Movin' on Up and Rollin' on Down

First, let me assure you that my student did not appear to have poked her brain in any way that caused permanent damage while she was picking her nose during my final. She still ended up with a pretty good grade overall. I know you were all very concerned.

Second, I'm moving! Let's examine the changes to come:

CURRENT PLACE:
- I rent a room in a house.
- I have 2-3 housemates at a time.
- I share a bathroom with 1-2 housemates at a time.

NEW PLACE:
- I'm renting a one-bedroom apartment.
- I will have no housemates.
- I will have my own bathroom.

Don't get me wrong - I actually like my housemates a lot. It's not that we have problems living together or anything like that. It's just that I don't share living space very well, even with nice people. I feel insecure about using common areas, and so I tend to live my entire life out of my private space, which is currently a 12' x 12' bedroom. And let me tell you something: A 27-year-old...

(28 as of tomorrow. Did you know tomorrow is my birthday? Tomorrow is my birthday.)

... woman can only contain her life to a 12' x 12' space for so long before it starts to feel way too cramped. So I finally got my own space.

Three lots away from my current space.

Yep, I am moving a tremendous three driveways up the street from where I am currently living. This is a good thing, as far as I'm concerned, for a couple different reasons. For one thing, I really like this area. I have a good nail salon in easy walking distance, the freeways are easy to get to, and I'm very close to work. Also, a good friend of mine who is a fellow teacher at Christian School lives in the building I'm moving into; in fact, her apartment and mine share a wall. It's sort of like rooming with a good friend, yet at the same time having your own space - the best of both worlds.

Now, all of you out there have moved at some time or another in your life. (If you haven't, um, why not?) But probably not one of you has moved like I am moving. See, moving so close is interesting, because it's close enough that getting in the car and driving stuff over feels, well, dumb. Later in the month, when I move all my big furniture, yes, we'll drive it over, but for now, it just doesn't make sense. So instead, I've been having little one-woman parades down my street.

Here's what I do: I decide what I'm in the mood to move - books, sweaters, shoes, purses, etc. - and pack it up in a couple of my suitcases. Then I walk down the street rolling my luggage behind me. I unpack the stuff at the new apartment, then walk home again with the empty suitcases. I imagine all my neighbors are now thoroughly convinced that I'm a crazy lady with some sort of odd exercise regimen, or that I've murdered all my housemates and am slowly carting their body parts to a secret burial spot behind the old house down the street. Still, though, it works, even if I do look incredibly stupid while doing it.

And speaking of how I look (nice segue, huh?), I mentioned a few posts back that I had gotten a haircut. I also realize I stopped posting work clothes pictures a long time ago. So here are a few favorite outfits to show the "before":





And I went from that to this:





I'm a fan, but what do you think?