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Surprisingly, there has not been much to bitch about recently. I moved on the 13th of June, and now it's nearly a month later and I still have about 50% of my things to unpack. Today I brought the total from 85% unpacked to the now 50%, and may unpack more before I head to bed. My place is looking much bigger already, although I'm sure I won't finish tonight. I have been so busy that today is the third day that I have had at my new place since I moved in. Yeah.
So, for those who weren't tuned in, here's the comparison between my old place and my new place:
Really, the only thing that I would change about the new place is that it has an electric stove, something that I can live with. The old place was cramped, moldy and kind of crappy in general. The new place is bright, clean, and spacious. It's even got 9' cielings. I feel like I'm living in a palace out here. Just need to keep my costs down and I'll be money wise, too. My only real fear is that I'll be isolated from my friends in Berkeley. I've only got two good friends in Berkeley though, so maybe that's not as big a deal as I thought.
I am a little surprsied that I haven't made as many friends here as I did in undergrad. I lived in a dorm then, so I saw those people more frequently perhaps, but I still see people often while at work, so I don't know if that qualifies. While in undergrad, if I had to count the number of people I made good friends with, I would say that I made 12 close friends. I had a number of people more than that with whom I would say that I am solid friends. Granted, I was there 5 years and have only been here 3. My last two years there, though, I picked up only one of those friends. Here, I have two close friends, and two that I would consider friends, one of whom doesn't count because I was friends with her at U of I and she wound up coming here for grad school. Eleven close friends divided by 3 years, or if you will, 12 divided by 5, gives a minimum of 2.4 close friends per year in undergrad. Here the ratio is 0.6 per year. Perhaps there are lies, damn lies, and statistics, but there is definitely something about this place that is not conducive to making friends that easily. Is it grad school? Is it the fact that I'm in an apartment? Or is it more like the people in the area are assholes? I'm betting there's some of all three, but a good portion of the latter.
For those of you who were there on the 4th, it was a great time. I had a blast. And so did Mr. Incredible. Being home makes me feel alive again, lets me breathe and I feel at home there. I spent time in Illinois, Minnesota, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Florida, Arizona, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Kentucky and Missouri. I've driven through a lot more than these, but these states I have spent enough time in to get a sense of the area. Of all these places, I could live in any but California, Arizona and Florida. I'm not enthralled with Pennsylvania or Arkansas much, but I could live there. Arizona and Florida are too hot and too crowded in the cities. California is a gigantic cesspool.
I think the saddest thing that I have lost out here is cello. The orchestra never cut it, and my playing has completely gone to shit. There is a big hole in my life, and it is cello. I'm trying to rectify that, but it isn't easy with the amount of time that I work.
Good luck to everyone out there trying to find their lost passions and being comfortable with where they are in life.
So, for those who weren't tuned in, here's the comparison between my old place and my new place:
| Old | New | |
| In California | (-) | (-) |
| Town Quality | Bad (-) | OK (+) |
| Area of Town | Bad (-) | Good (+) |
| Parking | On-street (-) | Covered off-street (+) |
| Dishwasher | No (-) | Yes (+) |
| Washer/Dryer | None (-) | Full-sized in apt. (+) |
| Square feet | 280 | 653 |
| Cost per sq. ft. | $2.50/month | $1.42/month |
| Hot tub access | Yes (+) | Yes (+) |
| Pool access | No (-) | Yes (+) |
| Good landlord | Yes (+) | Yes (+) |
| Stove type | Gas (+) | Electric (-) |
Really, the only thing that I would change about the new place is that it has an electric stove, something that I can live with. The old place was cramped, moldy and kind of crappy in general. The new place is bright, clean, and spacious. It's even got 9' cielings. I feel like I'm living in a palace out here. Just need to keep my costs down and I'll be money wise, too. My only real fear is that I'll be isolated from my friends in Berkeley. I've only got two good friends in Berkeley though, so maybe that's not as big a deal as I thought.
I am a little surprsied that I haven't made as many friends here as I did in undergrad. I lived in a dorm then, so I saw those people more frequently perhaps, but I still see people often while at work, so I don't know if that qualifies. While in undergrad, if I had to count the number of people I made good friends with, I would say that I made 12 close friends. I had a number of people more than that with whom I would say that I am solid friends. Granted, I was there 5 years and have only been here 3. My last two years there, though, I picked up only one of those friends. Here, I have two close friends, and two that I would consider friends, one of whom doesn't count because I was friends with her at U of I and she wound up coming here for grad school. Eleven close friends divided by 3 years, or if you will, 12 divided by 5, gives a minimum of 2.4 close friends per year in undergrad. Here the ratio is 0.6 per year. Perhaps there are lies, damn lies, and statistics, but there is definitely something about this place that is not conducive to making friends that easily. Is it grad school? Is it the fact that I'm in an apartment? Or is it more like the people in the area are assholes? I'm betting there's some of all three, but a good portion of the latter.
For those of you who were there on the 4th, it was a great time. I had a blast. And so did Mr. Incredible. Being home makes me feel alive again, lets me breathe and I feel at home there. I spent time in Illinois, Minnesota, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Florida, Arizona, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Kentucky and Missouri. I've driven through a lot more than these, but these states I have spent enough time in to get a sense of the area. Of all these places, I could live in any but California, Arizona and Florida. I'm not enthralled with Pennsylvania or Arkansas much, but I could live there. Arizona and Florida are too hot and too crowded in the cities. California is a gigantic cesspool.
I think the saddest thing that I have lost out here is cello. The orchestra never cut it, and my playing has completely gone to shit. There is a big hole in my life, and it is cello. I'm trying to rectify that, but it isn't easy with the amount of time that I work.
Good luck to everyone out there trying to find their lost passions and being comfortable with where they are in life.
posted by ChemicalJesus at 7:45 PM
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