It wasn't until recently that I became interested in decorating. When I was living with my sisters throughout my late teens to mid-twenties, doing anything with my apartment other than the bare minimum wasn't something that ever crossed my mind. As long as I had furniture that looked all right, a TV and computer, something on the walls...I was good to go. Things have changed since then. I'm much more interested in how things are put together. All the options we have. Colors, fabrics, furniture, lighting.

When I started apartment hunting last fall, I fought against living in a studio. I'd never lived in one before and if given the choice, I'd like to keep my living area separate from my sleeping area. At the same time, though, I knew from my apartment research that given the amenities I wanted (walking distance to a Metro station, in a safe area, with a balcony), and not wanting to pay over a certain amount for rent, a studio was pretty much my only option.

On a recent Saturday night, I agreed to accompany a male friend (I'll refer to him as B-) to a work function. B-'s company was throwing a dinner party at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, and since I'd never been to a fancy party at a museum before, I figured it would be an interesting experience.

I've been living in my new apartment for over a week. It's been everything I expected it to be: my commute to work is shorter because I'm living closer to a Metro station; I've unpacked all my boxes, broken them down, and discarded them; I've ordered a bookcase and a TV stand. However, what I'm really proud of is the number of visitors I've had -- seven of my friends came by just this week, which doesn't include the six people who helped me move in -- to check out my new space.

On more than one occasion, a guy that I've gone on multiple dates with will suddenly break off contact with no explanation. Sometimes I don't think anything of it, but depending on how much I liked the guy, there are occasions where my feelings might be hurt a little bit. However, I have a self-defense mechanism that I employ, and so far it's worked very well.