Bridge to Terabithia
...was the movie I went to see last week. It was pretty decent, better than I expected. They actually manage to perform the supreme task of giving us a sad ending, and then making us feel ok with it because they overlaid a happy ending over it without exactly "fixing" the sad part.
That said, this blog has nothing to do with the movie, and everything to do with moving out! (yes, I know - it was a red herring.)
The actual theme of today's blog is moving out. That's right folks... I've moved out of my parent's place and into an apartment downtownish with Grant. Before I mislead you too far, I should point out that this is a temporary situation. I've been here a month, and plan to be here for a second, and then will be moving back around May 1st. Basically, I wanted the "living on my own" experience, but don't want to do it permanently (for now) , since it's extra money each month on what is basically an optional expense. (I pay less rent at home than I do here.)
So after a month on my own, here's my conclusions on the pro's and cons:
the good:
-There is a sense of freedom. It's nice to have friends till 2 am if I wish, to make my own rules, and not have much in the way of obligation or accountability.
-There is a sense of accomplishment. Having endured a month of cooking, doing laundry, etc., entirely on my own, I've concluded that it's not that hard. Of course I expect that being jobless and having all the time I want to do such chores helps too...
-Rooming with a close friend who has similar habits rocks! I suspect having a room mate who's partying till 4 am, is a terrible slob, or generally untrustworthy would make me long for home, but sharing a place with Grant is ideal. We keep the place clean, give each other space, destroy each other's armies, entertain each other, and generally have a both fun and civilized time of it.
-Having a pile of space rocks also! Don't get me wrong, my parent's place is roomy in it's own way, but here I've got an entire half room that's empty, and there's something nice about that. (mind you, it helps that I'm doing all my long-term storage at home...!) My room here is a couple of meters bigger, and it's nice not feeling cramped.
-I'm closer to most of my friend's houses, so combined with the freedom to have guests till whenever I please, I tend to see them more often.
the bad:
-The days seem to fly by quicker, since I'm busier. Probably having to spend an hour plus each day cooking contributes to that.
-Occasionally, I find myself less productive. I'm not a fan of being nagged, but I do get (slightly) more stuff done at home. On the flip side, I find at home I get distracted a lot by parents needing help with something, etc., where here I can visit them a few times a week, help them out, and then go back to doing my own thing. It's nice that I can schedule my own time here.
-It costs more to live away of course. Not just rent, but all the little expenses like phone cards and so forth. (That's right, I have a cell phone again for a bit. If I didn't email it to you, email me and ask. But I don't usually carry it with me, I use it as a land line. Also, don't leave me voicemail, because I don't know how to check it, and havn't made any effort to learn how.)
-I've been blessed with a great room mate. I suspect if I were truly living on my own I'd find it pretty quiet and lonely, and I also suspect that finding another room mate this compatible would be difficult. So while my experience has been good, I also suspect it's atypical to a degree.
In general, I'm pretty glad for the experience. This is something I wanted to do last year and couldn't arrange. (Not many places rent for just a month or two.) Then the opportunity came up here, and it truly was a Godsend! For me, this is an important step forward: experiment with the "living on my own" lifestyle, compare it with living with my parents, and figure out what areas I need to grow in, before moving out for good at some point. Now if I could find a good woman, and I'd really be on a roll...
Anyways, that's it for now, I just thought I'd give my peeps a heads up on my life!
That said, this blog has nothing to do with the movie, and everything to do with moving out! (yes, I know - it was a red herring.)
The actual theme of today's blog is moving out. That's right folks... I've moved out of my parent's place and into an apartment downtownish with Grant. Before I mislead you too far, I should point out that this is a temporary situation. I've been here a month, and plan to be here for a second, and then will be moving back around May 1st. Basically, I wanted the "living on my own" experience, but don't want to do it permanently (for now) , since it's extra money each month on what is basically an optional expense. (I pay less rent at home than I do here.)
So after a month on my own, here's my conclusions on the pro's and cons:
the good:
-There is a sense of freedom. It's nice to have friends till 2 am if I wish, to make my own rules, and not have much in the way of obligation or accountability.
-There is a sense of accomplishment. Having endured a month of cooking, doing laundry, etc., entirely on my own, I've concluded that it's not that hard. Of course I expect that being jobless and having all the time I want to do such chores helps too...
-Rooming with a close friend who has similar habits rocks! I suspect having a room mate who's partying till 4 am, is a terrible slob, or generally untrustworthy would make me long for home, but sharing a place with Grant is ideal. We keep the place clean, give each other space, destroy each other's armies, entertain each other, and generally have a both fun and civilized time of it.
-Having a pile of space rocks also! Don't get me wrong, my parent's place is roomy in it's own way, but here I've got an entire half room that's empty, and there's something nice about that. (mind you, it helps that I'm doing all my long-term storage at home...!) My room here is a couple of meters bigger, and it's nice not feeling cramped.
-I'm closer to most of my friend's houses, so combined with the freedom to have guests till whenever I please, I tend to see them more often.
the bad:
-The days seem to fly by quicker, since I'm busier. Probably having to spend an hour plus each day cooking contributes to that.
-Occasionally, I find myself less productive. I'm not a fan of being nagged, but I do get (slightly) more stuff done at home. On the flip side, I find at home I get distracted a lot by parents needing help with something, etc., where here I can visit them a few times a week, help them out, and then go back to doing my own thing. It's nice that I can schedule my own time here.
-It costs more to live away of course. Not just rent, but all the little expenses like phone cards and so forth. (That's right, I have a cell phone again for a bit. If I didn't email it to you, email me and ask. But I don't usually carry it with me, I use it as a land line. Also, don't leave me voicemail, because I don't know how to check it, and havn't made any effort to learn how.)
-I've been blessed with a great room mate. I suspect if I were truly living on my own I'd find it pretty quiet and lonely, and I also suspect that finding another room mate this compatible would be difficult. So while my experience has been good, I also suspect it's atypical to a degree.
In general, I'm pretty glad for the experience. This is something I wanted to do last year and couldn't arrange. (Not many places rent for just a month or two.) Then the opportunity came up here, and it truly was a Godsend! For me, this is an important step forward: experiment with the "living on my own" lifestyle, compare it with living with my parents, and figure out what areas I need to grow in, before moving out for good at some point. Now if I could find a good woman, and I'd really be on a roll...
Anyways, that's it for now, I just thought I'd give my peeps a heads up on my life!
posted by Peter | 10:04 PM
2 Comments:
well - you've taken the first steps towards an answer to the question "you still live with your parents?!" which some ladies might ask... heehee just teasing of course! just for the record, we did phone you and the automated message said your voice mail was full... and shannon said "I bet he doesn't know how to check his voice mail" - now I know it was deliberate!
Actually I agree with you on both counts. I think there are plenty of good reasons to live with one's parents. I also think a girl would be totally justified in wondering if a guy who's never lived on his own is capable of handling it, or if he's going to expect his wife to do every little thing for him, just because mummy did at home. Shannon's statement is also right on the money, although over time it's become deliberate. The way I see it, I check my mail regularly (for free), so I don't particularly see a need for me to spend paid minutes checking my voice mail. If someone really needs to get a hold of me, I'm more likely to check my email in any case.
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