Time for an update!  As I type this, I am watching a very ominous thundercloud pass outside our wonderfully large living room window.  People keep asking how the new apartment is, so, I guess I will tell you.
Pros:
1. I have my own room and bathroom.  Big plus.
2. Real kitchen.  HUGE plus.
3. Big porch, fairly roomy overall, lots of storage (relatively), and a wood-burning fireplace, which is a bit irrelevant right now.
Cons:
1. Haphazard administration.
2. So many college students it's like an extension of campus - I don't dare try the pool for fear of an unhealthy water/beer ratio.
3. Cable companies are evil monopolies!  Don't we have laws against that?
4. Minor things that go wrong, like sticky doorknobs and one broken stove burner, and my toilet, which runs all the time.  The water is either too hot or too cold, etc.

The living room has a big tri-window, and there is a spectacular storm going on right now.  Birmingham has been especially hot lately, in the 90s with 60-70% humidity, and every few days we have a faint promise of a storm, but so far they've been very isolated.