ye olde friday five

1. How many houses/apartments have you lived in throughout your life?
let's see:
the little block house in bonita springs until I was 3 and a half, then the trailer in the woods until I was ten, then the house further into the woods, a dorm room at new college from august-april 86-87, then my first apartment in fort myers from february-may 1989 (the one with all the rattan furniture), my second apartment in the wilds of estero from may-august 1989, then my first place in atlanta was a crappy two bedroom in an ugly building on n. highland from february-october of 1990, then the house on oakdale with the huge kitchen, the porch swing and the oddly shaped upstairs bedrooms from november 1990-92, followed by the basement apartment on elmira with the fireplace and built in shelves, november 1992-93, the place on iverson with the hallway kitchen from november 93-february 94 that was clearly not meant to be, and then the house on second avenue with the amazing attic bedroom from march 1994-august 1996, the awfully small apartment on... some little street in inman park, from september 96 until january 97, the house on faith avenue in east atlanta with the collapsed ceiling in the dining room for most of nash's first year, march 97-march 98, and then my first shotgun house, the little green three room in cabbagetown with the very scary wiring, across from the mattress factory from march 98 til september 98, when we moved into the modified shotgun on kirkwood avenue, with the crazy painted floors, where we stayed until november of 1999, when we left atlanta and stayed in my parents remodeled methodist church building of a house in mississippi from november 99 until february 2000, then came the ugly little house by the tracks in mississippi from then until july 2001, and then our first new orleans house, the shotgun on pacific avenue, from september 2001 through may 2002, and finally, this house here, a luxuriuously modified and well air conditioned shotgun. so that's 19 I guess, not counting camp where I live for a month most summers, or friends houses I stayed in for 2-4 weeks in DC and Amherst, MA.

2. Which was your favorite and why?
my favorite house was the second avenue place because it was SO spacious and old and beautiful. we had more room than we knew what to do with and it was swell. I bought three new clothing racks while I lived there, and filled them with vintage dresses. I was in heaven. we even had a guest room, and a big, big yard. I wish I could have the same house in this town, in this neighborhood.

3. Do you find moving house more exciting or stressful? Why?
both. it's exciting to move into a new, potentially better place, but most times I've moved out of necessity. the downsizing can be pretty depressing.

4. What's more important, location or price?
Both.

5. What features does your dream house have (pool, spa bath, big yard, etc.)?
it needs to be beautiful to my eye, and old style if not actually literally old, it needs wiring good enough that we
don't have to live in fear, a quality roof, and ideally a second floor.