My parents came to visit this Saturday. That afternoon I bought a new fig plant for my sitting room, clematis for my backyard, and daffodils to put in the guest bedroom. I smiled to myself when my mom and dad brought me a begonia and a hyacinth. We love plants.

Earlier this week, Jennifer wrote about leaving her friends behind because of a big cross-country move. I made a similar big move nearly four years ago, following my now husband from San Diego to Seattle when he started his exciting new career. The hardest part for me? Making new friends. It sure isn't as easy as it used to be!

My parents are visiting me in San Francisco for the first time, which means seeing my apartment for the first time. It is with great relief that I can say that they love it, although part of that might be due to lowered expectations. They knew it was 400 square feet, but as my dad said, "We thought it would be half this size, just a bed and a fridge!"

I think I might be getting slightly addicted to some cable exercise videos. I'm not ashamed to admit it, although I'm sure my downstairs neighbor is getting an earful of my sporadic jumping about at 6am. What's a fitness junkie to do?

I’m delightful at parties, I give great relationship advice, and I can go to a lunch like it’s my job, but in my sea of acquaintances, sometimes it seems like I could die of thirst before I make a new friend.   

As I chatted with a group of parents at a 4-year-old’s birthday party recently, the talk over frosting-smudged paper plates inevitably turned to schools, mortgages, and condos. As I tried to slip another cupcake onto my plate, one of the moms turned to me and asked if we were going to sell our place any time soon. Not thinking anything of it, I said that we rent, and man did the needle come flying off the record player. I felt a few more eyes on me, and I had the weird feeling that I was suddenly the “renter” in a room of “home owners”.  

We all have harmless little household tasks that infuriate us for no reason. Nobody likes big or messy jobs like taking out the garbage or unclogging drains, but what about changing light bulbs or replacing the toilet paper on its holder? When living with another person it's important to figure out what everyone’s pet peeves are so one person doesn’t wind up with all the tasks he or she hates the most. 

Don't know where to start with that pile of stuff in your bedroom? Fay Wolf is here to help you get started with today's One Minute Tip. More

I've been looking into ways to get myself and my stuff across the country, and the two big moving truck rental companies both estimate my rental cost at $1,400, plus approximately $1,000 in gas. I am fairly certain that the value of all my worldly possessions does not equal $2,400...

As most of you probably know, co-habitating often calls for compromise.  For months I’ve been living with a huge, mass-produced canvas decorating my living room, silently wondering why my style-savvy boyfriend would hang such a thing. Well, I finally brought it up, and I’ve completely changed my mind.  What caused my 180?