As you may (or may not) be aware, I am currently living at home with my mom and the two dogs. (My dad passed away in 2001.) I'm living at home because initially (i.e., right after law school) I did not have a job and, after I found a job, I help mom pay the mortgage.
Recently, as in the past month or two or three-ish, my mom started planning to sell the house in the Springtime and move into a condo. She doesn't want the upkeep and maintenance (and concomitant expenses) the house requires. Plus, it's a bit big for only 1-2 of us.
So she's having the exterior repainted. New shutters are going up. Parts of the interior will be repainted or repapered. Etc. Incidentally, this also entails me cleaning up all my crap in the house. This is far from a small undertaking and scares the bejeebus out of me on some level.
She has also begun looking at condos in Fairfield County. One of the requirements for the condo she moves into is that it have a second bedroom for me. She's promised that I will always have a room, which is rather a nice, kind-hearted gesture that I appreciate. (The parents of a cousin of mine turned his bedroom into an exercise room when he moved out.)
Last night she was telling me about the various condos she saw on Sunday when she went out condo-hunting with a realtor-friend. Somewhere in there, I dropped the apparent bomb that when we move out of the house I'm planning on getting a place of my own (an apartment).
My mom's reaction: "Why?"
I'll take 'Signs That You've Lived At Home For Too Long' for $200, Alex. "WHY?" I believe my answer was: "Because I want a place of my own." Never mind the incredulity of telling people you live at home. Never mind the fact that I don't feel comfortable bringing friends home, let alone dates. Never mind the fact that my life tends to be ruled not by me but by my mom and the dogs. No, I really do want to be on my own. Isn't it about time?!???
So come Springtime, I will be looking for an apartment to move into. My tentative plan/idea is to move to New Haven, seeing as there are places to go and things to do up there. Trumbull is suburbia. It is dead. I'd rather live in a younger, more lively place. If that place happens to be closer to my friends in Hartford, works for me.