Incompatible Roommate Syndrome
Whenever I used to hear
people talking about how they
just can’t get along with their
roomates. I didn’t listen. 1
thought they had to be
exaggerating. Getting along
with someone just takes a little
cooperation, right? Wrong.
1 didn’t use to believe in the
Incompatible Roommate
syndrome. Until last year,
when it happened to me.
Oh, there were the little
things, like the fact that she
never filled ice cube trays and
put bowls and glasses back into
the refrigerator empty. But the
final straw was the watermelon
she left in the bottom of a
grocery bag for a week in the
pantry.
It was the smell that caught
my attention. Of course, she
had left town. Although that
wouldn’t make too much of a
difference because it seemed
like she only stayed in the
apartment a few times the
whole semester. So, I gave in
and decided the trash couldn’t
wait for her return any longer.
The brown blob that fell
from the soggy hole in the bag
to the floor made my stomach
retch. Most of us know that
feeling. Your stomach hits your
throat, every abdominal
muscle tenses, and you head
for the door.
But wait — as if all this
wasn’t enough, little animals
had made my pantry their
stomping ground. Worms and
little creatures of the night
infested the decay. Dash to the
door. If you happened to see
the gnats that took flight in the
living room and bedrooms,
they also used to dine in the
watermelon mush.
I gave up on the Raid. 1 think
they’re using it as a food
supplement.
Okay, anybody can make a
mistake and not realize that a
watermelon shouldn’t be left to
grow unnurtured in its little
brown bag in the pantry, but
what about the food that’s
been in the refrigerator for
three weeks, the bacteria
cultures in the glasses in the
bathroom and the empty
containers that remain in the
refrigerator because somebody
doesn’t want to wash them?
The funniest thing about this
situation is that my roommate
wasn’t the bacteria culture type
at all. She is an absolute doll.
She has the perfect height, the
perfect bottled hair, the perfect
figure, she’s what most Texans
recognize as the typical
California girl. She's sweet as
can be, something of a people-
pleaser. We’ve never
exchanged harsh words. In fact
most people are surprised to
hear that we never got along.
We’re more than civil to each
other; you’d think we’d been
long-time friends. So what was
the problem? Communication.
We’ve all heard it before.
Communication is the answer
to the problem. But a lot of
good that does. The more we
tried to communicate, the more
we muddled things up. We
were just so different we talked
on different wavelengths.
I think our differences can be
summed up like this: On the
outside, she’s picture perfect.
She never walks out of the
apartment without a perfectly
painted face. The art of putting
on make-up has been
perfected to a mere two-hour
process. That does include hair
styling, too. Every article of
clothing matches, from the bow
on her head to the stripe on her
socks. Like I said —perfect, not
a flaw to be seen.
Me, I can’t understand that.
It’s just not my style. My
philosophy is faded jeans, T-
shirts, and light make-up. Just
right for the couch, the
Chicken, the mall or campus.
Don’t get me wrong. I dress the
part when the need arises.
Formals, dinner dates or a
night on the town will find me
in a dress, slacks or whatever
the situation calls for. But every
day? Guess I have better things
to do with my time. That’s not
true. I just don’t give a damn.
But the worst of it is that she
tells everyone that I’m the slob
and she is the one that keeps
the apartment clean. Okay,
she’s right, I am a slob. My
books are on the table along
with tennis shoes, scraps of
paper, a tape, an empty coke
can and a plate or two — but
they’re not growing mold! I’m
not dirty.
I guess it’s the way we
present ourselves, our
philosophies on life. I’m the
same inside as out. Surface and
material things just don’t mean
that much to me. I don’t put up
This weeks attention!! photo of the light in the Chemistry Building
hall was taken by Sarah Granberry, a senior journalism major.
a front. I may not have my
place in tip-top shape but l
don’t put empty containers in
the refrigerator, shove
everything in a drawer or
vaccuum the rug so the surface
looks great. I give you the truth
a little disorganized, a little
messy but solid rather than
superficially perfect.
As for her philosophy on life,
I don’t know. But I know what
image she puts forth. Maybe
communication was the
answer. I know there wasn’t a
right and a wrong, just a
difference. The Incompatible
Roommate syndrome strikes
again.
Katie Matzinger is a senior
journalism major.
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