- How to Choose Between a Good Boarding House and a Good House Sharing Situation
- How to Find Out Which are the Best Foods, Exercises, and Aromatherapy for Improving Test Scores
How to Choose Between a Good Boarding House and a Good House Sharing Situation
The
best way to choose between a good boarding house and a good house sharing/ roommate
situation is to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of both, and then decide which living arrangement is best for you; a good boarding house, or a good house sharing/ roommate situation. Boarding houses have been popular around the
world, throughout modern history. The most famous fictional character to
live in a boarding house was Sherlock Holmes. In the US, boarding
houses were once found in every major town in the historic Western
United States. During the Gold Rush Eras they provided affordable
housing to people who were looking for opportunities for a better life.
Boarding houses have since gone somewhat out of vogue in the US, for all
except disabled people on Medicaid. Able-bodied people have come to
favor sharing a house via roommates. But, boarding houses for
able-bodied people are still quite popular in Europe and Asia.
Due
to the current US economy, renting a room from a roommate and renting a
room in a small boarding house have started becoming more popular. Small boarding
houses are private homes that rent out a room to two or more boarders. They
can usually be found amongst the classified wanted ads, under roommates. In some markets,
even buying a house with roommates has become so common place that
realtors expect a percentage of their clients to be a set of three
roommates instead of couples only. Large boarding houses for able-bodied
people have still not regained their popularity. They still can't be
found in every major US city.
There are, of course, advantages
to renting a room in a boarding house instead of sharing a house with
roommates. The main advantage is the amount of negotiating that is
required. The amount of negotiating skills necessary to be a happy
roommate can be significantly more that than that which is required to rent a room
in a boarding house. The amount of negotiation necessary to be a happy
roommate can be viewed as being similar to that needed for a successful
modern marriage. While the negotiating skills needed for a boarding
house can be viewed as being similar to that of a traditional marriage.
In a traditional marriage the division of labor is already known at the outset of the marriage. Tradition dictates what will be women's work and what will be men's work. Therefore, nominal negotiation skills are necessary. In a modern marriage there are no such known rules at the outset. What will be whose work has to be negotiated. This negotiation can sometimes take years.
In a good boarding house, what is
expected of you is laid out in the lease. There is no need to look
forward to arguments over what you will be expected to pay for, what
chores you will do, who will cook when, who will shop and how, ect...
Traditionally, the boarding house manager will do all of the cleaning of
the public areas, laundry, cooking, and shopping, but you may be
provided with a small refrigerator in your own room if you should choose
to do a little shopping and cooking for yourself. This is similar to a
hotel, but with a public kitchen, and at a much cheaper rate.
In a roommate situation chores, expenses, and more, may need to be negotiated along the way. It is important to note that sometimes costs can increase as the result of a negotiation, say over an increase in satellite TV costs or an increase in bundle telephone/Internet/cable TV costs. These can occur after you have moved in and lived there for a few months. This kind of cost increase can cause your living arrangements to no longer fit into your budget. And these kinds negotiations may continue for the duration of your stay.
To be fair, there is also an advantage that shouldn't be overlooked when considering sharing a house with roommates or renting a room in a boarding house. It is seen as more prestigious, by some in US society, to be a roommate. It is somewhat akin to the difference between being independent from your parents or being dependent on your parents. So, if you have deft negotiating skills, and your socialize in circles where you may lose some respect from the group if you move into a boarding house, sharing a house with roommates may be more to your advantage. This is especially true if you find roommates that you get along with really well. But, then if you chose a boarding house, in spite of your social group's view of them, you can always tell them that Sherlock Holmes lived in a boarding house, so you consider yourself in good company.
How to Find Out Which are the Best Foods, Exercises, and Aromatherapy for Improving Test Scores
At
our boarding house we don't just serve spinach recipes, liver and
onion recipes, and fish recipes in hopes that this will make better students. We
serve foods that are recommended by the latest research of nutritional scientists; even
if there isn't a patent on these foods. We believe that if a food has been recommended in ancient times and modern times, it is probably a food worth trying. Once we try it, if it works, we know we have found a keeper.
Many products that aren't patented or trademarked can be grown in your backyard or kitchen window. So, they don't make anyone rich. Therefore it's not worth it to modern businesses to advertise them. However, if you visit the jungles and far-away places where there are no television and few radios, you will often find that these types of 'products' are used by indigenous people with great success. One generation has taught another for thousands of years, which wild plants are especially helpful, and which ones are deadly. The study of this method of disseminating information about these types of 'products' is called ethnobotany.
Many simple foods, like spinach, liver, onions, and fish falls into this category of products that usually aren't patented. Although indigenous people have valued many of these types of simple foods for generations, only recently have modern scientist started discovering that there is more to value in these foods than just the vitamins and minerals they offer. For example an apple isn't just a good source of Vitamin C, it also contains anti-inflammatory properties. Nutritional scientists, which are sometimes called nutritional biochemists, have been discovering these additional properties in food by studying the phytonutrients in these foods. In many cases, modern research of phytonutrients verifies what indigenous people have been teaching about those foods for millenniums.
Scientist have long known that the mineral iron increases brain performance. This is why the cartoon Popeye the Sailorman was created; to get children to eat more yucky spinach for their blood and brain health. But, kale is even better for the brain than spinach. Kale is one of the foods whose value has been taught from one generation to another, in some parts of the world, for thousands of years. But, only recently has its value begun to be known to modern society. Scientist now know that the phytonutrients in foods like kale can do everything that spinach can do, plus enhance eye, skin, and immune system health, as well as increase energy levels. An apple a day can keep the doctor away. But, kale three times a week can also keep the doctor away, even unto old age. As for scents, recently, journals like the Journal of Physopharmacology have been publishing research articles about scents and how they can help increase test scores.
Three great books to read about increasing your test scores through foods and essential oils are:
The Brain Power Cookbook by Frank Lawlis, Ph.D. and Maggie Greenwood-Robinson
Magnificent Mind at Any Age by Daniel G. Amen, M.D.
and
Aromatherapy: Scent and Psyche: Using Essential Oils for Physical and Emotional Well-Being by Peter Damian and Kate Damian
In The Brain Power Cookbook, Frank Lawlis, Ph.D. has shared what he has learned by reviewing research on food and the brain. He recommends that students should eat a breakfast of 50% lean protein and foods high in antioxidants like blueberries. Water and exercise are also recommended because a dehydrated brain that is lacking in oxygen doesn't take tests as well as a hydrated brain that is well oxygenated. Green tea, fish, flax seeds, and sage are foods that boost the memory. Eating an apple around 2PM every day can help keep a person from overeating in the afternoon and at dinner, while at the same time providing enough energy to continue working hard until dinnertime. So its not only a good brain power strategy, its also a good weight management strategy. In the evening, students should rest the brain with a high carb dinner, like pasta. This helps the brain to be well rested for the next day.
In Magnificent Mine at Any Age, Daniel G. Amen, M. D. talks about his life's work; research on the brain with S.P.E.C.T scans. S.P.E.C.T scans can watch the brain while it works. Dr. Amen can tell when the prefrontal cortex (the test taking part of the brain) goes on vacation, and how to get it back to working at its best. He also recommends plenty of water, specific foods, supplements, medicaitons, and specific types of exercise (like table tennis) to get the prefrontal cortex working at its best. Much of his discoveries concur with Dr. Lawilis's recommendations.
In Aromatherapy: Scent and Psyche: Using Essential Oils for Physical and Emotional Well-Being Peter Damian and Kate Damian discuss how to enhance your mental acuity and memory with scents. Scents like rosemary have been found to enhance the memory. In ancient times, brides wore rosemary wreaths on their wedding day. This helped the memory to remain better than it would have otherwise. Scents like sage have been found to enhance the brains ability to think clearly. Sage is a common ingredient in Thanksgiving stuffing. So eating sage helps the memory, and even smelling sage essential oil helps the brain to think more clearly.
So, while financially viable patents are the best way to go from rags to riches, many foods and plants that aren't patented can help make you smart enough to grow from rags to riches, especially if they are recommended by both ethnobotanists and nutritional biochemists.
