Apartment living

So as some of you know, I rent an apartment in a lovely section of town referred to as "Paradise." This might be true in some respects, but my apartment is trying very hard to make things less "paradise" and more "structured learning environment." Since moving in, we've covered the following topics:

1. What gas smells like. Fixing this led me to also learn about shut-off valves, seeing as how my gas line didn't have one. My new stove spent a good few days sitting in the middle of my kitchen (no small feat, it's a galley kitchen on its best days) since apparently Home Depot cannot install a new stove unless there's a shut-off valve.

2. How to patch cracks in the paint. They're everywhere. I'm hoping to paint the entire place this spring. 

3. Which mouse traps work (only the old-school ones where you can see the dead mouse). Also, it's useful to go around and try to fill in every single tiny hole in your apartment walls and cabinets (around the water pipe under the sink appears to be the favorite for the mice in my neighborhood). Also, mice are apparently allergic to peppermint. Not allergic enough to keep them out permanently, but it did deter them for a couple days.

4. How to deal with roaches. Yes, really. Thanks sketchy neighbors! This also taught me interpersonal skills relating to dealing with not only the people downstairs, but also the houses on either side of us who also have bugs. I just set traps out again this week, I think they're coming upstairs to get warm since I'm the only one living in the house right now. Funny how my neighbors were supposed to have an exterminator in months ago...

5. Those little battery-operated lights are quite useful when your neighbors stop paying their BGE bill and their power is shut off. This is only applicable when your front porch and hall lights are attached to their meter. It's so much easier (and safer) to be able to see where your locks are.

That said, I do adore my little apartment. It's cute, (very) cheap, and close to both jobs, which is really all I need. Also, my landlord loves me. Something about how I pay my rent on time makes me the favorite even though I'm high maintenance... ;)