apartment number 311a.

it's high time i properly introduced my new setting - and its relevant characters.

upon arriving in seattle in the pouring rain {nearly a month ago}, i was informed by a handsome man with a thick beautiful accent that i would be staying in apartment number 311a.  my first impressions of the apartment was that the hallway smelled funny - which it does.  perpetually.  however, the giant red wall and adjacent wall of windows makes up for the smell that usually doesn't cross the 311 threshold anyway.  as i've said before, 311a has character.  we have a decent sized balcony {perfect for reading when the sun's out}.  although it has two bedrooms, they are in no way created equal.  luckily, i share the master bedroom - complete with its own tiny balcony and a half bathroom.  the other bedroom is rather cramped, but livable.  every time we open the bathroom door after taking a shower, our fire-alarm goes off and it takes a good ten minutes before it will be quiet.  i think it might be slightly impairing my hearing.  also, every time anyone turns on a hair-dryer, the power goes off and we have to flip all the breakers.  that can't be a good sign, i'm sure.  the kitchen is small, and generally unremarkable.  however, our view does deserve remark.  as mentioned before {several times}, from our windows, you'd think we live in a treehouse.  all the buildings in our apartment complex {which is massive, by the way} look kind of cabin-like.  okay, well...like four-story cabins.  but they blend into the trees, and the squirrels and crows and finches complete the woodsy feeling i get every time i look out the windows.  the tibetan prayer flags hung outside our window also add a nice touch.  however, we still do not have a trash can.

i live in 311a with three other girls - also flourishing families researchers {which means we talk about work a lot}.  upon moving in, melissa gave each of us in 311a "street names."  that means she calls brittany "butters," victoria "beckster," and me "j-jo."  sometimes brittany is also "bunnie."  this creates a strange kind of name separation in my mind and every time i try to address one of my roommates i'm not quite sure what's going to come out.  the most common mistake is that i call melissa "melanie" - all the time.  which doesn't exactly make her happy.  so i've resorted to trying to only call her "mel," which should solve the problem.

in mel's words, victoria is almost as earthy as i am.  victoria is a vegetarian foodie, a vocabulary einstein, and {like me} reads social science literature for pleasure.  eating mangoes is one of her favorite things to do in the entire world.  she has an incredible {and incredibly unique} sense of humor.  her favorite color is purple, and she's a night-owl.  she brought me breakfast this morning while i was in bed and not feeling well: peppermint tea, two buttermilk scones with honey, and apple slices.  yes, i loved it and her.

brittany, or butters {i still haven't found a happy medium of exactly what to call her}, is sweet.  we met in family finance last semester before either of us knew we were both going to seattle with the flourishing families project, and we both very much wanted to be friends.  little did we know, we'd end up living together for the summer.  she has long reddish brown hair that makes me miss long hair quite a bit.  she's calm and fun-loving and is one of the best talk-to people i've ever met.  mostly, she's a great support. and she's learning to play victoria's guitar.

mel completes our ensemble.  if i had to describe her in one word, it would be intense..or maybe crazy... or extreme... or... okay, really i wouldn't describe her in one word at all.  she runs marathons, kick boxes, and is very tan.  she's exuberant and social {a california girl through and through}, and she loves a good party.  she has a curious mind and learns from the people around her - a talent, in my opinion.  she's obsessed with costco tortillas, and doesn't call anyone by their real name.  if she had her way, the apartment wouldn't have any doors - not even on the bathrooms.

it's been a different experience living with people i don't know.  there isn't nearly as much privacy as i'm used to, and communicated boundaries has been an experience.  mostly, we've already had loads of silly fun.  and really, with this crazy job, i'm quite happy i'm living with a support group who knows the ups and downs of a research position.  we're kind of an odd group, but really... life's more fun that way, anyway!