Back "Home"

** One of those annoying posts where I make a list of things I like.

Home is such a relative word. I use it when I'm leaving my apartment to go to my parents, and then use it again when I'm leaving my parents to go to my apartment. Both are home, which makes talking about home confusing at times.

Anyways, I'm back home at my apartment after almost a week at home with the parents. It was just what this "doctor" ordered. I initially went home because I had to get away from all the stressors of school and just study on my own.

Now going home and studying usually don't mix well for me for a few reasons:

1. My mother - I love my mom dearly, but she is constantly doing something and including me (which I more than happily do).
2. My dad and brother - I usually don't see much of them cause my dad wakes up crazy earlier and works while my brother stays out crazy late and sleeps half the day. But it is good to see them.
   
3. My dog - Izzy is a princess, she cannot be home with someone without that someone paying attention to her. If I'm studying at the table she will sit next to me and cry until I pet her. She's adorable, but also obnoxious at times.
4. My internal reset button - When I'm living on my own I go to bed at 12 or 1 and wake up at 7 or 8 (depending on the day). Now there are also weeks when living on 6 hours a night is a luxury, but 6-7 hours is generally the norm. However, when I'm home my body does this wacky thing where it senses the "home" and switches to "resetting the sleep clock mode". I blame this on always coming home completely spent and needing to catch up on sleep. But it doesn't help the studying when you're sleeping 10 hours at night -that's 3-4 hours of time lost.
   

I do love home though. My mom makes food (or gives me money for food). I can play with my dog. There's cable (my roommate and I got rid of it last year when they doubled our internet and cable to $130/month.... we couldn't justify paying that much when we barely watched tv to begin with... now we just catch up on shows online). There's familiarity and comfort. Home is good for the soul.

However, coming back home to my apartment definitely has it's pluses.

1. Everything has its place - My room at home (parents) is the one I had in middle school, before upgrading to my parent's old room after the addition was done (thus this room becoming my brothers). My high school room was given to my brother sometime during college. The problem is that while the small room is nice it still doesn't feel like mine, even with all my childhood furniture. It's painted blue (brother) and nothing has a place... I live out of a suitcase on a bench, which is fine for about a week, but then gets old. Coming home to my apartment means that I places for everything (the dirty clothes get stuck in their designated place at the bottom of the closet awaiting laundry day, my clean clothes are hung if I'm ambitious enough to actually take them out of the laundry basket, I have my desk/ living room to study in, etc).
2. No pressure to shower - I know, sounds silly. But there's just days that I like to shower at night, or at 3 pm. I'm weird. But at home (parents), I always feel like I have to shower to start the day or my mother will give me her "all-knowing" look and I will feel shamed. It's getting better, but still. Case - today I'm showering at 11ish, cause I'm just studying and don't have to be at school until 1.
   
3. My bathroom - I'm kind of spoiled here... my roommate and I have a 2 bedroom/2 bathroom apartment. And my bathroom is attached to my bedroom. Not only is it my bathroom, but again, everything has it's place... it's comfortable. And it's green (a color my mom hates, especially on walls)
4. Alone time - I go home to get away, but I can come back to my apartment to be alone (except for when my roommate comes home)
5. No pet hair - 'nuff said.
6. Friends - probably the most important aspect. I miss my friends while I'm home - and their IMs/texts asking me when I'm coming back always makes me want to come back sooner. At home (parents) I don't have many people - they've all moved on and moved away, leaving my parents to hang out with. Back here I have a life - interactions, coffee shop studying/ gossiping. I need people - sometimes I need to get away from the stress of people/school, but in the end... I really do need them.

That all being said. I really need to study again... I have a very large chart of drugs that must be learned, along with some other crappiness.

May you all find the joys of your homes, wherever they may be... But most importantly, may your friends continue to be awesome.