whatever reason, are curious as to my full list of druthers, you can check out my CraigsList Wanted notice here.

Cheers, and sorry for the rant,
Nae