On being a Big Girl

The hardest part about coming to college has been living in the dorms. VCU has two campuses and I live on the medical campus, I'm not sure why they have a fresman dorm there, but they do and most people don't like it. I miss having a living room, a kitchen, you know, more than half a 14 x 10 room to put my stuff. I want an entertainment center instead of an old barber's chair and a desk to put a television and stereo. I want a big-girl-bed instead of one that I have to pull out from the wall to lay on. But most of all I just want a place where I am not constantly surrounded by nineteen year-olds. Of course my dorm is better than those on the main campus because it's quieter and there are a lot of transfer students AND a lot of people have moved out to live on the other campus as rooms became available, I'm pretty sure that at least half my floor has moved out. I like that.

As a result of my dislike of the dorms I have taken to checking Craigslist obsessively. The only problem with this is that most of the places that are available now won't be in July or August, but at least I'm getting an idea. My parents bought my sister a house, she got a roommate and they paid rent, but still. It was an adorable house, it would have been perfect for me and my roommate (we are getting a place together next year), but they sold it last year when she got married. Richmond is cheap, you can get a two bedroom apartment for seven hundred dollars here. Jessica (roommate) and I don't want to pay more than five hundred each. When we tell this to people they always look shocked and then say something about that being so expensive. Really? Expensive?

Jessica's sister told us the other day that "part of being in college is having a shitty first apartment." I disagree. I have already done the dorm thing, I am by no means going to live in a "shitty" apartment if I can help it. I want to find the place and stay there until I graduate.
I have also taken to looking at furniture online and am really excited for a big-girl-bed. I am going to get a queen size and I've found three on Overstock.com that I love. I'm going to keep my duvet, it's brown with white polka-dots and Ikea no longer carries the design, but the Armstrongs have it too of Dooce.com. (If I get the time I'll find a picture of it and set up the link, but I really don't feel like it right now.) I like the pattern, it's very gender neutral, and it's not black. Though, I am leaning towards the black bed frame.
My apartment will not be shitty. It will be painted and have framed pictures and fresh flowers and a coffee table, and dishes and a couch and chairs and a DVD/VHS player and rugs and...