Back when mom was house hunting, one of the places we looked at had an honest-to-goodness bomb shelter buried in the backyard. Complete with hatch and ventilation system.

It was an odd but interesting house.

A public service message based on my own experience: Get the fucking mammogram. My quite extensive tumors were never detectable by touch, even by surgeons who had seen the mammogram and know they were there. Also, while you hear more about the "breast cancer gene" and cancer running in families, in fact more than 70% of breast cancer patients have no known family risk. I'm the first woman in my family in a century to have breast cancer, and the few other cancers have all followed years of smoking like a chimney.

Yeah, my mom's breast cancer was found on her first mammogram. At 40. It was not tumorous. So wouldn't have been found by self exam. (I'm told I have to start getting them at 35) (She's these days a 20+ year survivor)

I have a hard enough time dealing with my north-facing apartment that lets in no sun except for a few minutes at sunrise and sunset in the summer. My next place will definitely have more than one exposure so I can get sun throughout the day.

Me too. Plus my poor kitty never gets to lay in the sun.

Who is the Buffista who lives on a boat? I was surprised that it can actually be cheaper than owning a condo or renting an apartment.

You could not pay me to live in a "garden" apartment, much less completely underground. For one thing, flash-flooding. For another, firetrap. For a third, and maybe this is only old buildings in the northeast, loud clanky pipes and weird smells.

I don't think I could live on a boat, either. I wouldn't feel safe. I realize that, generally speaking, breaking into a houseboat would be more effort than your average thief is up for; and I realize that in fact the octopus army is not out to get me specifically; but I just wouldn't feel safe.

Also, I would have to lift my house out of the water during hurricane season, and that would be a pain.

I realize that in fact the octopus army is not out to get me specifically

Clearly you haven't read their updated manifesto.

The biggest advantage of living on a boat is that when the zombie apocalypse comes, you can flee the city in your boat.

DawnK was living on a boat. Not sure if she still is.

I'd love to live somewhere scenically movable somewhere else, but I suspect it might be something I'd just never get around to.

I understand that one of the big disadvantages of living on a boat is that in the winter you get cold. Really, really cold (unless you live someplace it doesn't get cold, in which case ... never mind).

Well, if you're lucky enough to have a job where you can work at home, you can just relocate your boat south for the winter.

Here in Chicago, the marinas pull all the boats out of the water for the winter, so you'd need to have some alternate residence for half the year.