I'm... gonna soak up the sun
Trying my hardest to make this entry short so I can get to bed, but need to pull some thoughts out so they can tumble around as I fall asleep. Epic climbing camping weekend of awesomeness kept me distracted, but I should have been doing some more contemplative thinking so I wouldn't be up right now trying to do it all at once. Contemplative thinking isnt meant to be rushed =P
Current lease is expiring. Joe and I have an appointment with our landlord in the morning to discuss renewal. We are both relatively happy and interested in renewing, but we both would prefer to go monthly or something shorter-term like a six month lease.
Another year here - and another year with him as my roommate! - is a long time to consider. I love my neighborhood, apartment is great, Joe is a pretty cool roommate. Definitely very nice and easy-going, though he does keep to himself a lot. Both good and bad. I'm sure it's fine and even normal for roommates, but it weirds me out a little that he is home so often in his room with the door shut. I've never liked shut doors though, ever; they just make me feel nervous or something. Anyway, it doesn't really bother me that much and I'm not worried about continuing to live with him.
I am just more concerned about my own future over the next 12 months and being tied to this place. If I wasn't going to school at Shoreline I would like to move a bit further south, a bit closer into the city... or closer to work would be nice. (Because you know, 10mins drive isn't close enough?!) There are cute options closer though. Anyway, not a big deal at all... I do wish I could have a yard again for Tanner though, or even not my own yard, but a downstairs apartment where I could just let him out more easily. He has to go out in the middle of the night and first thing in the morning so often now that he's getting older, and I always have to get pretty fully dressed because I have to take him out in public so he can pee. Its totally just me being lazy but man life was easier all of those other places where I had a bit of yard to take him out on and didn't have to go all the way out to the street!
I don't know that I can move anywhere at the moment where a yard is even an option though, so this is kind of moot. Especially considering my next thought, which is that even though Joe is cool and all, I still wish I could get my own place and not have to have a roommate.
Its not financially an option right now, but I'm optimistic that it could be in the next six months or so. Stuff got kinda effed lately, but I guess I believe that I'm not that bad off that I can't get it back together relatively soon as long as I work at it. I'm supposed to start getting work bonuses soon too and if that ball would ever get rolling that would sure be nice... not to mention getting my financial aid reinstated. Probably wont be able to get it for fall, but maybe by winter. idk.
If I would ever finish this degree I would have more money too because damn school is expensive... of course, then I will have student loans to pay on, but my loans are pretty low, heck they are less than half of the loan on my car =P stupid car.. I guess I will want to work on paying that off before I get all crazy trying to live without a roommate =P idk I keep thinking I will want to sell that car within a year or so.
I like the type of car that it is but I'm not exactly in love with the one I got. I don't really care for the color that much and the heavy tint bugs me. Minor issues but I got a decent enough deal on the car that I could theoretically just sell it and replace it with a similar car that I like better. Its just a matter of feeling up to the hassle of doing it, and then watching the ads for the one I would want instead. people buy and sell cars back and forth all the time; i have quite a few friends who do, so its not like I can't do this sometime. When I feel like investing the time into it :/
I'm also still not fully sold on the manual transmission. I can drive the stick fine now and its not bad most of the time. But often it *is* still kind of a pain in the ass, and I'm worried about the clutch burning out and having to replace it, and sometimes I feel like it just kills what would otherwise be a nice, relaxing leisurely drive in the sunshine around town. I'm sure it will only continue to get easier, and yet it is still always going to be more effort than an auto :p whine whine, i know. but driving a stick doesnt feel like that much more fun, to make up for the extra work. depending on the car i suppose. the stick in chris's jetta and the stick in my brother's ridiculous sporty car are both much more fun and easier to use, but mine is a bit annoying and since the engine doesnt have that much power, its not that fun either.
This has nothing to do with signing a lease in the morning. Bah! Always getting so off topic.
So I guess to summarize, I have no real reason not to sign for another year in the morning. Its just that a year is another lengthy committment. Hell, how often did Chris and I stay a year+ in one place ?! ha ha haaa. Obviously, I am not at all good at staying put. I guess I just know that I'm not going to want to be in this same apartment two years from now (because duh, I really hope my life has grown significantly from the point its at now?!), so a year is kind of questionable.
I also have been thinking more lately about moving, like really moving. When Chris was doing his aviation thing and talking about having to move out of state, a lot of me was like oh man, I dont know if I want to do that (especially when North Dakota was on the table). But a part of me was looking forward to having that excuse to get out of WA and get out in the world some more. I have been in WA since I was a kid and I haven't hardly been anywhere else in the country.
A few years ago it was my kickball crew of friends that was making me feel poor-traveled since they all had these international trips to talk about and there's me, huh what how did you guys go to all of these places ?! heh. A lot of people have gone out of state because of college, or gone on international trips through school, and I'm really envious of these experiences and want to start finding ways to have some of my own. Living with Chris it was kind of like la la domestic life and obviously we'd have had to work out the trips together, which we talked about a lot but were never quite ready to do. Now that I'm on my own / essentially single I could potentially do more of these things for myself. (Still with a group of friends or something, not alone!) I haven't been to Vegas and it seems like pretty much everyone I know has. I actually havent really been much of anywhere at all, other than Canada (which doesn't count for someone who has lived in the Seattle area for >10yrs) and NY for a few days. Going to NY was awesome but it was my only real trip to somewhere new/different.
Meeting climbers has certainly put the travel bug in me. Getting to know Hexar and some of those kids has made me really want to see Colorado and Austin, TX (two places he's from) because now that I know about them, they sound more interesting and I'd like to see them. They weren't places I'd thought about going before, but then, few places (in the states) really are, simply because I'm ignorant about what they have to offer. I'd like to see more of the East coast sometime, but also a few other places in the northern and southern sides of the states, just to see what they are like.
And then there is the thought always weighing in the back of my mind, like it has since I was like 6yrs old and dragged up to rainy WA, the thought that I'd like to move back to CA. I remember being 7-8 years old, living in Kent, and just having a bad day and screaming to my parents that I wanted to "go home." They didn't get it and were like "you are home" but they didn't understand and my young kid self couldnt clearly express the fact that WA didn't feel like home. I missed the sunshine and the palm trees and the CA architecture and design. I don't know if its just because its where I was born or what, but when I think of those spanish adobe pueblo homes with palm trees lining the front, I just feel home. (not that I'm actually a fan of that or most Santa Fe style.. just saying it gives me a comforting feeling of "home.") I do like the more mediterranean revival / mixed with contemporary styles that you see out there a lot though...you hardly ever see that architecture out here.
And I'm not saying I have to live in CA. I don't know that I'd even be happy living there. I love Cali's climate and architecture but I've always questioned the company. I don't know, because I've never spent much time in CA as an adult. If the people are as obnoxious as I worry they could be, then I wouldn't stick around. I just do know that, as beautiful as Seattle is and as lovely as our summers are, the rainy season is just too long and just gets me down, down, down. Its hard to think about right now, after the end of sunny and warm July. I can't help but remember that the rain is just around the corner. It just makes me wanna soak up these blue skies that much more while we have them, so its not necessarily a bad thing, ...but blah blah blah, the point is, lori moved to CA for awhile, joleen moved to CA for awhile, most of my friends that I can think of have lived in other place for awhile before being here, and I want to try living somewhere else too.
Besides Hexar, I have made good friends with a couple other people in the last year that strangely were all from Colorado. They all make Colorado sound like this nice pretty place with friendly genuine people who arent all petty like Seattleites seem to be. I don't know how true this is; I could hate it there. But But how will I know what the rest of the country is like if I don't get out there and start seeing it? I do love like crazy all of the Colorado-ians I've met, and that has to say something.. especially since they often remind me of eachother, haha. I wonder how hard it is to see some water out there.. from a lake or river. I've never been a huge water person, but then I've always been lucky enough to live right near it. I'm sure I'd miss it if I was away.
Climbing has also made me motivated to want to go on more trips and see more places. The idea of traveling in the name of other climbing areas is pretty compelling. I have fallen so in love with climbing, but thats definitely another post.
There are also just more places I have always wanted to see and go to. I want to see the redwood trees in CA. I want to go to the San Diego zoo. I want to see Yosemite, the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone. I wanna see Legoland lol. Ok maybe I could wait on that until I have kids someday :p I badly want to go to the Metropolitan museum in New York.. and I'd love to go to the Museum of Modern Art (in DC) again just because it was absolutely amazing... and we could only see like half of it in the one day that we were there. Seriously there was another whole half of that museum that we just couldn't get over to. And I want to go to Hawaii just because its Hawaii :) I want to walk along the boardwalk in Jersey. Those are all things in the States that I know of that I've always been interested in.. loosely in order of how much I want to see them. The first handful especially. Also I need some kind of excuse to someday see the Chicago/Boston area of the country.
In any case, I'm not about to be doing any of the above in the next six months, or probably in the next year. They are just things that have been floating around in my head, things that I dont want to fall too far to the back of my mind.
If our landlord agreed to a 6mo, likely we'd end up wanting to extend it to early spring at least anyway, so more like a 9mo lease. Moving between the months of Oct. - Feb. is no bueno, but March/April are good times to start looking and its when the market seems to really open up. Its a good time to find cute places and jump on deals before everyone else gets into the game in June and July.
So I guess will just see what she puts on the table in the morning. Now getting to bed so I can wake up for said meeting. hmhmhm.
Current lease is expiring. Joe and I have an appointment with our landlord in the morning to discuss renewal. We are both relatively happy and interested in renewing, but we both would prefer to go monthly or something shorter-term like a six month lease.
Another year here - and another year with him as my roommate! - is a long time to consider. I love my neighborhood, apartment is great, Joe is a pretty cool roommate. Definitely very nice and easy-going, though he does keep to himself a lot. Both good and bad. I'm sure it's fine and even normal for roommates, but it weirds me out a little that he is home so often in his room with the door shut. I've never liked shut doors though, ever; they just make me feel nervous or something. Anyway, it doesn't really bother me that much and I'm not worried about continuing to live with him.
I am just more concerned about my own future over the next 12 months and being tied to this place. If I wasn't going to school at Shoreline I would like to move a bit further south, a bit closer into the city... or closer to work would be nice. (Because you know, 10mins drive isn't close enough?!) There are cute options closer though. Anyway, not a big deal at all... I do wish I could have a yard again for Tanner though, or even not my own yard, but a downstairs apartment where I could just let him out more easily. He has to go out in the middle of the night and first thing in the morning so often now that he's getting older, and I always have to get pretty fully dressed because I have to take him out in public so he can pee. Its totally just me being lazy but man life was easier all of those other places where I had a bit of yard to take him out on and didn't have to go all the way out to the street!
I don't know that I can move anywhere at the moment where a yard is even an option though, so this is kind of moot. Especially considering my next thought, which is that even though Joe is cool and all, I still wish I could get my own place and not have to have a roommate.
Its not financially an option right now, but I'm optimistic that it could be in the next six months or so. Stuff got kinda effed lately, but I guess I believe that I'm not that bad off that I can't get it back together relatively soon as long as I work at it. I'm supposed to start getting work bonuses soon too and if that ball would ever get rolling that would sure be nice... not to mention getting my financial aid reinstated. Probably wont be able to get it for fall, but maybe by winter. idk.
If I would ever finish this degree I would have more money too because damn school is expensive... of course, then I will have student loans to pay on, but my loans are pretty low, heck they are less than half of the loan on my car =P stupid car.. I guess I will want to work on paying that off before I get all crazy trying to live without a roommate =P idk I keep thinking I will want to sell that car within a year or so.
I like the type of car that it is but I'm not exactly in love with the one I got. I don't really care for the color that much and the heavy tint bugs me. Minor issues but I got a decent enough deal on the car that I could theoretically just sell it and replace it with a similar car that I like better. Its just a matter of feeling up to the hassle of doing it, and then watching the ads for the one I would want instead. people buy and sell cars back and forth all the time; i have quite a few friends who do, so its not like I can't do this sometime. When I feel like investing the time into it :/
I'm also still not fully sold on the manual transmission. I can drive the stick fine now and its not bad most of the time. But often it *is* still kind of a pain in the ass, and I'm worried about the clutch burning out and having to replace it, and sometimes I feel like it just kills what would otherwise be a nice, relaxing leisurely drive in the sunshine around town. I'm sure it will only continue to get easier, and yet it is still always going to be more effort than an auto :p whine whine, i know. but driving a stick doesnt feel like that much more fun, to make up for the extra work. depending on the car i suppose. the stick in chris's jetta and the stick in my brother's ridiculous sporty car are both much more fun and easier to use, but mine is a bit annoying and since the engine doesnt have that much power, its not that fun either.
This has nothing to do with signing a lease in the morning. Bah! Always getting so off topic.
So I guess to summarize, I have no real reason not to sign for another year in the morning. Its just that a year is another lengthy committment. Hell, how often did Chris and I stay a year+ in one place ?! ha ha haaa. Obviously, I am not at all good at staying put. I guess I just know that I'm not going to want to be in this same apartment two years from now (because duh, I really hope my life has grown significantly from the point its at now?!), so a year is kind of questionable.
I also have been thinking more lately about moving, like really moving. When Chris was doing his aviation thing and talking about having to move out of state, a lot of me was like oh man, I dont know if I want to do that (especially when North Dakota was on the table). But a part of me was looking forward to having that excuse to get out of WA and get out in the world some more. I have been in WA since I was a kid and I haven't hardly been anywhere else in the country.
A few years ago it was my kickball crew of friends that was making me feel poor-traveled since they all had these international trips to talk about and there's me, huh what how did you guys go to all of these places ?! heh. A lot of people have gone out of state because of college, or gone on international trips through school, and I'm really envious of these experiences and want to start finding ways to have some of my own. Living with Chris it was kind of like la la domestic life and obviously we'd have had to work out the trips together, which we talked about a lot but were never quite ready to do. Now that I'm on my own / essentially single I could potentially do more of these things for myself. (Still with a group of friends or something, not alone!) I haven't been to Vegas and it seems like pretty much everyone I know has. I actually havent really been much of anywhere at all, other than Canada (which doesn't count for someone who has lived in the Seattle area for >10yrs) and NY for a few days. Going to NY was awesome but it was my only real trip to somewhere new/different.
Meeting climbers has certainly put the travel bug in me. Getting to know Hexar and some of those kids has made me really want to see Colorado and Austin, TX (two places he's from) because now that I know about them, they sound more interesting and I'd like to see them. They weren't places I'd thought about going before, but then, few places (in the states) really are, simply because I'm ignorant about what they have to offer. I'd like to see more of the East coast sometime, but also a few other places in the northern and southern sides of the states, just to see what they are like.
And then there is the thought always weighing in the back of my mind, like it has since I was like 6yrs old and dragged up to rainy WA, the thought that I'd like to move back to CA. I remember being 7-8 years old, living in Kent, and just having a bad day and screaming to my parents that I wanted to "go home." They didn't get it and were like "you are home" but they didn't understand and my young kid self couldnt clearly express the fact that WA didn't feel like home. I missed the sunshine and the palm trees and the CA architecture and design. I don't know if its just because its where I was born or what, but when I think of those spanish adobe pueblo homes with palm trees lining the front, I just feel home. (not that I'm actually a fan of that or most Santa Fe style.. just saying it gives me a comforting feeling of "home.") I do like the more mediterranean revival / mixed with contemporary styles that you see out there a lot though...you hardly ever see that architecture out here.
And I'm not saying I have to live in CA. I don't know that I'd even be happy living there. I love Cali's climate and architecture but I've always questioned the company. I don't know, because I've never spent much time in CA as an adult. If the people are as obnoxious as I worry they could be, then I wouldn't stick around. I just do know that, as beautiful as Seattle is and as lovely as our summers are, the rainy season is just too long and just gets me down, down, down. Its hard to think about right now, after the end of sunny and warm July. I can't help but remember that the rain is just around the corner. It just makes me wanna soak up these blue skies that much more while we have them, so its not necessarily a bad thing, ...but blah blah blah, the point is, lori moved to CA for awhile, joleen moved to CA for awhile, most of my friends that I can think of have lived in other place for awhile before being here, and I want to try living somewhere else too.
Besides Hexar, I have made good friends with a couple other people in the last year that strangely were all from Colorado. They all make Colorado sound like this nice pretty place with friendly genuine people who arent all petty like Seattleites seem to be. I don't know how true this is; I could hate it there. But But how will I know what the rest of the country is like if I don't get out there and start seeing it? I do love like crazy all of the Colorado-ians I've met, and that has to say something.. especially since they often remind me of eachother, haha. I wonder how hard it is to see some water out there.. from a lake or river. I've never been a huge water person, but then I've always been lucky enough to live right near it. I'm sure I'd miss it if I was away.
Climbing has also made me motivated to want to go on more trips and see more places. The idea of traveling in the name of other climbing areas is pretty compelling. I have fallen so in love with climbing, but thats definitely another post.
There are also just more places I have always wanted to see and go to. I want to see the redwood trees in CA. I want to go to the San Diego zoo. I want to see Yosemite, the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone. I wanna see Legoland lol. Ok maybe I could wait on that until I have kids someday :p I badly want to go to the Metropolitan museum in New York.. and I'd love to go to the Museum of Modern Art (in DC) again just because it was absolutely amazing... and we could only see like half of it in the one day that we were there. Seriously there was another whole half of that museum that we just couldn't get over to. And I want to go to Hawaii just because its Hawaii :) I want to walk along the boardwalk in Jersey. Those are all things in the States that I know of that I've always been interested in.. loosely in order of how much I want to see them. The first handful especially. Also I need some kind of excuse to someday see the Chicago/Boston area of the country.
In any case, I'm not about to be doing any of the above in the next six months, or probably in the next year. They are just things that have been floating around in my head, things that I dont want to fall too far to the back of my mind.
If our landlord agreed to a 6mo, likely we'd end up wanting to extend it to early spring at least anyway, so more like a 9mo lease. Moving between the months of Oct. - Feb. is no bueno, but March/April are good times to start looking and its when the market seems to really open up. Its a good time to find cute places and jump on deals before everyone else gets into the game in June and July.
So I guess will just see what she puts on the table in the morning. Now getting to bed so I can wake up for said meeting. hmhmhm.