"You don't shit where you eat."

This week, I've been driving myself systematically insane. The issue of housing for my next academic year is weighing down so heavy on me, I don't know what to do.

I currently live in West Downs, which is a cute little Manhattanesque Student Village on Romsey road, at the top of the hill. I really like it here; initially, I wanted one of the flats with the flight of stairs to do the door, but now I've lived in the little house for four months I am definitely preferring this choice, just for ease of moving in and out, and then of course there's the issue of the skyscraper stripper heels that I am partial to, and how they don't get on very well with stairs.

Before I moved into house 17, I did have preconceived notions about living with people and how it would be to live away from home for the first time, where I have someone who does my ironing etc. I hadn't really thought about the community aspect of living; my head was pretty much just running in circles on the thought of the people I would spend the next year living with.

My housemates turned out to be lovely. Really, really lovely.

There's eight of us, two of whom don't really talk to us because they have separate social groups as they are international students; the others however, are the closest thing to family I have here. My five other girls and one guy are the people who are always home when you need them to be, and are always there to put the kettle on, and remind you to drink up.

I didn't think our boy to girl ratio would work very well, given that we are 1;5 but it does actually work. We've all found our own friends and have become friends with each others friends so it's all worked out in the end it would seem.

Quite a few of our mutual friends live down in the Queens Road Student Village, which is between West Downs and the King Alfred Campus. They all have these new, really clean looking apartments, which are lovely but I still feel more homey in my little WD House.

Next year, I have to find a group of people to live with. Luckily for me, I have two groups of people willing to live with me. Unfortunately for me, I really want to live with them both. One group of friends, live down in Queens and I met them in the first few weeks of Uni, and no matter what, I always have fun with them when we go out. My other option is to continue living with my current housemates again.

My current housemates are my friends, of course they are, but they are also huge parts of my life. They are family, and we work like a family. We're always there for each other, and we definitely know how to have fun - they also are looking at spending the same amount of cash that I am, whereas the Queen's budget is slightly larger than mine, and I feel bad to drag them down to a cheaper house when they could afford something nicer.

So now, I'm presented with a predicament?

Do I live with my friends, who I love, who take my mind off my crap, and always know how to have fun?

Or...

Do I live with my family, who I love, who sort through my crap with me, who know how to have fun, and who also share the same monetary views?

This is a toughie.

Well, I've got reading to do. I can't sit around procrastinating all day.

Till next time,

Alex.