Having lived by myself for a few weeks now (Caitlin and I broke up after four years a few months ago and our lease just ended… it was a clean/happy break… that’s all we need to say on that), I’ve gathered some thoughts…<br/><br/><span style=”font-weight: bold;”>45 Perks<br/></span>#1 silence<br/>#2 eating when you want<br/>#3 sleeping when you want<br/>#4 watching what you want<br/>#5 watching what you want when you want<br/>#6 cleaning at your leisure<br/>#7 nobody to share bandwidth with<br/>#8 the dvr is full of things i want to watch<br/>#9 thermostat always comfortable<br/>#10 stereo always plays something good<br/>#11 shower is always vacant<br/>#12 toilet is always vacant<br/>#13 sink/mirror are always vacant<br/>#14 not apologizing for passing gas<br/>#15 not apologizing for dropping a really smelly load<br/>#16 unused side of bed doubles as storage<br/>#17 colors are my colors<br/>#18 art is my art<br/>#19 toilet paper usage is way down<br/>#20 the whole bed<br/>#21 no more makeup cleaner bleaching sheets<br/>#22 wine bottles are not made for one<br/>#23 buying a lot of new stuff<br/>#24 no “man cave”<br/>#25 the only problems are your problems<br/>#26 schedule flexibility<br/>#27 downsizing<br/>#28 shades are open more often<br/>#29 no femine products to step on<br/>#30 lots more amy’s microwaveable meals<br/>#31 go to bed sweaty if you want<br/>#32 living in a new area and loving it<br/>#33 looking just an extra bit<br/>#34 dining room table? unnecessary<br/>#35 nobody to tell you you can’t have an arcade system in the living room<br/>#36 bikes make great wall decoration<br/>#37 no girlie foot stink (seriously, women are masochists when it comes to their feet)<br/>#38 nobody to be grossed out by your toenail fungus on a daily basis<br/>#39 if there are streaks, they’re mine<br/>#40 two nightstands<br/>#41 two pillows<br/>#42 one hypothalamus<br/>#43 ordering whatever you want on your pizza<br/>#44 eating it the next day<br/>#45 staying up until the wee hours of the night on the laptop… blogging… in bed<br/><br/><span style=”font-weight: bold;”>25 Negatives<br/></span>#1 it’s always quiet<br/>#2 need to send an e-mail when you have something quick that you must share<br/>#3 cooking for one<br/>#4 grocery store for one<br/>#5 nobody to share the little things with<br/>#6 nobody to take care of you when sick<br/>#7 nobody ever buys you dinner<br/>#8 nobody ever makes you dinner<br/>#9 wine bottles are not made for one<br/>#10 buying a lot of new stuff<br/>#11 when the car is broken, it really needs to be fixed<br/>#12 nobody else to blame for messes<br/>#13 not splitting utilities<br/>#14 no more “man cave”<br/>#15 traveling alone<br/>#16 needing to taxi to the airport<br/>#17 i’m not meeting anyone in a ’93 civic<br/>#18 moving<br/>#19 downsizing<br/>#20 no 2nd dish to try/finish.<br/>#21 more microwaveable meals<br/>#22 bugs<br/>#23 leaving neighbors<br/>#24 apartment life<br/>#25 starting over<br/><br/>Now I know you’re probably saying “Damn, 45 good things and 25 bad? Sounds like he really needed out.” No… I wrote this because I jokingly posted perk #43 on Facebook and my Sister asked me what the others were… So I set off coming up with those 40+ items. As my thoughts slowed, I figured a few things could also go down as negatives… So they did, and I added even more. I’m sure I could expand on both lists, but it’s late, and I do need sleep.<br/>