h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Several years ago I a friend of mine came into town to visit. He was actually supposed to stay with another set of friends but of course those plans fell through. The visit was supposed to be only for "a couple of days". I was then recruited to give him a place to stay while he was around. The two days stretched into four. The four days spanned out to six. Soon, a week had passed and he was still there. Not only that but he had no transportation and very little money. After calculating it all I figure I spent around $250-$350 for the *month* that he ended up lazing around my house. Since he was staying with me he seemed to expect me to be the sole source of his entertainment, to be read: Everything that I did he tagged along. Which was fine at first, you know the routine: Old friend comes into town, "Great to see you! Wow its been a while!" to--> "When are you going to give me back my life?!" It actually approached the point that he was not only following me everywhere outside the house but also inside. Walking absently along behind me to whatever room I happened to go into. This eventually led to the final straw when he actually followed me to the bathroom! I snapped, he went home and all was well. At least for that particular situation. I now make it a point to find out how long someone ends up staying when I offer to put them up. Good policy move on my part. I think it has saved some friendships that would have been strained by that kind of impromptu extended co-habitation.

LOL! Wow, thanks for the great story! Tell me, do you think that in a "normal" (i.e. Planned) roommate situation, is it eaiser for you to live with people that you already know, or is it simpler to live with people you pick out of an ad?

I've had some strange experiences with both types, but I'm curious to hear what you think.

Actually, since then I have had only two roommates which brings us to a totally other story. I moved into an apartment with two friends of mine who were, at the time the agreement was reached, lovers. Hence, their two bedroom apartment had ony one bedroom that was being utilized. Both were in school and short on cash so it was agreed that I would take the extra bedroom. This would have been fine except for the fact that shortly after I moved in the "oh so stable" relationship crumbled and I was stuck in a two bedroom apartment that now consisted of me in my room, one roommate in the other bedroom and the estranged lover on the couch. Not pretty let me tell you.

As far as that goes, though, I think I would prefer living with someone I already knew as opposed to a complete stranger. There are way to many weird people out there. And I'm not using that term endearingly. So let's hear a couple of your stories...you hinted that you have had some interesting experiences in cohabitation.

hee hee hee!! Oh, well...where should I begin? A synopsis is in order, yes..I think so.

Ok, well my last roommate was set up in the apartment by the "roommate before the last one" who had taken a job much closer to the city and strived for convenience. The friend that she set me up with, "Andrea" we'll call her, bustled right in, plunked down her things and made herself very much at home. Now, first things first, I live in a relatively large apartment. All of Andrea's packing things took up the entire living room, her bedroom and part of the dining room. She *never* unpacked! In the 5 monthes that she lived with me, she simply pulled things out of boxes when she needed them and threw them on the floor when she didn't. My entire set of dishes went missing and turned up in her bedroom, food still attached. When I asked her to do the dishes, she carefully piled them into the sink and sprinkled them lightly with water, dimmed the lights and left them to grow some green, fuzzy, wiggly stuff that may well have been a cure for cancer. When I breached the subject of "cleanliness" with her, she grew quite defensive and stated that she had last done the dishes. To which I said, "No, dear, *washing* the dishes does not mean throwing them in the trash. Which, btw, I have taken out 12 consecutive times in a row". Ahem.

The last time I saw Andrea was right before she left a little note on the table, stating simply and eloquently, "I left". And she did, too. To San Fransisco, very much "forgetting" the $400 she owed me. Right.

Oooh, I forgot to be synoptic! I have about seven other roommate-from-hell stories but, oh well, you get the idea. The funny thing, in my experience anyway, is that when you first join up with flatmates you don't know, they always seem to be reeealy nice and reeeally promising. I now look to those as warning signs that something is about to go horribly awry!

Right, perhaps making one of the prerequisites a mental illness of some sort would incite some sort of reverse psychologly in the applicant/prospective roommate and thereby provide you with someone is at least mostly stable.

You know? That's crazy enough it just might work! (No pun intended, of course...) With my luck, anyway.

Oh, by the way, Hi! I'm Amanda. Nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you also.

Well, good thing we got *that* out of the way, huh?

Oh, and thanks, btw, for being the only one to help me out with this project so far. No pressure.

My current flatmate is hell when it comes to taking out the rubbish. Last time I went away for nine days and came back to find 10 bags of rubbish, mostly stacked beside the bin in the kitchen, but a few in the living room too, and the stink was unbelieveable, as you could guess she'd conveniently advoided being home! I'm away for three months now, and i really dread to think. She also has all these fabulous get rich quick plans, which of course never work, and curently owes me £150, of the deposit on our old flat. If it wasn't for the fact that I need a flatmate adn she's handy, I would never have shared with her again. She also recently lied to my mum that she had put a misdirected cheque to me in the post to my mum, and she hadn't, which has caused even more problems, and lead to current state of wanting to go swimming in the Fjord. I can't of course swim!
I noticed you on Tobo's page, he's a friend of mine here,(Bergen) he looks after me!
Bye Hxx

Ah yes, the famous "I took out the trash last time and the check is in the mail routine". I'm currently dealing with the latter portion of that with a recent ex-roommate. Recently we received a phone bill for close to $400(US) and a gas bill for $150(US). Both of which predate the point of him vacating the apartment. The bills haven't been switched out of his name yet and we will have some difficulty doing so until we can get a letter either saying that he doesn't live there anymore or he pays it off.

Meanwhile, the gas company is threatening to shut off the gas and we have no long distance phone carrier.

Ah, the joys of living with others!

P.S. And I *did* take out the trash last time!

I used to have a pet Garter snake. If I wanted to go out in the evening and 'reserve' the bathroom, I would leave him in the bath having a little swim. None of the other girls would go in there. Handy that..

So in this case *you* were the scary roommate! Neat trick though. Plenty of style, I'd give it a 7. Now if it had been a boa or a ball python that might have been worthy of a couple more points.

Oh wow - I have people in here again!! Thanks for helping out guys.

And I think at the moment I'd prefer a snake over my cat in the apartment, but give me a few hours and I'll take it all back.

OK, so this isn't quite about room-mates but it is about what people get up to when they live together.
One of the hall of residence buildings at Manchester University ia a huge tower block about 20-30 floors high. One guy lived on about the 20th floor. One night, while his flatmates got him drunk in the bar, his girlfriend 'aquired' his keys and she and some others completely emptied his room, and carried it down to a identically dimensioned room on the ground floor, where they set it up again.
This guy got carried back from the bar absolutely plastered and dumped in the new room and left to recover.
Early next morning, while it was still dark, he was awakened by about 10 people bursting through the door dressed as SAS commandos with full camo gear, balaclavas etc who then proceeded to tie him up and throw him out of the window. Aparently he was soi scared that he shat himself on the way to his epic plummet of about 3 feet.

Now that's >style< !

Some good friends of mine rent out one of their rooms. Just about all the people they've had, they could cheerfully have shot after 3 months.

The worst was the one who ran up nearly 800GBP phone bill!

Most of mine have been friends, and not had any serious problems. Tho. I did get back from the London get-together at 2am and BANG all the door repeatedly, to emphasize I like them shut, not left open!

H&K
Z

I would say that a huge phone bill would amount to a roommate story. So what about the closet door? I've talked to a number of different people with just as many rationales for and against keeping the closet door shut. Personally the closet door doesn't matter as much as the bedroom door. Even if I'm home alone I have to shut the door before I go to bed. Just one more neurosis in the pail I guess

Sorry, I meant to say most of the doors! One of the front doors, and the kitchen doors. Both cost me money in heating if left open!

H&K
Z

Fully understood. My current roommate is switching to a new schedule due to a change in jobs. While I am working (basically) 8 or 9am until 5 or 6pm he is working 8:30pm until 8:30am(roundabout). This could make for some interesting schedule conflicts. We shall see.

Please look at my earlier post, in which i was afraid of the state of the bin bags situation... someone couldn't not empty a bin for three months could they?? Couldn't just start filling black plastic bin bags and pile them on top of the bin, or just in the general direction of that corner of the kitchen?? Or take the waste paper bin from your room to use as an overflow bin from the one in the bathroom (which is the bin that used to be in the kitchen, its pretty big) could they???? Ladies and Gentlemen, may I introduce miss Claire fairgreve, and undoubtly that lazy arse of a boyfriend of hers. There was still a plate of cake in the kitchen, sitting on the bench, from my going away party. I've just been Cleaning, enjoy!!