I am a graduate student in Psychology and am looking for 2-3 other people (students? postdocs? people of any kind?) to join me in finding a place away from the hustle and bustle of campus. In searching for housing, I have noticed (haven't we all?!) that the places nearby are expensive, often noisy and very small. The exception is, there are some larger homes in the redwoods around La Honda and the western part of Woodside that are really beautiful. They look like good places to get away from work and chill out. Some of them also look like they are affordable and that there is enough space to live comfortably.

As an example, something like this:

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/apa/4510484874.html

or perhaps this:

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/apa/4510950130.html

Are you interested in meeting up and discussing applying for a house together? I am thinking a 3-4 bedroom house with a per bedroom rent between $900 and, at the upper end, $1500, preferably within 30 minutes drive and definitely within 45 minutes drive of Stanford campus. Maybe up around Skyline Blvd, but definitely somewhere a little quieter and more secluded and more forested than the main cities of the peninsula.

Ok, if you're still reading and interested... I'll tell you a bit more about myself...

31 yo male. Originally from Melbourne, Australia. I'm studying for my PhD in the psych department, with a strong interest in neuroscience and mathematical modeling of behavior and psychological processes.

I love to ride bikes, but have been injured for a couple of years (back/hip from crashing in a road race). I still own my bikes (street BMX for fun, hardtail XC race bike, road race bike, road commuter) and am trying to get back into it. If you are a bike rider, I have workstands and tools and a background in coaching, and a desire to be back training hard next year, so it might be fun to hang out. Hardly a requirement, though.

When it comes to lifestyles, I have lived with a lot of different types and pretty much try to not be judgmental (if your whole goal in life is to drive a new model luxury car for the status, we may not get on, though as a bike racer I do appreciate nice machines). I am a strong believer in choice: when I was riding, I would hardly have a beer, so I could stay fit. If you fit that mold, I understand it. But if your choice is that you want to have a couple of drinks, or smoke a cigarette outside, or explore the outer reaches of consciousness in a safe manner that doesn't impact on others, that's up to you. Everyone needs space sometimes and everyone needs community sometimes. Everyone needs to do the things they need to do to feel comfortable. The world is more interesting if we tolerate difference. What this means in terms of housing? I hope we can take care of each other and our common spaces whilst letting everyone live their life.