Thursday, September 4: Where do you live? Describe your house and your neighborhood.

I live on the second floor of a two story house. When you open the door, you'll see four bikes tucked not-so-neatly under the stairwell. Come up the stairs and you'll find yourself in our living room.

The old couch in the room slouches like it had a hard day at work, its pillows always askew. Two big plants stand on tables in the living room, thirsty for water and growing toward the sunlight streaming in the three long windows. The kitchen table is the heart of our home, a place where you'll find a roommate or four dining, studying, playing games with friends...

In the kitchen someone's almost always cooking. Our refrigerator is always overflowing with vegetables, except on Saturdays, before we go shopping. When the pickings are slim, I get creative. Sometimes the best food comes out of an unusual combination of ingredients!

My room's the first one off of the hall. It's the smallest, but has the biggest closet. With so many people in my house, I like my room to be a calm space without much stimulation. My favorite part of my room is my bed. It's so tall that it's like a throne. It's made of thick, dark wood and to get on my bed I have to jump like I'm running hurdles! My bed is my oasis and when I'm in it I sleep like a baby.

I moved into this house a few months ago, so I'm still getting to know the neighborhood. It used to take me twenty minutes to drive to work, and now all I have to do is drive up 1st Street to Tchoupitoulas and take it to Jefferson. From my house to Ben Franklin it's only ten minutes! This means I can sleep for ten extra minutes every morning...which means I'm a little fresher when I get to work. I live in the Irish Channel, and from my house I can walk to my gym, my friend Catherine's house, and many restaurants. The only thing I don't like about where I live is that many of my friends live in Mid City, near City Park, and it's a twenty minute drive to see them.

- Ms. Radding