Adulthood: It's Just Not What It Was Cracked Up to Be

As a child, I remember thinking it would be great to be a grown-up, because I would get to make my own choices. Now that I'm an adult(!), decision making is often more difficult than I used to imagine. Nevertheless, I have "high quality" problems - my selection of options is more like "do I want melon or mango" rather than "do I buy food or pay rent"

The current dithering is, of course, about purchasing a home. I like the house - I would never bid on a house I didn't like. The location is okay. I cannot afford all of these: 0. safety 1. easy walk to public transportation (Caltrain) 2. easy walk to walkable downtown with stores of interest (e.g. groceries) and restaurants 3. biking commute to work 4. that je ne sais quoi along with 5. a free standing house of acceptable size.

Facebook photo album

Acceptable size: as always, it's relative. I've never wanted a mansion - I like to keep the cleaning more manageable, for one thing. My house in Ithaca is significantly bigger than the one I'm buying here. My apartment here is about the same size as the house. The house has a better bathroom and kitchen. The apartment has a better living room - dining room layout and bigger bedrooms, too. For my single lifestyle, two big bedrooms work a lot better than three small ones.

House: no shared walls! I'll be able to practice freely, at all hours. (Literally, any hour, if I'm willing to keep the windows closed -- hurray for double pane windows!) I envision fixing up the front yard into more of a flower garden with some seating. I have a nice patio with this apartment, but I never use it - I think it's because it's not really connected enough with the house. It's down the staircase and out of the sightline, and Shindy cat will meow plaintively (and LOUDLY) if I hang out there (she can't come out).

I'll be 10-15 minutes closer to the city, by car. 1-2 stops closer by Caltrain. A block away from a great locally owned fruit market. Too close to some big box stores.

I'm looking over the inspection reports now - no red flags on the play so far ...