Beer & a Bagel for Breakfast

So the Semester is Over…

Hakeem Asri — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 17:22:32 +0000

…and I am not sure how I am going to continue with this blog. I want to keep it going, but I think I am going to do a new topic. I am just not sure what that is going to be. So until I figure out what I want to do I am just going to stop writing on here.

College Age People on Their Own.

Hakeem Asri — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 17:18:06 +0000

I asked 125 college age people about living on their own through Facebook. This is the information I got from them.I was honestly surprised, I expected way less then 44% of the people to have stayed home. When I asked why they decided not to leave home. I got the same answer from most of them, “I had no reason to leave”. That was probably the most surprising thing about this project. I knew one of the big reasons why people did not leave home is not being able to afford it, but with room mates it is definitely something you can do. If you don’t believe me, find a house for rent in your area. Then write out the estimated cost for electric, water, cable, and other utilities. Then go to this site called the room mate calculator. (If you currently have room mates, this is an easy way to split the bills and keep track of them per room mate.) Type in a few of your friends names and check out how much it cost per person. You will be surprised on how little each person will have to pay. I asked the 25 people who used to live on their own why the moved out and the reasons I got were not as varied as I would of expected. Twelve people said they had shitty room mates. Only one person cared to comment on that Nicholas Karowski said, “My room mates would constantly urinate on the toilet, leave things that I did not want to see laying around, and were constantly leaving the door unlocked which eventually lead to me packing up and leaving before the lease was up”. Living with people definately takes a toll on your relationship with them. Once you share a living space you get both the bad and the good points of that person or people. You really need to communicate with your room mates if you ever want to solve conflicts.

After looking at this information I really got an understanding on why some people don’t leave the nest right away and where some of my peers fell in regards to the statistics.

Let me inform you.

Hakeem Asri — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:13:45 +0000

I decided to ask 125 college age people (18-25) about living on their own. (Thank you Facebook.)By doing this I hope you guys as the reader can see how common it is for college age kids to live free from their parents.

I knew getting people to respond would be like pulling teeth because its the holiday season as well as the end of the semester so people wouldn’t feel like answering my questions. So I did a lot of follow up questions that I would send to remind them of the first set of questions. Eventually most of the people I e-mailed got back to me.

Be Safe

Hakeem Asri — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 16:47:43 +0000

One of my neighbors and good friends was recently robbed. Glassboro has some problems with robberies. So I figured now is the best time to give you a few ideas on how you can make your home or apartment a safer place.

1) Always leave a light on. I know it is bad for the environment, but if you have one of those energy efficient light bulbs you should be fine.

2) Do not bring people you don’t know very well to your home.

3) If you do bring people to your home that you aren’t real close with make sure not to show them you personal things. Try and keep them in a common room such as your living room.

3) This is usually a given ,but make sure you lock your door. If you have a dead bolt as well as a door knob lock, lock them both. My friend did not lock his dead bolt and the intruder went and pushed through his door with his shoulder. If the dead lock was locked it would of been harder for the intruder to do so.

4) Never hide a spare key outside.

5) Also do not leave valuables laying around. Try and keep them put away and out of eye sight.

6) If you are not going to be home for a few days, have a neighbor grab your mail for you. If someone sees mail piling up they will know you aren’t home.

7) If you have a sliding glass door, put a pole or piece of wood on the track. This will stop invaders if they get past your lock.

8 ) Communicate with your neighbors, if you are a victim of theft let them know, or even if you see something suspicious share it with your neighbors.

9) Most importantly if you see someone suspicious breaking an entering into someone’s apartment or car call the police.

Beer & a Bagel’s Guide to Glassboro and Beyond.

Hakeem Asri — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 23:04:32 +0000

Here is my guide to Glassboro and Beyond. This is a great map to get aquatinted with some places that college students would find interesting. Definitely a must see for any new Rowan Student.

View Larger Map

Now I know..

Hakeem Asri — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 22:17:46 +0000

When I first moved out here I had no idea about the area, and I missed out on a lot of great things. Now I know where they are, from liquor stores to great places to get food. I decided to share them with my readers and future Rowan students. So check out Beer and a Bagels Guide to Glassboro and Beyond.

Not my pizza too…

Hakeem Asri — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:33:58 +0000

I ordered Papa John’s on Saturday, I was very excited. A few minutes later I received a call from Papa John’s telling me that they couldn’t deliver my pizza. I asked why, and they told me their driver got mugged or almost got mugged (Not real sure how you would almost get mugged.) and was waiting for the police.

So I drove to get my pizza, the good thing was I got discounted price and free cheesy bread because some people did not feel like picking their pizza up. I figure this story goes well with the whole crime is plentiful in Glassboro so lock your doors theme.

Get a real job…

Hakeem Asri — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 20:11:08 +0000

So I was walking out to my car when one of my neighbors stopped me and told me to make sure I lock my car every night. I asked him why and he told me that someone broke into his truck and stole his radio. I was surprised. My apartment complex seemed like a very quiet place. I didn’t think about it and continued my daily routine.

A few days later I saw a few police officers walking around and going door to door. They were handing out flyers for a meeting about recent burglaries in the complex. (That is not a recent one but it is a recurring thing here from what I am told.) I guess this had happened before, but now it is occurring again.

A week or too later my girlfriend was warned by a police officer to lock the doors because people were being robbed throughout the complex. So those living in Glassboro, please be careful. There are a lot of shady characters who refuse to get a job, will steal your electronics, and sell them in south Philly for drug money. So lock your doors and if see anything suspicious please alert the proper authorities.

So be safe guys.

Making the Rules

Hakeem Asri — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 19:53:50 +0000

I think almost everyone home in the world has its own set of rules. I remember one of the main rules at my house was do not wear your shoes in the house. If you broke that rule, you got an earful. Now living on my own has brought about a new set of rules, my rules.

Honestly there are no rules that would make people not want to come over. Most of my rules are things that you should not do, and I definitely should not have to tell you not to do. Yet they have been done. So I felt it was necessary to inform guests not to do these things.

1) Do not urinate in the cat litter.

For three parties in a row someone kept urinating in the cat litter.

2) If you are sleeping over do not leave your belongings in my bedroom.

I hate being woke up early in the morning because someone left their purse in my room.

3) If you get sick and need to throw up do not do it in my sink full of dishes.

Why the hell would you even do that? You know who you are.

4) If you eat something donate to the bucket on the fridge for future snacks.

I’d rather you bring your own food but have some courtesy.

5) Do not throw cigarette butts in my plants.

Because there aren’t beer bottles and ashtrays everywhere.

6) If something is not yours do not drink it.

I hate listening to people complain to me about their alcohol being gone, I also can not stand it when I wake up the next morning and there are no non alcoholic beverages because they were all used to make mixed drinks.

7) If you are invited over do not bring eight people over with you without asking.

What makes you think I want them here?

If you want to share your rules, feel free. I love to hear feedback.

Interviews.

Hakeem Asri — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 21:36:26 +0000

I interviewed three people who live on their own. Alli is a mutual friend of my girlfriend and I. She resides in Glassboro, NJ. Danielle is my girlfriend and room mate. She also resides in Glassboro,NJ. Jay has been my best friend since we were 6 and he currently resides in New Mexico. Both Alli and Danielle were interviewed face to face while Jay was done over the phone.

Danielle

How long have you been out on your own?

Jay: About fourteen months

Danielle: Since September 2008

Alli: Since August 2007

What made you want to live on you own?

Jay: I had a few reasons, the main two were I wanted to get out of other peoples houses and I wanted privacy. Basically to be with my girlfriend.

Danielle: I didn’t want to live with my parents anymore and I wanted to live with my boyfriend.

Alli: I wanted to get out of my house, and see how I would fair. Also I figured it would be a great learning experience.

Best parts about it?

Jay: It is yours. You can make it how you want it. It is your home and no one else’s. It is a cool challenge. If you make it your going to make it, it is all about how much you are willing to work for it.

Danielle: Privacy and just knowing you have your own place is pretty cool.

Alli: The freedom, I can have peace and quiet when I want it, but yet I can have parties when I want.

Alli

Worst parts about it?

Jay: The stress, it is stressful when your in between jobs or on unemployment and you have to get your car fixed and pay bills. Also I am over 2000 miles away from my family and friends.

Danielle: Bills!!! Bills and all the stress that comes with bills … paying on time what is more important, what should I pay first when I have little money.

Alli: The bills, having to deal with room mates, and did I say bills?

Jay

Any regrets about moving out?

Jay: No, not really. I wish I got back home more, but other than that no. Well actually in hind sight I wish I was more prepared for it, that’s about it.

Danielle: Not really,I wish I was more finically stable but i don’t really have regrets.

Alli: No, it is a great experience. It helped me get real world knowledge and better understand the value of money.

If you can give someone moving out on their own for the first time any piece of advice, what would it be?

Jay: Learn how to save money and don’t screw up any ties you have with people who are trying to help you out. Take care of the stuff you have because it is yours and it will last longer. (Stuff as in furnishings and house hold items.

Danielle: Save, save, save! The unexpected will happen, your car might break down, you might get sick and be out of work for a few days, this is where you can no longer just sit back while mommy and daddy pay for things. You have a responsibility.

Alli: Make sure you have money saved. Also make sure you pick room mates that you can deal with, the last thing you want is constant conflict.