Elisabeth - thanks - that's some of what I needed to know - I'm in MO too and DH works with kids in state custody so... I do know SOME about it but not a whole lot - most of the kids he works with are either fairly permanent foster care or bouncing back and forth, very few adoptions.
I'm thinking more along the lines of Amy from Smart Kids. Let's say for instance, L/C are married, no kids, and Amy is now 16-17 years old and Mom died and she and Inez need a place to live. Instead of going through the foster care system, L/C decide they want to take them into foster care but have no real plans to adopt, just keep them as foster kids until they turn 18. I'm sure they'd have to go through some sort of background check [we're assuming the lady from S4 and her whole point thing isn't an issue] and appear before a judge as to why they'd be a suitable foster family instead of sending them to a family member who doesn't really want them, but is a blood relative. They're the only other option besides the official foster care system and all that goes with that [think Alt CK bouncing from family to family].
Google searching found that "But according to the 2006 survey of journalism/mass communication graduates released in August 2007 by Dr. Lee B. Becker (University of Georgia), the average starting salary for a daily newspaper reporter in 2006 was $26,000" [from a wiki], which is much more in line with what I was thinking.
The apartments you linked to were nicer than I was thinking. *tries to think of example* The apartment Cory and Topanga moved into on Boy Meets World [before they fixed it up] or even CK's apartment before he fixed it up, but in not as nice a building and not able to be fixed up that nice... A half step up from something you'd find dead guys in on CSI [you know, the grimy ones, not the has been rock stars]. Think Samuel Platt [but a real apartment].
Sheesh - none of those are really what I'm looking for but I can't think of one... Am thinking 900-1200 plus 200-300 for utilities or so. Does that sound rightish?
What does a bus/subway monthly pass run somewhere like NYC?
And, yes, Anna - I've been thinking of you!!! "Call me Daniel"
"Duh, Clark Kent is Superman"
Carol [who is watching TF right now but has realized that SoulMates is S4 which she doesn't have
- "Glasses, secret identity, seemed like a good idea at the time..."]
