Approaches to living self-sufficiently

If you happen to be in my apartment around six at night, you will hear this ecstatic proclamation coming from the kitchen, "Wow, I love to cook! I love this control!" or some such variation. Yes, I do like choosing what I'm going to have for dinner every night, and though I don't really know how to do it, I happen to like cooking a great deal.

It doesn't end there. I like being given the responsibility to take care of a place: make sure the dishwasher is working, contemplating the merit of Drain-o and CLR for cleaning purposes, controlling the thermostat, etc. Suddenly, tool sets and cleaning items interest me a hell of a lot, and I have a new fascination with hardware stores. If I were to watch any TV shows regularly (besides "The Daily Show" of course), I would watch a couple of Food Network programs and "This Old House."

I don't think my approach to living in an apartment is the norm among college students, however. It seems like there are in fact two approaches to this on the part of students: the first is the Type A approach: be on top of things in a way that can be described as "responsible" or "neurotic" depending on your disposition, the second, the Type B approach is to chill out, let the dishes pile up in the sink, leave junk around, and ignore the pressing need to disinfect the toilet every month. I admit, the neurotic or Type A approach involved a bit more anxiety (will people committ to a cleaning schedule? better put away the dishes, etc.), but I like it. I would be interested in a defense of the Type B approach to independent living. For now, it's back to checking Ace Hardware coupons and mentally planning out this week's dinner items.