It’s All Fun and Games Until You Live Together

November 18, 2009 11:00 am     Posted in Reality  Kendra - University of Pittsburgh g+ page

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"I'm smiling but if she doesn't take out the garbage soon I'm going to punch her in the face."

Did you ever wake up, peer out groggily from under the sheets at your roommate who is still passed out in her bed across the room, and wonder why the eff you two are living together? Sure, it seemed like a good idea last year when you perused flea markets for cheap futons together. It even seemed to still make sense just a month ago when you were first getting used to each others’ loveable quirks. But then one day, it just hits you, like a shot of tequila.


By Kendra

Who is this girl that you thought you knew?
Why does she do that weird sh*t all the time?
Most importantly, how are you going to survive the year without completely snapping and throwing a beer can at her head?

I really hope none of you are going through this, but if you are, I can relate. As I type this, I am being serenaded by Lauren, my cute-as-a-teacup friend and roommate. I’m not sure what song it is, but I’m fairly certain it’s from the musical, Rent (I loathe musicals). She has a lovely voice, and who doesn’t enjoy the occasional serenade, right? Well, it happens to me probably three to five times a day on average, and it’s ALWAYS when I’m trying to actually accomplish something school-related. I don’t know why she can’t sing at me when I’m procrastinating, painting my nails, watching It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia online, or just sitting around, which, realistically, is 75% of the time. Why is it always when I’m busy?

Even worse, often accompanied by the song is a brief dance number. Again, I like watching a dance performance as much as the next person, but when it’s a one-on-one situation – and considering I am not a horny guy in a strip club that recently turned 18 – it just makes me really uncomfortable. Should I laugh? Does she expect me to get up and join? Am I supposed to make eye contact? I usually react by giving a quick giggle, waving my arms above my head slightly, and then returning to whatever I was in the process of doing (usually online Spanish homework).

Is this proper etiquette for receiving a song and dance from one’s roommate? I wish I knew.

While most people find her frequent song-singing to be an endearing quirk, an “Oh, that Lauren!” type of thing, they don’t have to live with the human variety show. It’s a vastly different experience and no one seems to understand. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure there are things about me that Lauren doesn’t like. I’m certainly not the greatest roommate to ever inhabit Panther Hall and I’m sure I do plenty to piss her off. Does it bug her when I leave half-empty water bottles strewn about the living room? When I burn my popcorn to a crisp on purpose (I just like the way it tastes, ok!?)?

Is her daily lap-dance and evil form of revenge?

If I’ve learned anything so far this year it is not some complicated formula in my 11am Stats lecture, but the fact that living with a friend changes everything. You learn way more about that person than you ever thought possible and it is those little things (like their intense devotion to all things Broadway) that make you want to pack your things and move back into that 9X5 single in the dorms. But what do you do? Call them out on it (“Stop. With. The. MUSICALS!”) and risk a fight, or just let it go?

Can friendships survive the close quarters?
Is there a safe way to approach this?
Will I make it out of here alive?
Can anybody help me?!

15 Comments on "It’s All Fun and Games Until You Live Together"

  1. La says:
    Wed, 18th Nov 20096:38 am 

    LOVE IT. It's so true.

  2. Uni says:
    Wed, 18th Nov 20097:34 am 

    I wish I could but I am having the same problem with my boyfriend. We've been cohabiting and I am ready to rip his head off. All he does is sing while I am trying to do everything. I made the mistake of telling him I fell in love with him because of his singing and now he just won't stop!

  3. Kimberly says:
    Wed, 18th Nov 200911:05 am 

    Somewhat of the same kind of thing is going on for me now. My roommate and I were friends last year so we decided to room together this year. Except it turned into a headache because apparently my roommate has a laundry list of problems with me that she would never tell me and then two days ago BLEW up at me. When I asked her what her issues with me were, she said something to the effect of, Oh there's too many to count, and stormed out. So basically our friendship was ruined because she bottled things up (because if she had said something, I would have tried to change or at least compromise). My advice is say something. You don't want your friendship to be ruined when you guys move out and she may not even realize what she is doing is bothering you. Good luck, my roommate and I are probably going to not be living together next semester.

  4. Karen says:
    Wed, 18th Nov 20095:51 pm 

    I don't know what you should do, but I'm going through the same thing. My roommate has a tendency to sing one phrase of one song ALL the time (usually with the wrong lyrics), and it's starting to drive me crazy. When she switches the song up, I can deal with it, but then it just starts to get old again. Usually I end up putting in my earbuds and turning up my volume, but I feel so antisocial when I do that.

  5. Angie Marie says:
    Wed, 18th Nov 20095:53 pm 

    Great article; it's adorably written and also very true!

    Question, though: Does your roommate know you blog? Did you show her this before posting? Is Kendra your real name? :) If anyone tips her off, your friendship/roommate-ship is forever over…

  6. leigh says:
    Thu, 19th Nov 20092:11 pm 

    OH MY GOD THIS IS THE STORY OF MY LIFE RIGHT NOW. my roommate and i chose each other beforehand and now i can't stand her. oy vey.

  7. Ann says:
    Mon, 23rd Nov 20099:40 am 

    My brother is moving in with his friends next year, and the boy is so UGH! Can't wait to hear his horror stories. bahahahaha!

    Loved this line: "Is her daily lap-dance an evil form of revenge?"

  8. Eileen says:
    Wed, 2nd Dec 20091:09 pm 

    Just talking about living together caused a huge rift in my friendship and made me realize I didn't want to live with my friend… we just had very different standards for living/finding an apartment. I'm not saying it happens to everyone, but it has definitely turned me away from trying to room with friends. Random from now on!

  9. sauer kraut says:
    Thu, 3rd Dec 20095:22 am 

    Someone has control issues. …

  10. Gray says:
    Fri, 11th Dec 20097:25 pm 

    I didn't choose my roommate, but my God! Had I known she was going to be the way she is, I would have turned tail and run! Within the first week and a half she dated 3 different guys, onr of whom is her current bf. She talks to him on the phone well into the wee hours of the morning since he graduated in Oct. She only asks if it's okay to talk on the phone when I care the absolute least and has zero qualms about keeping me up with her whining and having phone sex! I really needed to vent. I apologize everyone.

  11. steph says:
    Sat, 12th Dec 20099:00 pm 

    LOL at Uni, im sorry but that made me literally laugh out loud haha…i usually just tell my bf to be quiet that im pms'in and he dont wanna see me mad haha

  12. Elle says:
    Mon, 14th Dec 20096:09 am 

    I'm in this same situation! I used to love musical theater…until I roomed with a theater major. She turns the lights and music on a 3am when I'm asleep, she is ALWAYS singing (but only random lines in a song that she tries her best to warble through but doesn't do a good job.) she refuses to wash the dishes she borrows from me, she chews with her mouth open (I could sleep through her alarm and mine and wake up to her chewing and she has boundary issues! The first time I found her sleeping in my bed instead of hers I was weirded out–when I found her going through my browsing history because she was bored? It was the last straw. Friendship over. We are no longer living together because we could either be friend or roommates. I don't know what we could have done differently (we comunicated often), but we are much better friends when we aren't roommates.

  13. John Reece says:
    Mon, 27th Sep 20103:04 am 

    I have two daughters that have gone to uni over the last two years and after visiting a few times and seeing other students rooms as well i can see what he means.

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