4008 House

As you may know, J and I are considering flats for next year. Our requirements are pretty high - it needs to allow cats (as we have two now - cat post soon!). I also want a washer/dryer, simply because I clean up spills and things with rags and towels, not paper products, and I need an easy way to wash these. Additionally, I want to be able to line dry them, and this is hard to do when you have to carry heavy, wet laundry from the public laundry. And my last requirement was that it have lots of big windows. My current flat is windowless. I’m serious. There’s a total of four windows - one in each room, and honestly, three of them are useless. My roommate keeps his door shut because of the cats, so that’s one window. The kitchen window is tiny. And the living room window faces a wall. There’s no light in here! We’re living in perpetual darkness with oppressive artificial lights. Ugh.

Anyway, J ended up finding a house that meets all our requirements. The rent is a bit steeper than what I’d hope, but I have to admit it does have a lot of windows. J loves it - it has a yard and it’s in a decent area of town, so our new cat Sata can actually go outside. I’m still considering. This is a huge commitment, and a house is really intimidating.

So! Here are the pros:

1. It’s private. Apartments around here are ALWAYS full of university students, so they tend to be noisy, with an annoying university atmosphere. When I’m done with school, although I’m still going to be here working in Austin, I’d like to get AWAY from that kind of culture, at least when I’m at home. The house is private and surrounded by Real Families, which means I’d be away from the fraternity/partying/university culture.
2. It’s big. It’s not big for a house, certainly, but it’s much bigger than most of the apartments we can get for the same amount of money. It has two bedrooms and a spare room in the back, along with living, kitchen, and dining. This means we get to have a bedroom, study, and spare room for guests and whatever else.
3. It has TONS of windows. Seriously. Every picture of this place was sunny and bright, even the bathroom. Not a single room was window-less.
4. It has a yard, and a shed in the back. J insists he’ll take care of the yard, and it’ll be nice to have somewhere to relax in the morning. It has a slab of concrete in the back acting as a back porch, and we could put a little table out there to have our morning coffee. It’s not the prettiest, but it IS a yard, and the shed can act as extra storage for bikes and lawn mowers and whatever.
5. The kitchen and dining are separate rooms. I know this is really silly, but I HATE the trend these days of having the kitchen and the eating area be one room, or even opening up the kitchen and dining to the living room. My current apartment places the kitchen and dining in the living room, separating them by a bar over the counters. It’s really common and I hate it. I much prefer to have a separate kitchen, and a separate dining room.
6. Hardwood floors. Augustus, our long-haired cat, LOVES tile and hardwood because he gets so hot in the summer. I love hardwood because it doesn’t collect dirt and cat fur and it’s just beautiful, and trust me, when it’s 110F outside, you do NOT want carpet.
7. There’s an actual hallway. But at the same time, all the rooms are connected to each other. The floorplan is just really nice and accessible, and no room would go unused.

Here are the cons:

1. The rooms are painted god-awful colors. I’m not even lying. All the rooms are painted sage green except for the kitchen and bathroom - those are canary yellow. CANARY YELLOW. Just thinking about it makes me want to hurl. J is going to ask if we can re-paint the walls a more neutral color, like white or pale gray, but I don’t have high hopes. I think I could live with the sage green (green is by far my least favorite color, though). But canary yellow? Come on! It’s not the 80s anymore.
2. No curtain rods on the windows. Not a big deal, as the windows have nice molding around them, and the blinds aren’t mini-blinds, but bigger, lovely white ones. So even without curtains it wouldn’t be a big deal, but I’d still like the option.
3. It’s really big. I dunno. We just don’t need THAT much space. It is nice, but J has a tendency of buying stuff to fill up space, and I’m a HUGE minimalist. I want to have the computers and such separated from the bedroom, so I wanted a two-bedroom flat to have a study separate, but then we have one more extra room. Not sure what we’d do with it … I was thinking a guest room but we honestly would hardly ever have guests, and I don’t want one of the rooms to go unused.
4. It’s on the pricey side. Okay, keep in mind this is AUSTIN, where they have half a million dollar one-bedroom CONDOS downtown. Compared to that, it’s dirt-cheap. On the other hand, if we were to live thirty-minutes north, we could find a house to rent for 2/3 of what we’d be paying. I’d rather pay the extra money to live in Austin, but it still is pricey. It’s a big commitment, money-wise. I don’t want to jump into this.
5. The yard would take a lot of work. It’s really nice if we could fix it up - there’s a big tree in the back and a few trees in the front, but right now it’s sort of patches of dirt and a bit of grass. We would have to replant grass back there, and then we have to cut it and water it every few days in the summer. I’m really not a yard-work person. I don’t think I’d mind mowing, but trust me when I say the yard needs work.
6. No garbage disposal. Not a huge deal, especially because we could have a compost bin now that we have a yard and stuff where we can actually USE compost.
7. THIS IS SCARY! I’m only twenty-one! I know a lot of people around here rent houses, but it’s different when you’re moving in with your boyfriend and you have two cats and you’re not in school anymore. It feels so grown-up and scary!

It’s tough to say. I haven’t actually seen the place yet. That’s going to happen today. I’ve just seen pictures. I was going to post them here, but the current residents are still there, and so the house still has their stuff in it, and I’m not comfortable posting pictures of other people’s stuff. The pictures make it look nice, and J insists it’s even more wonderful in person, but there’s so much to think about right now. And the sucky thing is we have to make a decision fairly soon, because it can and WILL get snapped up soon.

I dunno. What do you guys think? I’m really needing some advice and input right now. It’s hard to find a place that satisfies all my requirements - lots of windows, washer/dryer, allows cats. This is a really lucky find. But there’s really so much to think about. I just don’t know. Can you think of any other important questions I should ask the realtor before we make a decision? What would you do?

January 29, 2009 @ 9:35 am . Comments (4)

Future — Tags: apartment, Future, living

Health myths

The other day I learned that we don’t actually need 8 glasses of water a day. Now, I had never really believed that, and honestly I found it rather silly so I’ve never been a water drinker (mostly juice, coffee, and tea - I don’t like the taste of water in general), but I started noticing how everyone had a water bottle. It was weird to me, and honestly I don’t like drinking too much because I hate having to run to the bathroom, but I went with it. People have done stranger things.

Anyway, then I read something recently that made me research this further. We don’t need eight glasses of water a day. It’s a “gross estimate,” “flat wrong,” and you only need a liter of liquid a day, most of which you get through food. In fact, it can be dangerous in some instances to drink eight glasses of water every day. And you can get your water intake through caffeinated or sugary beverages. For someone who isn’t used to caffeine, 1 cup of coffee == 2/3 cup of water. And if you are used to drinking caffeine, a cup of coffee is just like having a cup of water. Tea, juice, milk and caffeinated sodas all give you the same benefits of water. These all do not dehydrate you.

And yet despite all these studies everyone still spends thirty bucks and a chunk out of the environment buying bottled water every week. This is stupid. During my research I saw that people were struggling to drink eight glasses of water, and I saw people feeling guilty and bad about themselves for not hitting the mark. I couldn’t believe it - do people seriously guilt-trip themselves because they’re not drinking eight glasses of water a day? I couldn’t do that! I’d be going to the bathroom every thirty seconds.

They’ve shown that drinking isn’t even the most effective way to get water. It just passes right through your system. Eating vegetables and fruit is more effective because your body has time to absorb the water while it’s digesting. You are NOT walking around dehydrated. When you’re thirty, you still have plenty of time to drink before becoming dehydrated.

I just can’t believe this has turned into a nationwide phenomenon. It feels like that one time when everyone was doing the Atkin’s Diet. In fact, while we’re on depressed thoughts about our health, consider this article. It states that you have to exercise more than you think you do, eating more of something doesn’t help you lose weight, and your body and our culture are working against you. The only one I don’t agree with is number 8, simply because I know for a fact that losing weight can help with blood pressure and diabetes - the less you weigh, the less likely you are to have high blood pressure or Type II Diabetes, and furthermore, I feel like a lot of people use stuff like this as an excuse to not get healthy. They read it and say, “Oh, my lifestyle is justified,” when in reality they’re horribly unhealthy. It’s not about the weight, it’s about how likely you are to die.

I’m concerned, I really am. I’m worried about the health of the world and the health of the next generation. When I hear about things like childhood obesity and kids developing heart problems and diabetes and high blood pressure, I get so angry and upset. There’s so many myths we take for granted, and we don’t bother to research what’s actually going on. And the worst of it is we feel that if everyone is doing something, it’s more okay for us to do it too.

I want to see everyone get healthy and lose weight, for the sake of their future. I hope that this most recent wave of healthier foods on the shelves will help this.

January 27, 2009 @ 10:34 am . Comments (3)

Health — Tags: Future, Health, well-being

The last first day of school

It doesn’t even feel real. You’re used to waking up and dragging your butt out of bed and walking/biking/riding the bus to school every single morning for the past fifteen and a half years. And then suddenly you wake up and you realize, “Today is the last first day of school in possibly my entire life.”

I’m so ready to be done with all of this, but on the other hand it’s a little sad. I think this semester is going to be filled with a lot of moments like that. There are parts about school that I hate (like doing a project or staying up late studying), but I will miss these moments all the same. It’s weird looking back and seeing an entire schooling behind you, and look at how far you’ve come.

One of the classes I’m taking this semester is a class most people take either sophomore or junior year. I had put it off for awhile and it’s strange just how easy it all seems. I look back and I realize just how much I’ve learned - I’ve learned to program, I’ve learned how an operating system works, I’ve learned how little voltages create an entire huge system. I’ve learned about gates and Turing Machines and regular expressions and I’ve even proven that the set of all numbers is infinite.

And now it’s almost over. It doesn’t mean that I will stop learning. It just means that things will change. I’m excited. It’s no secret that I seriously hate school. But there’s also something so familiar about it all that will soon be gone.

January 22, 2009 @ 9:51 am . Comments (7)

Future — Tags: change, computer science, Future, school

Nervous

Tomorrow J and I will be adopting another cat. I’m really, really nervous how Augustus will react to a new furry friend in the house. For those of you that don’t know, Augustus has been one headache after another. We love him to death, despite everything, but it’s been hard. We’re hoping that another cat will fix a lot of the problems he’s been having.

We got Augustus in April, and he’s a very clingy kitten. When we got him he had all sorts of problems and was seeing a vet almost every week. Since then his health has improved, but he’s still extremely clingy, and as he’s grown up he’s gotten less affectionate. He meows incessantly and has to constantly be around us. He lives in J’s apartment, and doesn’t let him sleep at night because he always wants to play at about six in the morning, regardless of whether we try to tire him out or not. He’s also obnoxious. He jumps onto the kitchen table then onto J’s bar over the sink, knocking everything into the sink. He tears up rolls of toilet paper. He pounces on people as they walk by.

Now, he’s gotten a lot better since we got him, but there’s still problems. When he’s being a good cat, he’s wonderful. He’s quiet, affectionate, and he purrs all the time. But when he’s being awful, he’s truly awful. We’re hoping that the presence of an affectionate, quiet older cat would help a lot because it would give Augustus a companion during the day, something to play with, and ideally, even a role model to look up to.

So we’re going to try it. I’m not sure how well Augustus will handle another cat, but we have to try. If it doesn’t work out, we can always take the cat back, but I’m hoping it WILL work out. Augustus is one year old as of November, and this is an important time for him. I’m hoping that if he sees how well-mannered and quiet the new cat is, it’ll influence his own behavior. Also, I’ve been reading that a lot of this behavior is due to boredom - a new cat can help to alleviate that. J and I also work during the day, so he just sleeps all day until we get home because he’s bored and lonely.

Do any of you know enough about cats to know if this would work? What kinds of pets do you have? Have they ever given you trouble? Share your pet stories!

January 15, 2009 @ 10:42 am . Comments (9)

General — Tags: cats

Have a Health Day

When you read this, I strongly encourage you to spend the next 24 hours having a Health Day. What is a Health Day? It’s a day where you focus on health - your health, physical and mental, the health of others, and the health of the environment. Sometimes when I’m in a funk I take a Health Day, where I focus really hard on just living really well. It really helps because even though it’s just for one day, it helps you to be more energetic and happy the next day. I’ve decided to share this after I’ve been noticing a lot of people in a winter depression.

So! Here’s what you do. You go through the categories and you choose at least one thing from each category to do in the next 24 hours. The more you do, the better. Then when 24 hours is over, you can blog about your experience or just post in the comments. If nobody does this, I’ll just get really sad and never bring it up again.

Your Health - Physical

• Go for a long walk
• Have twice as many fruits and vegetables than anything else
• Don’t eat any sugar (except natural sugar in fruits)
• Read up on diet myths if you’re trying to lose weight or get healthy, and then actually apply them to your eating habits.
• Spend an hour in the morning doing yoga or weight lifting or simple exercises like pushups and situps.
• Go to sleep before midnight. If you already do this, then relax with something non-computer related for an hour before bed, like reading a book.
• Add your own!

Your Health - Mental

• Start reading a new book.
• Take ten minutes in the middle of the day to close your eyes and simply not think about anything. If you realize you’re thinking about something, simply acknowledge it and stop.
• Forgive someone and forget about it.
• Draw a picture.
• Read up on interesting facts about Earth and science.
• Take the time to understand a concept or theory you never understood before.
• Find a diplomatic way to deal with an annoyance in your life.
• Add your own!

Others’ Health

• Compliment a stranger sincerely.
• Explain to a friend how much he or she means to you, no matter how awkward or fumbling it is.
• Pay for the person’s food in front of you in line. If you’re in a drive-through, pay for the person behind you.
• Call up a really good friend that you haven’t talked to in awhile.
• Give someone a hug.
• Buy someone flowers, such as your mother.
• Add your own!

Health of the World

• Recycle!
• Don’t buy anything for one day
• Turn down the heat by a few degrees (or the air conditioning)
• Hang up your clothes to dry instead of using a dryer
• Try to buy local if you go out for groceries
• If you can, walk or bike to work or school instead of driving or even taking the bus.
• Add your own!

My hope is that if we all take a few days to invoke some health into the world and into their lives, it will help everyone to just destress. After all, the best way to feel better is to do something nice for yourself or others. What do you think?

January 12, 2009 @ 10:09 pm . Comments (4)

Health — Tags: Health, living

I’d like to introduce you to…

My new friends!

The white thing in the middle is food.

These are the newest additions to my circle of friends! They’re mystery snails, which are medium-sized (they only get to be about two inches large) freshwater snails. Mystery snails are one of the few species of snails that actually have two genders, and yes, you need a boy snail and a girl snail to make baby snails. They were a Christmas present from J, tank, supplies, and snails, and I’ve been wanting them for months.

I know what you’re thinking. Snails?!

They’re fascinating. Both my roommate and J were skeptical because snails are slow-moving and not that exciting. But when I actually got them, the roommate and J were both fascinated by them. They’re adorable because they’re so small right now, and even though they’re slow you can still watch them wander around the tank. The funniest part is when you look at them, and look away for just an instant, and then look back, all the snails will be in a completely different part of the tank from before. I don’t get how they do it.

We named them Chris, Patton, and Stonewall. We don’t know which ones are girls and which ones are boys, so we generally just refer to them in whatever gender we think of first. Chris is an ivory mystery snail, Patton is a yellow one, and Stonewall is a black one. J loves Stonewall the best, but I like all three equally.

They’re all way better than having some anonymous, similar-looking fish, let me tell you. Fish are predictable. Snails climb up the edges of the tank, hang upside-down off stuff, and even climb up the ferns I have in the tank. They’re fascinating to watch because they move so fluidly. They’re just absolutely adorable.

Here are some more pictures:

January 9, 2009 @ 4:32 pm . Comments (5)

General — Tags: pets

New Year Meme

So, yesterday it was 80F. Today it’s 45F. Tomorrow it will be 35F and raining. I hate this weather. I hate this weather. I just wish it would make up it’s mind.

Okay, now I know it’s January 4th, but I really wanted to do a New Year Meme. I love memes! I don’t do enough of them at all because I can never find good ones and they tend to be really personal and for some reason I’m terrified of putting my Real Life Self online, but I’m no good at pretending to be someone else either. So here goes, behind the cut. (more…)

January 4, 2009 @ 2:14 pm . Comments (5)

General — Tags: change, nostalgia

Adventure!

Yesterday J and I went to Mt. Bonnell which isn’t so much a mountain as a somewhat tall hill. It’s just down the Colorado River from the 360 Bridge, which is much better, in my opinion. Less annoying trashy people and more peace and quiet. Nevertheless, Mt. Bonnell was pretty nice, and it was the perfect day to be out (in the 70s, sunny, and just really nice in general).

I think you can see the 360 Bridge if you try. It’s a little arch on the righthand side.

The sun was pointing right at the camera but the river looks pretty.

The pretty sky and nice water may delude you into thinking I live somewhere nice, but let me assure you, Texas in general is really the suck.

AUGH WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE??? Man, I didn’t realize until now just how ugly my chin is.

We also went to First Night on New Year’s Eve just to see the parade. It was amazing! We were almost late for the start and then J’s camera ran out of batteries, but it all worked out because there was a pharmacy near by. We ended up getting a ton of pictures, which I’ll upload probably tomorrow or Monday (they’re on J’s computer).

Anyway, after Mt. Bonnell we ended up going to the Cheesecake Factory, despite the fact that it’s really … um … prom-y. You know, it’s the restaurant that everyone goes to for prom or formal events, or Valentine’s Day. We decided never to go again. The service was terrible, the food was just alright, and it was just not the best of places. Despite that, we had way too much fun, laughing and joking around. We ordered artichoke for an appetizer and split a pizza for dinner (because they always give way too much food - neither of us can ever finish a plate at any of these chain restaurants - and we didn’t even finish the pizza we shared either).

And they burned our pizza.

We went to his house for a few hours and then came to mine where we sat around and he watched a movie while I played Chrono Trigger on my DS. All in all, 2009 has been pretty swell so far. Let’s hope it continues to be as fun and relaxing as it has been.

January 3, 2009 @ 11:46 am . Comments (6)

Adventure — Tags: real life, relaxing