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

I've come to the conclusion that housemates are probably the most valuable thing in the world - I mean I really am not sure what I'd do if it weren't for the random people I've ended up living with over the last few years.

For instance, just the other day, I was completely knackered after lugging a parcel of networking equipment around town all afternoon [more details of which in a different journal entry, probably] . I hadn't [and haven't!] done any work all week, and my hopes for a brithday drink over the weekend had kind of died with a whimper.

But then, my housemates called me into the kitchen/living room, cos they'd "made a pudding". [Now, just to clarify, this year I'm living with people I'd never met before last month, who just happened to move into the same house as me. Three of them are Japanese, and one sort of Welsh[ish].] The "pudding" the three Japanese ones wanted me to share in, turned out to be a -y /tiramisu thing, with "21" writ large on top in hundreds & thousands.

They then produced a card, and a present of these weird paper balloon things, which are apparently very popular in Japan, and with which we proceeded to throw/hit around the room in a surprisingly energetic combination of volleyball, badminton [they're pretty light...] and what I've always called "balloon-o".

And as for my other housemate - she's just perfect at sorting me out when I'm in a muddle [which is pretty often recently ]. Sometimes she does it, as always seems to happen, just by being there - like when I come out of my room for a cup of tea, and we just sit in the kitchen and chat. Or sometimes, she actually prods me into getting organised - like the other day, when she stood there telling me to eat, telling me to go to the Anime film-night, not letting me get bogged down in self-pity. , for that I owe her one!


So yeah, here's something to remember - for myself, and for anyone else who's reading this: if you're in a shared house, no matter how random, take advantage of it. It is a . Forget about earning an extra overtime; forget about trying to "have a social life" ; just be at 'home' enough to bump into your housemates randomly, and sort each other out.

A cheer for random housemates everywhere!

I can understand how random housemates are a - Most of my bet mates are people I moved in with before I knew them.

But I now live with people who were once my friends-not a good idea. Never move in with people till you've tried living with them . . .or something like that

Sorry to jump in on your journal, but it struck a chord with me as I sit here and listen to several different people's music thud through my floor . . .

Ursula Toad

No need to apologise for "jumping in" - I'm pleased somebody other than me has actually bothered reading it! Pleased to meet you - .

It's funny isn't it, how you really can't predict who you'll get on with if you actually move in together. So far, I've been lucky [this is my 3rd year since leaving home for Uni] - every time I've been pleasantly surprised how well things have worked out with people I don't really know. Maybe everyone should move in with a load of complete strangers, perhaps every year or two...

I wish I had moved in with people I didn't know - In this place we're all barely speaking to one another anymore. Too much whinging to other people and not enough polite chat betwixt ourselves I suspect

Hey ho - only a couple of months and I should be able to afford my own place

It makes a bit of a difference that we're all supposedly "professionals" - I had a modicum of patience when the people up and noisy at three in the morning were students!!

Ursula Toad

Hmm, a bit of a "haven't you grown out of that yet?" situation, is there?

I'm not actually sure whether I want my own place any more - on the one hand it would be great not to have to fit in with other people's interpretations of "this bill needs paying" and "this washing up needs doing"; but on the other hand I think I'd be really lonely without random people to bump into in the house.

Hey, I know, you're a complete stranger - why don't we find a place together? Whereabouts are you living at the moment?


More seriously, I guess the novelty / amusement of randomness wears off after a while, and you're just left wondering why you put up with these people. Hmm.

Oh, and as for students in the middle of the night - you're talking to one : it's 2AM, and I'm supposedly working...

I've been sharing houses with various people for the last 7 years!

The "professionals" I'm living with are college lecturers/PostGrad students - so I suppose there is an element of "I want to be a student forever"

I cannot wait to have my own place, wander round in a state of semi-undress, and not have to carry my stuff back and forth to the bathroom/kitchen to prevent "borrowing"

How did the work go at 2AM? Ahh I remember those days . . .