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There are some big pc monitors, flatscreens as well. I build my pc's, my parents have a 48 inch flatscreen, granted I have a powerful pc, I run my pc on the big screen when I want, also I have my own 27 inch monitor.
I dont have any friends who read actual papers, they take gadgets to watch news videos or online news websites.
Given the choice I'd much rather enjoy a sunny day in an active vibrant place, you enjoy your quiet backyard, that's your choice and mine is mine.
Excellent. And precisely all that needs to be said on the matter.
You're younger than my youngest daughter. You're living at home, no? Someone else is doing the housework, the meal prep, etc, correct?
I did not say I never want to do anything "vibrant" as you call it, though my "vibrancy" has been slowed down by my hip surgery. I asked my dr. if I could go ice skating again, always something I enjoyed, and he said, "Just don't tell me".
Years ago, I read an article in the American Journal of Public Health where the researchers asked people of different ages what they liked to do in their spare time. The young ones said stuff like hiking, camping, etc. (This research was conducted in Madison, WI, so not so much climbing 14ers and skiing double blacks there.) I don't remember what the older people said. Anyway, they had people keep a log and son of a gun! The young and the old basically did the same things in their spare time, e.g. read, watch TV, take a nap, etc.
Yep, I work and go to school though, in hindsight the money I used to build the pc would have been better used elsewhere haha, aka used towards rent for upcoming move.
What I meant by vibrant is referencing my Chicago trip, where I was staying I could wake up, wash up etc, take a step outside and in a few minutes be at an outdoor breakfast spot, and I could eat, read, meet someone whatever.
Now where I live currently, for some reason everyone goes to Starbucks, and I guess that is peoples definition of vibrant here, not mine. It would be foolish for me to say you don't like vibrancy just because let's face it, why for the sake of vibrancy would you drive 15 minutes to Starbucks or downtown to read a paper in a vibrant setting.
I guess I let the way I wish to live get in the way, most people don't live a short walk away from restaurants, shops, etc.
While 500 sq ft/person might work for a big family with small kids, it would kill my single lifestyle.
My homebrewing operation takes up more than 400 sq ft in the basement all by itself, and my dining room that is the center of dinner parties is 280 sq ft or so. If I was a recluse I could live in 400 sq ft but I like to cook, have guests, build things, keep pets, collect books, and do other things that require space.
While I agree that space is relative to population density, serious lifestyle tradeoffs are associated with small footprint living. I don't fault anyone for eschewing space for location, but for me about 2000 finished sq ft and a big basement is more desirable than an efficiency.
Space is kind of like a pickup truck... people can do without much of it as long as they have a friend that lets them borrow theirs from time to time. I have friends and siblings that are very happy with their small apartments, yet they'll all be watching the Superbowl at my house, and when old friends are in town they know they always have a comfortable place to stay for their whole family so they go out of their way to visit.
Finally, home improvement is a good kind of addiction. If you're handy, it gives you another means of converting your skills and effort into value. My dad is an excellent carpenter, stonemason, bricklayer, electrician, plumber, mechanic, and even plaster artisan despite having a completely different professional career. Because of this he was able to buy a beautiful old house for pennies on the dollar and triple its value in about 15 years. I wasn't quite as ambitious, but I opted for a house that has loads of unrealized potential to give me something to work on with my hands. I know people have different goals, but the feeling of satisfaction one gets after restoring an old vaulted plaster ceiling or customizing and renovating a dated kitchen is something that many will not ever get to feel.
Wear gloves and a coat. I never had a garage and it's a colder than that here.
It's been colder than that here, too. DH used to work on his car in the alley, or somewhere outside too, back in Ill. It's colder there than here. I was "just sayin'". Generally, you're not allowed to work on a non-running car in the street.
If you have a garage, for storage, it makes up for a lack of space in the house, too.
I definitely don't live a "boring" life, if that's what you're getting at.
No, but _I_ do, by the standards of e.g. a 20-something new NYC resident (I work with a lot of them); I don't eat out all the time, go to bars, clubs, etc. A tiny apartment is one thing if you're spending all your time out. If you want to do things at home, you probably want space to do them. I don't have a 400 sqft homebrew setup, but I do have a few things which take up space.
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Most reading is done on tablets / laptops, so computer use and reading were one in the same.
I don't like to read sitting at a desk, nor do a lot of computer stuff sitting on a couch. I much prefer using the large screen and keyboard on my desktop machine. And that goes double for my wife, who is an artist and really likes her big screen. Also my computer room is relatively noisy. Obviously I could live without separating these things, but my point is there's significant utility to doing so.
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Exercise? I ride my bike a lot around town, and there's a gym just down the street.
I ride my bike a lot in the spring through fall. When it's 18 degrees out, not so much. So I have a trainer set up in the dining room (which otherwise doesn't get much use).
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Part of living in a small place is getting out more.
I'm not very social; I'd rather have a living space I can live in.
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