Moving out!

[thearabianmage]

Most people in this forum are middle-aged, so I'm sure that not only have you moved out on your own, but you have since purchased your own homes (through whatever scheme) and have raised kids (or guitars) in your home.

In just over 2 weeks I'm moving to London. Me and my mates went to 'The Big Smoke' on Wednesday flat-hunting. We found some cool places, but settled on a flat in East Finchley - interestingly enough, the tubestation of said location is where Jerry Springer was born during World War II!! Cool! And considering that he was born inside the tube station, it must've been during one of Germany's air raids. Imagine that. . .

It's so cool, yet extremely daunting at the same time. On one hand, London is a big city and will be a big change from what I've grown up in, I'm moving out on my own for the first time, and I'll be starting at 'university' (The Institute) studying music, specifically, on the guitar.

On the other hand - it's a lot of money. The flat is a two-bedroom, fully furnished, second floor apartment for £310 per week! Split that between me and my flatmates, and you are talking £412 a month each. Just to sleep. Not to mention travel, GAS, food, GAS, and booze, as well as GAS.

I guess it's not that much - but it's all coming from loans (that I'm still not sure if I'm getting or not!)

So much is going to change. It's all really starting to sink in.

At least I get to take all my guitars with me :D

And on a cool note: on a clear day, I will be able to see Big Ben from my bedroom window!

As an attempt at making this a discussion - when did y'all first move out on your own? What was it like? What happened?

[just strum]

I was still in High School the first time I moved out. Left midway through my senior year and just sort of jumped around for about a year. The I moved out to the burbs with my dad and his wife for about a year.

After that I got a series of apartments, lived with a couple different girls - one here and one in California. Came back from California, got myself respectful and that was about it.

Got married when I was about 33 or 34 and we started having kids two years after that.

[evenkeel]

Very cool. Rite of passage stuff.

I moved away from home my senior year of college. Little, dumpy apt. over a garage. Seems like decades ago. Yikes it was. :thwap:

[marnold]

Well, I was in boarding schools from my freshman year in high school onwards so "moving out" wasn't a big deal. As a matter of fact, I was only home for vacations. I didn't move permanently until I got out of the Seminary at age 26. The year after I graduated, my parents sold the house they had owned since I year before I was born. Thus my remaining "stuff" was put into storage until I ended up here in WI permanently when I was 28.

[thearabianmage]

I didn't move permanently until I got out of the Seminary at age 26.

Seminary? Is that like a convent for men?

[marnold]

Seminary? Is that like a convent for men?
Hehe. It felt like that sometimes. No, it's graduate school for pastors. Four years prep (high school), four years college, four years at the Sem. Actually "convent" is really inapplicable since a good chunk of my classmates were already married. I really liked the Sem even though I absolutely worked my rear end off.

My favorite times were when we'd have a Schwein (German for "pig" literally). We'd eat a bunch of raw hamburger and/or cold cuts on pumpernickel, drink beer, and talk smart. Things could be a little gassy in class the next day though :)

[Rocket]

Eating, "a bunch of raw hamburger," "drink beer," and, "talk smart"... I'd consider any 2 of those 3 events as mutually exclusive!

[thearabianmage]

My favorite times were when we'd have a Schwein (German for "pig" literally). We'd eat a bunch of raw hamburger and/or cold cuts on pumpernickel, drink beer, and talk smart. Things could be a little gassy in class the next day though :)

:puke:

I've done cricket-spitting, my favourite sandwich used to be a peanut-butter and pepperoni sandwich, and when I was younger, I thought that spitting 20 feet in the air and catching it in my mouth was fun.

But I ain't never ate raw pig.

Surely the beer would've just made you :puke: afterwards, or was it because of the beer that you were able to eat raw meat in the first place? :D

What's pumpernickel?

[hubberjub]

I haven't lived at home since I went to college when I was 18. Enjoy it. It was one of the greatest time I had. It took me a while to be able to balance my new found freedom with the responsibility required to be a sucessful music student. Apparently getting wasted every night and playing Grateful Dead songs doesn't help you make Dean's list.

[marnold]

But I ain't never ate raw pig.

Surely the beer would've just made you :puke: afterwards, or was it because of the beer that you were able to eat raw meat in the first place? :D

What's pumpernickel?
It's not raw pig. It's raw cow. The hoidy toidy folks call it steak tartare. You have to be careful with what butcher you go to. There was a butcher back home that we used to go to who kept a grinder separate only for this. I wouldn't use garden variety supermarket hamburger for this purpose. You certainly wouldn't want to eat stuff that was ground right after some raw pork or especially chicken.

Pumpernickel is dark rye bread. It looks like this.
http://www.puritan.com/vf/healthnotes/HN_live/Food_Guide/Pumpernickel.jpg

[thearabianmage]

It's not raw pig. It's raw cow.

:thwap:

Sorry - brainfart on my part. . . . :D

[thearabianmage]

I haven't lived at home since I went to college when I was 18. Enjoy it. It was one of the greatest time I had. It took me a while to be able to balance my new found freedom with the responsibility required to be a sucessful music student. Apparently getting wasted every night and playing Grateful Dead songs doesn't help you make Dean's list.

College was one of the greatest times you had, or living at home was one of the greatest times you had?

To be honest, I can actually see the argument for them both.

London should be awesome, in any case. There's so much there. When you take into consideration that the only shop in Draycott is a shop that 10 standing people could barely fit in, the prospect of moving to one of the biggest cities in the world (especially for a country-boy like me) is exciting!

:rockon:

[ShootTheGlass]

I heard good things about the Institute, should be a good time!

I studied in Coventry and Glasgow, and both times, Aldi and Lidl were amazing; walk in with £20 and you came out with a whole kitchens worth of food, and most of it is great :D Might struggle to find them in London though, its all Marks and Sparks, dont yew knoo.

I never saw the attraction of London really, especially with the exorbitant cost of living. Im sure youll enjoy your time there though, best of luck. :)

[duhvoodooman]

Most people in this forum are middle-aged....
We prefer "mature" or "life-experienced". However, "middle-aged" is vastly preferable to "a bunch of old farts"!! ;) :D

Congrats on your rite of passage....

[sunvalleylaw]

I moved out when I was 18 to go to college in Seattle at a big school, much different than my fairly sheltered upbringing. But after school, I was back at home in the summers. I didn't really move out and support myself permanently until after school. Congrats on the move. It feels good to pursue your own destiny.

[Katastrophe]

Moved out at 18, as soon as the University I went to could take me.

This is going to be a fun, slightly stressful, completely enjoyable time in your life. You'll probably look back on this time as "the carefree years."

Work hard on the studies, practice a lot, and enjoy yourself when you get the chance.

Some completely unsolicited advice: Keep everything separate, and work out a system where everyone pulls an equal share of the common house duties. It's real easy with roommates for someone to not do their share of the work, and that's a potential area for conflict.

[thearabianmage]

Hey, thanks everyone!

Sounds like I'm a 'late bloomer' - everyone here seems to have moved out for the first time around the age of 18 and here I am, less than 6 months from 22.

Better late than never. :AOK:

Cheers

[warren0728]

Some completely unsolicited advice: Keep everything separate, and work out a system where everyone pulls an equal share of the common house duties. It's real easy with roommates for someone to not do their share of the work, and that's a potential area for conflict.
that's a good idea...i moved into an apartment with 3 other guys when i went to college...we all were responsible for our rooms and had assigned chores for the rest of the apartment...we even had specific places in the fridge for our "hands off" food!

congrats on the move and enjoy! :dude: :rockon:

ww

[thearabianmage]

that's a good idea...i moved into an apartment with 3 other guys when i went to college...we all were responsible for our rooms and had assigned chores for the rest of the apartment...we even had specific places in the fridge for our "hands off" food!

congrats on the move and enjoy! :dude: :rockon:

ww

It is a good idea. I'm lucky, though, in that I'm moving in with a couple other people I've known for years. Just because I know them, it doesn't mean the chores get done, but I'll feel a lot better about moaning at them if they don't do their part as opposed to moaning at strangers. . .

It'll probably be them doing the moaning though :D

[stingx]

I lived in a fraternity house for two years. Yeah I got a lot of school work done whilst there :) I then got my first apartment with a good friend. We split a 9 room place with parking and backyard - $300 a piece and that included heat + hot water. The place was furnished like a 70s porno set. Ahhhh the good old days. Enjoy them cuz they don't last.

[thearabianmage]

Ahhhh the good old days. Enjoy them cuz they don't last.

That's what everybody's saying - and to be honest, I've known it for years. But I realize it more and more everyday. I think we all do, really. Right now, there's at least one semi-old-fart complaining about his back. In 10 years, it'll be his back and his knees or something and he'll be saying 'I remember 10 years ago when all that ached me was my back. Ahh, the good old days.'

I think it just has something to do with the past being comforting as we remember it. We know what's gonna happen when we remember back 10 years - that takes all the worry out. We also seem to forget what worried us at the time we are remembering back to.

When I think of the good ol' days (back in Georgia) - I remember it as being completely happy. But when I think of the good ol' days really hard, there were a lot of things that bothered me at the time.

Psychologically-speaking, I find that interesting.

Does anybody else get that?