one of the nicest things about being back in pittsburgh is how much my house is starting to feel like home. despite 5 years (going on 6) of living in pittsburgh, this is the first year i've not had to move residences when summer came around. i thought that just meant i didn't have to deal with moving all my stuff and settling in again, but i'm ( Read more... )

i bet that part of my nervousness about the new living situation comes from some desire for its turning out perfectly to validate me, in absence of adequate self-confidence (socially) otherwise.

when i stayed with feis and slizyboy and valantrapitor in mountain view i was struck by how comfortable and "right" it felt; there was this intense longing to just stay there ( Read more... )

i have a place to live, and even someone to live with. (the lease starts on monday; decisions were made a while ago now.) awesome.

there are a number of extremely nice things about the place - greenery on the street, near a "cute little business district", an appropriately nice kitchen, close to the climbing wall, a landlord who treats me like a ( Read more... )

the everything-is-wrong / nothing-is-wrong wave appears to be becoming pretty standard. good food has been the only invariant, an island in stormy seas. (i'm wary of it turning into a depressive indulgence - specifically, treating myself at restaurants - but that worry doesn't stand when i get around to cooking for myself.) another recipe may be ( Read more... )

prevailing mood the last few days: persistent sadness punctuated by strong moments of encouragement and comfort. apartment hunting, huge chore that it is, is unavoidably depressing. i keep repeatedly putting my heart into opportunities knowing it's likely to get squashed (going after a place yesterday, the dude called me an hour before the ( Read more... )

( so it looks like i'm going to live in shadyside next year after all. )