Living Alone In Los Angeles

I've been missing as of late. I've moved to another place. In my 13+ years of living in Los Angeles, this is the first place I've ever gotten that was solely my place. It's a weird feeling. The last time I experienced this was in Bowling Green, OH. When I first moved off campus.

The feeling of living alone is a great one. Especially if you get to be an age where you have weird habits that turn into irritating rituals with a roommate. Alone, you have full reign of your domain. You can crap with your door open. Drink booze in your underwear. Read Judy Blume novels without being judged. Watch crappy 80's sitcoms and laugh mightily as you want to. In short, it's freedom.

But freedom comes with a price. And the price is somewhat high. Los Angeles isn't cheap. And it certainly isn't cheap alone. All the utilities are now entirely yours. The responsibility of taking out garbage and getting mail...entirely yours. If someone pissed in a corner...guess who did it? You have no become...a grown up. Especially in a big city like L.A. There are so many factors of the world that come into your life as you live alone. You get attuned to certain aggravation now. For instance, you can no longer be as patient as you want to be when the internet goes dead. Or they're working on the boiler so there isn't hot water.

Internet use to bother me. It doesn't anymore. In fact, I don't even have it at my home anymore. See, it's another excessive "want" that doesn't fall into "need." And therefore, is expendable. I like parceling out  the essentials in life. And living well beneath my means...if need be.

The other day, I did FINALLY get my gas pilot light lit. It took 3 weeks and the coordination of more people than I was expecting. These are things you must deal with when you live alone.

I do enjoy the silence now. I get a lot of work done. In my previous place, I never did see my roommate. I made it so that I never had to. Cooked and stayed on my side. Living together alone. But, their presence is always in the back of your mind. You have to consider them, even if you never see them. Living alone is a HUGE burden I never knew existed. I knew I felt cohabitation was overbearing. You still had to sidestep so many things (doesn't bear going over here).

I'm really liking it so far. I visit Big Lots a lot and buy bricka-brack (an old term meaning "crap"). And, the independence I feel is worth the small bump in living expenses. I guess there is a price tag for peace of mind. But oddly enough, I don't feel it as bad as I thought I would (being a cheap S.O.B. that I am).