I came dangerously close to transferring to our Chicago office and moving back into the city. I was just so fed up with having my water shut off once a week while other condos in my building were being renovated. I've lived here for two years though, and I love the location. And I have to believe that there's only so much more renovating and upgrading that can be done before things return to normal here.
In a previous post, I mentioned some of the reasons I love living here. I love the excitement of the city, but I just wouldn't have the same quality of life if I lived there (Without spending A LOT more money). Here are a few of the reasons I decided to stay here for a 3rd year:
- I like being able to drive to a store and park in front of it, go inside and get what I need and then drive back home. Taking the bus/train/taxi everywhere is cool if you're with your friends and want to make a day of hanging out, but it's no fun when you're tired or in a hurry.
- It's nice to have a whole parking lot to park in. When I lived in the city, I was paying over $100 per month just for an outdoor parking space in somewhat of a sketchy area.
- I love having a full-size washer & dryer and a wood-burning fireplace in my home. Also, if I lived in a high-rise in the city, I'd have to lug my dirty clothes around in a basket to the laundry room. I graduated college 10 years ago and have no desire to return to that kind of lifestyle.
- Traffic. It's not that I mind driving. I HATE BEING STUCK IN TRAFFIC. When I lived in Oklahoma and was working on a Master's Degree in Arkansas, I had to drive two hours each way, twice a week. I know I sound like someone's grandfather here, talking about how he had to walk 8 miles to school each day, uphill both ways, with nothing but a baked potato in his hands to keep him warm. I really did drive two hours each way though. And I would actually look forward to the drive each week. I'd just hop on my motorcycle or jump in the Prelude and drive. Two hours driving on country roads is relaxing. Being stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic unnerves me. And living in Chicago would mean that I'd be stuck in traffic when I travel to and from work.
- It's nice to have a sense of home. I like doing business at places where the people know me by name.
So my big investment last year after I renewed my lease was $10 for a new shower-head. It's worked out great. It's so powerful that I have to lean forward when I take a shower to keep from getting blown over. Now that I'm staying put for another year, I want to find an equally cost-effective enhancement to make to the place. I'm thinking of getting curtains for my room. And I don't mean a dainty valence or something. You know, the big, heavy, thick kind that totally blocks the light from coming in, like they have in hotels? That's what I want. I work nights but even with my mini-blinds totally closed, light shines right through them so whether I want to or not, I wake up at the crack of dawn. If I lived in some of the sketchier parts of town (Like I did when I was a police officer and was given free rent in exchange for parking my police car in the parking lot of the apartment complex), I could probably get away with the ghetto method of putting aluminum foil up in my window. But that probably wouldn't fly here, so I'm stuck looking into other alternatives.
I don't know how this even came up, but I took an informal poll at work a few days ago, and I'm clearly in the minority here. I like to think of myself as someone who is "hip" or "down" or whatever (kinda like Dr. Evil when he was trying to show his son that he was "hip" by doing the Macarena dance). Anyway, I'm posting this on my website to see if there is ANYONE else who is going to side with me on this trivial issue:
The other dining etiquette issue I'm not clear on is the whole double-dipping thing. But let's tackle one issue at a time.
