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Hurray for me! I have "vacation". I say "vacation" because half way through my vacation I'm going to help out setting up a music/cultural festival that's being held at my old university.

I've been part of that festival since the beginning, and it's getting better and better every year since it's it all started in 2002.

So I will have a few days of rest, and then a couple of days to spend all my rest on the festival.

FYI, It's called Green Vibration and it's being held on the campus of the University of Twente next Thursday. More info (and ticket price info) http://www.greenvibrations.nl/

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As I type this I realise I seem like I'm in a much more mature stage in life than I actually act, but then again do you have to be mature to be a homeowner?

Probably not.

In my case, I saved for quite a few years (I believe 7+) for an apartment. I also don't spend very much generally and don't travel a lot so it wasn't very hard (but I don't know, maybe I'll start travelling more once I've payed off most of the mortgage).

I didn't want to rent for similar reasons as you and real estate prices were quite high for most of the time I was looking, so I actually lived with my parents all that time (well, still am for a week or two). I almost bought a big apartment a couple of years ago that had an almost ideal layout and features and a good location, but cost so much that I would have had to take a 30-year loan and put my parent's summer house as collateral (insert better word). Thankfully I decided not to.

So instead, I delayed my plans a bit... prices fell somewhat and meanwhile I was able to save enough money to only need a short mortgage for a really nice new apartment that I like a lot, but is maybe less attractively situated, somewhat smaller, and doesn't have all the things I was at first hoping to have (the one I almost bought seems extravagant to me now). After fewer years than I spent saving the money, I'll have hopefully payed off the mortgage. Quite happy about that, as I also don't like to be in debt, but for some reason I like the idea of renting even less.

The apartment is getting close to habitable. Still missing a lot of small pieces of furniture, but the kitchen should be done in a couple of days, and then I can finally move in next week or so! Can't wait.

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If you buy somewhere then you suddenly have to invest in tools... TOOLS! "I need a hammer... doh! I need a screwdriver... doh! I need a wrench... doh!" etc, etc. It quickly becomes expensive.

But tools are fun! Especially power tools. We probably need more than the average person here, but hey; rough with the smooth.

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Pfft. My dad just gave me loads of tools when I bought a house. He knows I can't use them so he just comes and fixes my house when it needes it. I stepped on the housing ladder in the first year of my phd. My friend wanted to buy a house and needed a second income so I was roped in. I really really hate having to move house. When he moved to America I got to live on my own in my own house for over two years. It was the most. I now have a housemate for the cash money, but he is very quiet and considerate and I made sure I inform him that the three seater couch is mine on his very first day in the house. Sometimes my co-owner visits from Dublin and marvels that I have done minor DIY.

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Curious mix of tenses. You'll get used to DIY eventually. I quite like it now. Makes a huge difference to have decent tools and more importantly, the right tool for the job. Working on engines is made particularly easy by having the right stuff now, rather than trying to muddle through with knackered pliers, a hammer and mole grips.

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Not really.;( I've done my fair share of DIY. My dad is an electrician and avid DIYer and I've been his helper for work and assistant for innumeral projectes at mine, my parents and my siblings houses. the only thing I have any flair for is making flat pack furniture. Any other work of this type just makes me sad (as in I get quiet and withdrawn).

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DIY is for people without hair on their knuckles and eyebrows. :woohoo:

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Owning a house is not so bad. The house we bought is pretty rad but also quite old and has been fixed through the years by people who have no business fixing things, so there is quite a lot of horrible shitty bandaids that need to be reversed and refixed and the only problem is not having enough time to fix it myself while also working and having a life and drawing a Hobo Lobo. Also I guess money too up to a point, as I could conceivably hire someone to do it in my stead. Tho even if I could afford it, that would require a lot of time to manage, so poop.

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Yeh, my first house had been bodged to high heaven. I got it cheap though as a result. Required pretty much going down to the walls, redoing everything from the ground up. This was not something I tackled, I got experts in!

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But tools are fun! Especially power tools. We probably need more than the average person here, but hey; rough with the smooth.

Yeah, usually it's like. "I just need this tool for this ONE job! How annoying!".

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I want to buy a house someday. I need to save for the first payment.

I thought this duplex I was in was so nice until loud asshole truck-driving beer guzzling rednecks moved in next door about year ago. Back and forth on their stupid subwoofer even after we had a long conversation about how subwoofers shake surfaces and YES I can hear it every time. Also sick of waking up at 1 AM with a bunch of dudes yelling "WOooooo!" every 5 minutes. Landlord doesn't seem to care much. The thing I find especially dumb about this situation is that the apartments I lived in before coming to Austin were way more peaceful than living in an actual place with small garage and a yard. People just knew how to treat other people who lived in close quarters.

And rant done.

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There should be a new law that specifically allows the murder of neighbours if you can prove they were shit.

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Yeah I think one of the appeals of having my own place is home improvements. Although I don't have any experience at the moment, I think it's a great skill to have. Of course I'm not expecting to master all aspects of the many facets of DIY but, I think I have a few friends who can help me learn to the point I can take it upon myself to continue.

I'm already envious of you guys who've already made your purchase. I'll get there eventually, the road seems like a long one but I already have my wish list of tools at the ready.

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I'm using mostly my dad's tools so far. Haven't done much myself here, yet, besides painting the walls/ceiling and related stuff. But doing that really gave me a desire to do more DYI. I've been creating mostly only software for years, it's nice to make something physical again.

For some reason I'm not really into power tools, though.

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I turn 23 in 35 minutes. I suppose it's not normal to have a mid-life crisis at this age, is it? Anyway, yeah: mid-life crisis.

On the other hand, a small selection of my friends threw me a lovely surprise birthday party today, as organized by my girlfriend. Did not see it coming. Cherry chocolate cake was delicious.

My friend gave me a monocle and a top-hat, things I half-jokingly wished for a few months ago. I wore them all day and took "funny" pictures with a delighted 5 year old.

It was all so consistently wonderful.

But still, mid-life crisis. Am I being spoiled here? Or is this not completely unreasonable?

Ignoring that, at this moment, I'm technically in the waning minutes of being 22.

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I turn 23 in 35 minutes. I suppose it's not normal to have a mid-life crisis at this age, is it? Anyway, yeah: mid-life crisis.

On the other hand, a small selection of my friends threw me a lovely surprise birthday party today, as organized by my girlfriend. Did not see it coming. Cherry chocolate cake was delicious.

My friend gave me a monocle and a top-hat, things I half-jokingly wished for a few months ago. I wore them all day and took "funny" pictures with a delighted 5 year old.

It was all so consistently wonderful.

But still, mid-life crisis. Am I being spoiled here? Or is this not completely unreasonable?

Ignoring that, at this moment, I'm technically in the waning minutes of being 22.

Happy Birthday! I'm glad you had such a great day. Best wishes from an older Thumb.

You seem rather happy for an early mid-life crisis though. If it's any consolation, I spent most of my early 20s panicking that I just wasn't accomplishing enough. I still get it now. Take it as a sign that you have ambition. And enjoy being 23!

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That sounds like a nice environment to have a mid life crisis in:) Happy birthday.

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blah blah friends blah blah party blah blah girlfriend blah blah cake

:violin:

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Thank you for the birthday wishes, everyone.

Take it as a sign that you have ambition.

Thanks. That's comforting and encouraging.

And enjoy being 23!

I'll try.

:violin:

Heh. Nah, I'm not being an attention whore; it's just that I'm 23 now and I feel like my life is going nowhere. I'm wondering if feeling worried about that is fair with all the good stuff happening.

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For the past five years I've never stopped feeling quite 23. It's one of those ages that you tend to stick in.

Anyway, congratulations Kroms!

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Heh. Nah, I'm not being an attention whore; it's just that I'm 23 now and I feel like my life is going nowhere. I'm wondering if feeling worried about that is fair with all the good stuff happening.

It's fair enough. I turned 23 quite recently as well (was in the middle of dissertation crunch time and barely had a Birthday) and I'm haunted by what I've not done from 18-23 that from now on will probably be more difficult. Travelling, meeting people etc. Every previous significant transition that should have opened a lot of doors has been a colossal anticlimax, so my expectations of life after university are very low even though the job situation is looking alarmingly ok.

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