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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 27, 1985)
New book By LYNN RAE POVEC Staff Writer If you've had it, REALLY had it, and you're ready to give your roommate a swir- lie, ''What Color Is Your Toothbrush?'' won't give you any constructive hints on how to survive. But if you're looking for some humor in an inescapa ble situation, parts of the book are classic. Directed at college stu dents and young adults, ''What Color Is Your Tooth brush?" was written by so cial satirists Kate Kelly, Rich ard Davis and Jeff Stone. It's a tongue-in-cheek look at studying, deciphering the phone bill, having sex, cleaning up the place and splitting costs with your roo mie. The only thing it over looks is a section on swirlies, or "How to hold your co-ha bitant's head in the bowl and flush." The book gets off to a slow start by discussing life with everyone's first and most ac commodating roommate, Mother. Then it moves on to those less accommodating. Like the roommate your fish year who studied to the sweet harmony of Van Ha- len while chomping celery stalks and potato chips. (I had one who simply couldn't do accounting without mon itoring Luke and Laura on the tube and Get-ting Lucky with Loverboy. Yes, at the same time). Your roommate might also be the type who likes to party in your room on the weekends, and of course the weekend includes Wednes day, Thursday, Friday, Sat urday and Sunday. While you and your room mate may not see eye-to-eye on studying or partying, the authors imply that most co habitants become very dip lomatic when working out arrangements for having sole rights to the room. Never mind that they pro ceed to share those rights. "I've got a live wire for Saturday, Joe, will $20 do it?" or "Sally, he's really the sweetest, most adorable, cuddliest hunk of powerful, untamed animal. Could you please...." It's obvious if roomies have had a conversation of this nature — they leave little clues to remind each other. A knotted tie looped around the doorhandle, "I'm entertaining" scrawled in black on the memo board or (if your roomie forgot to examines Y What Color Is Your Toothbrush? Kate Kelly Richard Davis, and Jeff Stone leave the pre-established clue) "Omigosh, DON'T COME IN!", are unmistakea- ble hints. And there are a myriad of other things that coerce co habitants into confronta tions. It almost sounds like a Calgon Bath commercial: the dog, the bathroom, the bills, the phone:... Ahhh, yes, the phone. The best section in the book. Each month you must allot four hours of intensive study to decipher the bill and de cide who pays what. And naturally your 1 roommate won't agree. And then there's that call, to Chile — 88 minutes and $74. Turns out the guy that crashed the party last month had met a woman in San tiago and promised he'd call. Good 'n' looped on your Southern Comfort, he fig ured no time like the pre sent. You tell your roommate she's footing the bill because she was supposed to be monitoring the door. She would have been, she says, if that weirdo you invited hadn't had her in a corner. You decide to split the charges. And while we're on the subject of the phone, it's a good way to tell if your roo mie's a bit perturbed with you. Does he answer it, put the receiver down and walk away, forgetting to tell you it's for you? Does he tell ev eryone who calls you're not home, even though you're only in the bathroom? If the situation proceeds to get too out-of-hand, "What Color is Your Toothbrush?" suggests you hunt for a re placement roommate. The section on how to look for a new roommate is the worst in the book. It doesn't offer any worthwhile sug gestions, and it's really not even funny. But the exten sive, eight-page, pre-deci- roomies sion questionnaire redeems this section. By the way, it's a question in the questionnaire that prompts the book's title. The question follows the part about smoking vs. non, and precedes the part about sex uality. The questionnaire also covers bathroom and kitchen usage, pets (How would you rate your talking bird? G, PG, R, X, XXX), cleaning (Do you consider growing, flourishing mold on the tile grout an artistic form of gardening?), religion and cultural preferences. It also screens possible Tup- perware pushers, drug in dulges and ax murderers. You don't want to miss it. If you can't read the book, at least stop by the bookstore and read the questionnaire (p. 107). It might be all in fun, but you would do well to re member a few of the ques tions. Included in the section on hunting for a co-habitant is a brief guide to the types to avoid. I can't offer a critique on the section for men, but types to steer clear of in clude the playboy, the psy chopath, the nice guy, the gay and the wild and crazy guy. Women will want to avoid the super professional, the party girl (like Miss Luke- /Laura/Loverboy), the social ite, the homebody and espe cially the Artist. The Artist gets irritated if you interrupt when she's "creating." She will attempt to get you to discuss things you have no interest in with witty opening lines like, "Do you think Pollack was at tempting to re-define a new modernist perspective?" I just got a new roomie this semester, and despite a summer of anticipating the worst and dreading Septem ber, things have worked out very well. "Snooze" is fun and a studybug, and the other morning she took my English paper across cam pus for me and made 25 cop ies. Things like that make overlooking her one flaw a lot easier. Of course, here there aren't many options when it comes to choosing a room mate — especially if you live on campus. But "What Color Is Your Toothbrush?" could smooth over the rough spots. It will show you how to laugh at yourself, and it could help you break the ice and dis cuss your grievances with your roommate. □ Wine Seminars Max Porch will delight you with his informative and entertaining style of teaching. Drawing from his 16 years of experience in the pro fessional wine industry and his ten years as a resident of Europe, he leads you through an international selection of wines from the Napa to Rhine Valleys. Max will be teaching both Wine Appriciation and Wines of Germany at the College Station Hilton. Wine Appreciation: This class gives an overview of German, French, Mediterrean, South American, North American and Bryan/College Station wines. Students will acquire the fundamental knowledge nec essary to order, buy and drink the wines best suited to each of them by sam pling 30-40 different wines. Wed., Oct. 9, 16,23,30, Nov. 6, 20 6-7:30 p.m. $20 (in class fee of $20) Wines of Germany: A more advanced class designed for graduates of WineAp- preciation, professionals or persons with equivalent knowledge. This class concen trates on the eleven wine regions of Ger many and the different harvesting con cepts. 30-40 different wines will be sampled- Wed., Oct. 9,16,23,30, Nov. 6,20 7:30-9 p.m. $20 (in class fee of $20) Max Porch Gourmet Cooking Classes Trudy Adams, owner of the Black Forest Inn, will be instructing. She has been dem onstration and teaching Gourmet Cooking for the past twelve years and is truly a mas ter. This class will tempt your taste buds as you learn the best ways to prepare and serve stocks, soups, sauces, eggs, souf- flees, beef, veal, pork, pastas, salads, vegetables, potatoes and desserts. This seminar style class will have students tast ing dishes each night. What a great way to prepare for those upcoming holiday feasts. Bon Appetit! M/T, Oct. 7,8,14,15,21,22,28,29, Nov. 4,5 6L30-9 pm $45 Trudy Adams Classes are open to the public. Students enrolling in either of the wine classes must be at least 19 years of age. Nonstudents must purchase a $2 semesterly membership card. For registration information call 845-1631 KEEPING DIABETES IN CHECK DIABETIC CENTER • Complete line of diabetic supplies • Books, etc. • Diet counseling • Glucose monitors Owned and operated by registered dietitian who has 17 years of experience as diabetic 1405 Briarcrest (next to Balloon Bonanza) Bryan (409) 776-0660 Alice Richter, R.D. Mon.-closed Tues.-Friday 10-5 Sat.-By appt. Phone or come by for more information or have your parents or physician call Currently assisting Aggie diabetics organize local support groups. Phone if interested IN THE mum 845-2611
