of course the friday five wouldn't be answered on friday - that would be too logical for moi!

1. how many houses/apartments have you lived in throughout your life?
hmm...ok, let's think about this. there's the house in massachusetts i started out in, then we moved to the country store in vt, followed by my current homebase home and now my apartment down here. so there's four - then you add the college years: my room with alison starting off college, then moving in with michelle on the same floor second semester of my first year, then 411 for two years (with a summer back in the room i lived in with michelle, but with asuka then, but that's still the same room, so it can't count as an additional room), then the room with becca during the beginning on the second smc summer, then 203 senior year. so that makes nine, if i've done my math correctly.

2. which was your favorite and why?
know the expression "apples and oranges"? this is a whole fruit basket. there's no way i could pick a favorite because each has its own special memories attached.

3. do you find moving house more exciting or stressful? why?
i hate to sound wishy washy, but both. i mean, it's always exciting to have a new location, new surroundings, new possibilities, but there's also the stress of relocating and the fear that balances the anticipation and excitement. so i find moving to be a mixture of the two.

4. what's more important, location or price?
if money was no object, obviously it would be location. however, situations as they generally are, price is often the case. now, in college, it was always location and who you were living with, because there was no difference in price. fortunately, where i am now, i've got a pretty sweet deal in both respects (although one obviously always wishes rent was never something one had to think about, but that goes without saying).

5. what features does your dream house have (pool, spa bath, big yard, etc.)?
it's constantly changing - the constants? a big window with a windowseat where i can read in the sunshine and look out at the world, a nice kitchen that i'll feel compelled to use (and learn to use), a nice big bathtub i can soak in (with a jacuzzi feature, preferrably), a fireplace. other than that, it changes, depending on where i imagine the house/apartment/etc. being location-wise. but sunlight and warmth are the big key factors.

today has been random, to say the least. the weekend was great - i'll write more tomorrow, when i hopefully have more time - and i'm riding the waves of familial love from the weekend and the sendoff early (very, ridiculously, bloody 6 a.m. early) this morning, which counters the feelings of exhaustion (for whatever reason, i was incapable of sleeping past 7 a.m. this entire weekend - depsite trying and trying!) and the kindly reminders from my legs this afternoon that we walked all over the greater dc area this weekend ... who got her exercise and then some? it's me ... it's me ...

but i can quickly say that the cherry blossoms here truly are one of the most gorgeous things i've ever seen - they lived up to and exceeded the hype. and i can say that i am very much looking forward to the close of business today, at which point i can leave the office, head to dupont, complete a mission i've been meaning to complete, get home, make dinner and CRASH!!!!