Dear Blake,
My roommate is driving me CRAZY! He never does
takes out the trash, and when he takes a shower he does a bad job drying
off and there is ALWAYS water on the floor! Sometimes he even comes in
at like TWO AM AND WAKES ME UP!!!!! Do you know what it's like walking
into a bathroom with a wet floor? It makes me WANT to KILL MYSELF!
Sincerely,
I've got a DOOMmate!
Dear Doommate,
I
get this all the time. Unfortunately, given the current economic
climate, living within close quarters of another human being is becoming
a necessity. So how do we act when sharing an apartment or flat or
house or whatever living arrangements you have? The answer is simple-
avoid confrontation. I don't mean do things that wouldn't bother your
roommate- it's silly to ask someone to make minute changes in their life
to appease another- I mean act how you normally would, but when
something bothers you bury it deep, deep inside of you and
DO NOT
let the person in reference let know how you feel. Showing anger is a
weakness, and those who are vulnerable will be destroyed. Instead, build
up your inner-rage and release it in seemingly unrelated occurrences
that keep your roommate on his confused (read "weak"), unaware of what
really bothers you.
"Keep your friends close and your enemies closer".
You
know who said that? Sun-Tzu did. And he killed a lot of people. While
you are not going to want to murder your room mate, take this advice,
because I'm sure if Sun-Tzu had a roommate, that roommate wouldn't be
doing careless shit like leaving lights on. Sun-Tzu would probably cut
off someone's head if they did that, he would mount the decapitated
skull on a pike and and let all those who would move in know that
Sun-Tzu cares about the environment, that Sun-Tzu doesn't want to see a
high energy bill.
Doommate, you're now probably
wondering how you can get back at that jerk you live with, while I
cannot give concise examples given wide variance of house-plans,
personalities, and work schedules that exist, I'll leave you with some
ideas.
1. If your roommate asks you to take the garbage
out because it's your turn, don't bring up how it bothers you that he
or she never takes the garbage out and how you did it last week and that
it smells and your hands always get greasy and you really don't like
it- instead take the garbage out and throw it all over the lawn. If they
have a car, throw it on their car. When he or she confronts you, you
can go two routes. A, either say "Sorry man, you told me to take the
garbage out so I took the garbage out- I didn't know you meant 'by the
curb'. Jeeze dude, be specific next time" or B, blame animals.
2.
I noticed you said he dries off poorly leaving water on the floor. This
is going to be especially biting then. Next time you take a shower
bring in a few buckets and set them on the floor of the shower. As you
bathe let them fill up with water. Try not showering for a few days so
your filth and grime collects in them. When you are done, pour them on
the floor and walk out. When your roomate confronts you (because he
doesn't know the Art of Roommate War), say "Oh, I thought you liked your
floor soaking wet, because that's how you always leave it". In this
case as well one can benefit from blaming animals.
3.
Finally, the coup de grĂ¢ce of roommate warfare. You said he sometimes
comes in late and wake you up- well show that undeserving prick who's
boss. In conversation make an off-handed remark about how you heard
there were some break-ins down the street- make sure that he doesn't
acknowledge it for this will be your seen of destruction. The next time
he leaves to "go out with friends" (i.e. do hardcore drugs and wandering
obliterated at all hours of the night) wait for him. Be sure you are
hiding in the shadows, and in your hands hold some sort of baton or
oblong object that can be used for hitting. You might be waiting in the
corner of your living room for hours, but it will be worth it, for when
he walks in at whatever hour this vagrant of the night chooses to come
home, run at him with hellish force and beat him into a submissive pulp!
The, to cover your tracks, call the police and tell them that your
house just got broken into, and your poor roommate has been attacked.
You
get to release your pent-up rage, your filthy roommate get's what he
deserves, and everyone is non-the-wiser. You'll probably even be
considered a hero.
So, Doommate's it, that advice should help you fix your shared-space woes.
Keep fighting the good fight,
Big Bad Blake