Aisle 20

Aisle 20: Home Goods

I have had a variety of roommates. I've lived with a guy who was mysteriously whisked away to a mental institute after having threatened to kill one of my friends (and the girl he was macking with), who poured Bush Light beer into my Pepsi Twist (a more heinous concoction has yet to be found, I mean you are talking about the worst beer mixed with the worst soda, next to Moxie). I once shared a room with a 400 lbs pot head who was not all up on hygiene and would hack up the most horrible phlegm in the world every morning at his desk, which was right next to my bed (oh and naked 400 lbs guys who don't take care of themselves, not a pretty sight in the nude, oh I hated mornings, I never knew what I was going to wake up to). I lived with a man who thought the shower was the perfect place to drink wine and have a sandwich and tended to leave some of both in the tub (I slipped on a freakin' piece of bread). I even lived with a hot girl who would wander around in her underwear all the time (and belch like a champ! Ok that wasn't so bad). I've lived with dorks, jocks, video game obsessed kids, musicians, artists, actors, emo kids, slackers, psychos, chicks, and Alec.

I've actually enjoyed the majority of my past roommates. Ok so those first three I mentioned were the crap ones (OH! There was also this star basketball player I roomed with before I moved off campus, he was a dick, and I think the school wanted me to do his home work). Naked girl was awesome (clothed or otherwise) and not for obvious reasons. Honestly it got so old so fast, and we pretty much became pseudo siblings until we drifted apart this past few years. Alec was by far one of my favorite roommates, and the one with the most decorating sense (our dorm was a swinging bachelor pad... only sans chickybabes).

Currently I like my roommates I share my apartment with at this moment. I hardly see two of them and we don't really click all that well but they're good people and put up with me. The third, well the current third (we tend to have a rotating room, that for a while was occupied by France for a long time), takes the cake by far. Great guy, from Argentina, is currently doing an internship at a hospital ER, and is just so like able. Sadly he's back off to Argentina with his girlfriend soon, but at least we've become friends. Hell he talked me out of doing something really stupid recently and gave me some advice that ran counter to what I've heard from other people (does this make it the right advice? Eh, it's what I wanted to hear, so... yes!). (Long story short, my hair has yet to be mangled by my own hands) Tonight he was excited as he just got his harmonica and harmonica holder thing (a la blues guitar/harmonica man) and was playing me some songs.

All this got my thinking about roommates and living situations. I have realized that I have yet to actually live on my own, which has been a dream of mine since I was five. For those not in the know I have two older sisters, who are wonderful, just um... they were older siblings. My childhood was weird and at age five I so would have enjoyed a vacation from the loving teasing of my siblings... and whole family actually, though I wouldn't trade it away now, too many good stories. Before I moved out of my Mom's house I would daydream that I had a small little apartment, nothing special, most of the time it was a rat hole (I aim low and hope for the best sometimes). But for the six years I've been on my own (wow... it feels longer than that) I haven't really been on my own. I've always lived with at least one other person. Oddly enough this current set up sometimes feels like I live alone. Possibly the best thing about having roommates that spend all their time at their girlfriends or at work, or school. But it's still not the ideal thing. It's been ages since I've felt settled down (eleventh grade was the end of the settled feeling I think). I think what I really want is to move into some where and actually set things up like I want them. Get the furniture I want. Put up the crappy art I like. Move my books, music, and movies out of my bedroom finally.

A lot of my friends are moving all over the place, most are moving to cheaper lands in New York, and I've been moving most of them. Saturday, in fact, I get to help another friend, though I am heading off early in order to catch a thing at exactly 4:00 pm. I kind of envy them. I mean moving is a great way to start over from scratch, it's annoying but in the end it feels worth it (unless you move into a horrible place and then move instantly back to your old place, such was the case of the last friends I moved). I don't know though. I somehow have a bit of gypsy in me as I just can't stand being tied down to one location for more than a few years. Earlier this week I sat down with one of the personnel people at my new job and was getting my benefits explained to me (like the fact that I have a pension), and most of it doesn't really come into play until I reach the five year marker. Now I don't hate this job, yet (it's early). But five years at the same place scares me. Not only that but five years in the same position? I could do with teaching as a professor for an extended time because at least I could change up my lesson plans whenever I felt like it. Plus I think I would enjoy having an occasional sabbatical, taking a year off to run around doing research for that book I want to write. Of course the research would totally have to be done in another country for part of the year. Maybe a couple of different countries.

I have wander lust. But it's an odd wander lust as part of me, a strong part of me, does want to eventually settle down. Get a house, do all that fun stuff. So while I want to head off, I also don't want to leave. In the end I make tiny moves here and there. Maybe in a year I'll be living in a different part of Brooklyn for example, but I'd partly wish to move out to, say, Chicago.

I also have that old saying my mom beat into me when I was determined to be an actor, "Don't get married." It's odd, as I've gotten older I've found that both my parents (who have been for a long long time, quite divorced) advise against my marrying (unless it is for dual citizenship for a cool country, which I almost did... I could have actually been Canadian). I've been told that I'm doing great as I have no strings to hold me down (like Pinocchio), and that if I wanted to I could very well just pick up and move some where else. Of course one would tend to require some money to do this, but hey that's just a detail. I think one of the reasons that I've gotten all this, "At least you're not married" jive is because for a while there was that very likely threat that I was going to. And honestly, no offense to the girl in question, that would have been pretty bad. For the both of us, it would have been bad.

Ok now I'm not writing all these things because I've been contemplating grand ideas to settle down with anyone. I'm in no mood to settle for anything, it's just that a lot of people have been asking me about where I saw myself in the future. Will I stay with the job I have, will I get a MLS or a PhD, will I get up the courage to ask out the girl with the pretty eyes, will I stay in my apartment? You know what? Honestly, I don't know the answer to any of those questions (ok well I do know I'm staying at my apartment for as long as I can, it is quite awesome, and near Coney Island too!). A few weeks ago I decided to just take things as they came. Not to expect anything too lofty, just enjoy how life is going for the moment. The next few weeks are going to be rough until I get paid, but I'll some how get through it. It is what I do, I have a really rough and rocky patch and then things get better until they get worse. Eventually, no matter how things are, the rough patches give way to nice stretches.

One day I'll have a home of my own. One day I'll feel like I truly am settled. Right now though? Things aren't bad and I'm pretty content with how everything is working out. Oh things could be better, they always could, but I have my moments. I also have some kick ass people in my life. As I totally doubt many people actually accidentally stumble across this blog, rather, those that read this some how know me, I'm going to say that you, oh reader, are one of those kick ass people I'm glad to know. So here's to you! Cheers! Oh and if you actually don't know me then... man... sorry you had to read all that. But hey how are you? We should one day go for a drink together and you can yell at me for going on and on for no apparent reason. And I can drink. And laugh, for that would be a fun day.