Philotic Web

If I want to stay up late on a work night, I can stay up late and no one can tell me I can't (and expect me to obey).



What are some things, either good/awesome or bad/sucky, for you about being an adult?

David and I were talking about this yesterday! He was talking about how much he loves (LOVES) Club crackers because his mom would never buy them when he was growing up.

He said, "I was about halfway through college when it occured to me that I could buy boxes upon boxes of Club crackers all the time now if I wanted to, and no one could stop me!"

The gym down the street is open 24 hours during the week, and it just blows my mind that I CAN GO TO THE GYM AT MIDNIGHT if I feel like it. I've done it a few times. No one to scold me that I'll be too tired in the morning!

Being an adult means that people expect me to pay bills, etc. on time. I have to remind myself.

It also means that if I want to buy and eat a whole melon in one sitting, no one is allowed to say no. In a broader sense, being an adult means that my kitchen is stocked with the things I like and use. If I don't like canned veg, I don't need to root through a shelf of cans to find the couscous. I use dark soy sauce, and that isn't in the way of someone who doesn't use it.

Oh, and another thing that was important to me: adults eat at a gosh darned TABLE. Not at a desk, not at a coffee table, not in bed. I can eat in those places, but I have an effing table and four effing chairs (that match!), and I can have people over for dinner and have somewhere to put them.

Being an adult means that people expect me to pay bills, etc. on time. I have to remind myself.

^ This.

Oh, and another thing that was important to me: adults eat at a gosh darned TABLE. Not at a desk, not at a coffee table, not in bed. I can eat in those places, but I have an effing table and four effing chairs (that match!), and I can have people over for dinner and have somewhere to put them.

We have a new place, just to ourselves, and a table. and we eat at that table A LOT and I really like it. Its partially because its hard for me to eat in the living room with the sling and the shoulder pain. But I like to turn off the TV and sit down and eat! It becomes a great time to talk and laugh and have a good time.

Oh and I have my own kitchen with all my foods I like to cook in it. just like you said! and I love cooking we have friends over at least one a week if not more and I love feeding all of them!

It also means that if you don't clean it, you have to get comfortable living in squalor. No one else is going to pick up after you.

We never, ever eat at the table unless we have people over (which is rarely because of my anxiety issues). We always eat at the couch in front of the tv. Yup, we're those people.

Don't worry, Luet, we're those people too. Of course, we don't have a dinette just yet...

And I'm those other people...I eat in my bed while playing on the internet.

I do have a lovely table, though, if I may say so myself. Currently, two of the four stools are functioning as side tables in my bedroom.

I eat at the island in my parents' kitchen, currently (not very grown up). Otherwise, I just eat wherever my roommates aren't. Someday I'll have my own place and dine where I will.

For me the best thing about being an adult is that I can go do things whenever I want. Unfortunately, it also entails furnishing my own money to go do those things.

I totally forgot to note that I didn't mean to judge those who don't care about eating at a table. That is just something that I, myself, find an important symbol. For myself. And as often as not, lunch and breakfast are eaten on the couch.

Being an adult means that when you're sick, and the baby's sick, and the spouse is sick, too bad, stuff still needs to get done. Anyone want to come babysit and/or bring me food?

Two weekends ago we were up at David's family cabin with all his cousins and their significant others. We were sitting around the fire, and his youngest cousin, Alicia's boyfriend, John was talking about how excited he was for the summer to start. He has one year left of college, and he started talking about how he'd have to start working again at his summer job soon. He and Alicia (who just graduated college this spring) are planning on moving in together in July (they've only been dating for a few months, but whatever). Wow, I really am such a grumpy grown up now. ANYWAY. We were all asking him about his job, and someone asked him what he was planning to do with his first paycheck (I'm not sure why or how that came up) and he said "Oh, I think I'm just gonna blow this first one. On music or movies or going out or whatever." And the rest of us around the fire (all in our late 20s to mid-30s) just kind of sat in silence for a moment until I blurted out, "Ah, youth. I distantly remember what it was like to be able to blow an entire paycheck on nothing..."

Because FOR REAL.

Being an adult means being particular about your (limited) disposable income.

See, I think that's why I never really enjoyed my youth. Being an adult meant lots of positive things for me (freedom, independence, etc) but most of the negative things that people associate with adulthood were thrust upon me fairly young. As soon as I started working (babysitting at 14 or whatever), I used that money for necessary things like school supplies, school lunches and the few fun things I wanted to do. We never had an allowance and were rarely ever given spending money for anything. So, yeah. I was very happy to be an adult and don't have many fond memories of being young.

Confession: I am seriously considering blowing a large portion of my first paycheck from this job on the complete Calvin and Hobbes and Fullmetal Alchemist... I already paid for rent this month, have another paycheck before next month is due, and being an adult means I can do whatever I want with my money once the necessities are done.

Or maybe I'm just feeling rich and frivolous because I realized I'm going to graduate with a profit... Thanks to my mother covering a lot of my living expenses, but still.

I'm not saying that blowing a paycheck is a bad thing if you can afford it!

Hell, there's plenty of things I'd like to blow mine on if I could. It's just that I can't.

And like Nomi, I started paying for a lot of my own needs (food, clothing, rent, phone bill, etc) at an early age. But I look back on the brief period of my life where my money was truly disposable with fondness.

Oh, the days before bills and bills and more bills!

This upcoming paycheck will be my first full time check with about 15 hours of overtime. I'm really thinking about spending the extra money on finally buying a Le Creuset...

I really wish I could blow my first pay check! But... bills.

We are going to go out to a nice dinner and I think I'll buy myself a new Fossil purse.

Granted, I'm not sure I could bring myself to spend my whole pay check on something! I've never bought anything as expensive as my whole pay check (at one time, I guess. We did just buy cars which is much more than 1 pay check... but, you know, spread over years.)

I own a car...

Well, I'm still a baby adult so technically I and my father co-own a car but my name is on the title and the loan. Which is way too grown up for me.

Well, I'm still a baby adult

Thank you for the laugh. Also, congratulations. It's a bit scary to buy a car -kind of a big commitment if you go new and an almost scarier commitment if you go used.

What'd you go with? (As in, model of, not new or used...that would be tacky to ask and I don't particularly need to know that).

Most importantly, what are you naming it?

It's a 2008 VW Rabbit. I'm buying it from my brother so if it breaks down on me I have someone to blame. It's name is Thumper.

I own a car...

We just bought a car, too!

It's a 2008 VW Rabbit. It's name is Thumper.

Every time I think I couldn't possibly love you more, I do.



Syphoney bologna! Same questions to you, my good sir; make and name!

ETA: Oooh, pretty color.

2011 Ford Fiesta. We call him Giles, because he's a "smart" car.

I got the reference without the link but woo! Party time all the time in Giles.

...

I think I'd echo just about every sentiment about the positives of being an adult...the freedom to not be told I can't do something.

The only real negative is the responsibility of living with the consequences of that freedom. Sure, I can do whatever I please financially, but can I afford it really?

Throw a kid in, and being an adult and making adult choices, like having a kid, and then that freedom gets taken away again. Kind of funny how that works. You're still "free," but you have all that responsibility, which is limiting too. Quite a paradox...

... that there's dirt everywhere! And i have to clean it up!

Before, i could just simply ignore it. Dirt and me, we wouldn't get in each other's way. Now, whenever a little bit appears, it starts to mock me. And i have to keep the house livably clean.

Also, the money has become a thing. When i lived with my parents, my expenses were so much more less than my income/savings, that considering money was laughable (because i am also the kind of person that doesn't get into many superfluous expenses). But now my expenses have become a significan fraction of my earnings (specially because the landlady first wanted me to pay 6 months of rent in advance, and then i got her to let me pay 3 and 3 months, with one month of delay between both payments). I have to keep a balance now.

I own a car...

We just bought a car, too!

I just bought one of these babies today!



2012 Hyundai Elantra.

(ETA: Haven't thought of a name yet. Suggestions?)

Boy or girl, Jason?

I haven't checked.

I'm open to suggestions for either. Or something gender neutral and bad-ass, like (Millennium) Falcon, but more original. Yeah, I know I'm a dork.

Maybe "Ninja" because it's black...

because it's black...

Racist.

Who you calling racist, cracka'?!

There's nothing to check. Cars are either male or female, more typically the latter, and you just know. You are a terrible father.

I'm vetoing Ninja.

Maybe I just need to drive it more. I pick it up on Saturday after they finish rust proofing it.

There's nothing to check. Cars are either male or female, more typically the latter, and you just know. You are a terrible father.

I'm vetoing Ninja.

Mine actually underwent gender reassignment temporarily. Under my brother's care, s/he was Trixie, because he didn't want to ride a male car. Not that there's anything wrong with that.