Struggling with your open layout studio/loft??

I love my loft...and it is the openess - the non-division of space - and the freedom to run around and have a big dance party anytime I want, that drew me to the space.  Even so, sometimes I struggle with its arrangement...I am always looking for clever ideas.  Click here to go to an article by Apartment Therapy with 5 tips for arranging your studio apartment.

Flor Tiles

I ordered some carpet square samples from Flor.  They come in a nice little package and are a great way of checking out the colors and textures of the actual tiles before ordering any.  And at 6 tiles for $6, they are available at a great price too.  

www.flor.com

Planning out vacation days....PTO??

So...along with my first job also comes my first allocation of PTO days.  My company has taken the PTO road: each employee has a certain number of days to use for whatever they want - sick days, vacation time, etc.  I have been asked to semi plan out my PTO time...this is hard - I don't have Spring Break built into my schedule, nor do I have a month long Winter Break planned for me...  So do I plan my own Spring Break??  I am not sure...who do I go on "vacation" with?  My sisters in college??  Ummm....  Do I plan my own Winter Break?  This is a wonderful thing to ponder, I am not fretting over it, rather I am unsure of how to attack this task of planning out my vacation.  

Post College Life - Thanks craigslist!

All of a sudden  I am living by myself, in my own place, in a new city.  I have a dog and a "real" job.  

Seriously, all of a sudden...

Six months ago I was living in another state, within seconds of friends (having to go as far as the room next door or the house down the street to see them), and going to college...

I missed the orientation for post-college life....it is crazy!  I love it...but so different...

It is nice to know that a lot of my friends feel similar - as in it is a major change...and a transition period.  

One thing that has helped has been having a dog - really - dogs are great roommates, as well as a great resource for meeting people.  First of all, I am going outside of my building much more frequently than I would if I didn't have a dog, which gives me more chances to see people in my building, and meet people that live in the area.  Also, who doesn't want to pet a puppy??...which means people are constantly stopping to chat and pet the dog...

Another thing that has helped is getting onto a softball team...I met some great people and I only played four games with them - but that still led to other things - like invitations to play in other leagues, to go out at night, and even a couple of dates.  I did have to sort of force myself to go to the first game; I was kind of nervous, like those first day of school nerves...at least I didn't have to sit there while they picked teams, I already had one.  www.craigslist.org - found my apartment, my vacuum, a softball team, and a volleyball team to play on...

Thank you craigslist!!!!