Wednesday, January 28, 2004
Mr. Fix-It
I live with two people I don't really know. You'd think I would've learned my lesson by now. I used to live with two other people I didn't really know, and they turned out to be unbelievable psychos. But that's another story.
My current situation is nice because for one, these roommates are not psycho at all. And while they both live in the main house, I get to live in the guest house. So it's almost like having no roommates at all. I have my own bathroom, my own fridge, my own kitchen, etc. I don't have to deal with the roommate fights or the dreaded roommate tension - i.e. "I'm going to be passive-aggressive all day because you forgot to wash the dishes."
My "roommates" are more like friendly neighbors that I see every so often and converse with on a highly superficial level. We chit-chat, talk about the weather, and then head our separate ways. It's awesome.
With them, there are no mind games, no secret agendas, and certainly no emotional diarrhea.
Did I mention my old roommates had problems?
Anyway, the only thing my current roommates and I share is a mailbox and a washer/dryer. It's a pretty good set-up. But last week, the dryer stopped working. And so us roommates actually had to meet each other on purpose. After looking at the dryer for a bit, we were all ready to give up and call the Maytag repair man, but I, for some reason, said, "Let me have another look."
Now I'm not the handiest of persons around, and never have been, but I can also be overly confident/stupid at times. For once though, it didn't end in total disaster. I found the problem, and when all was said and done, I was able to fix the dryer with my bare hands!
All I did was replace the thing that ignites the gas, known in technical terms as the "igniter", and now the dryer doesn't crap out on us. My roommates were very happy, and now we have something else to chit-chat about. My landlord was very happy as well. He let me deduct $100 from the rent, which in turn, made me very happy. And not just because of the money (Souplantation, here I come!), but now I know what it feels like to be one of those people appreciated for their ability to fix things, someone who can always be found at Ace Hardware or Home Depot. So maybe, at least this once, I know a little of what it's like to be my grandpa. Now all I'll need is hemorroids and the transformation will be complete.
My current situation is nice because for one, these roommates are not psycho at all. And while they both live in the main house, I get to live in the guest house. So it's almost like having no roommates at all. I have my own bathroom, my own fridge, my own kitchen, etc. I don't have to deal with the roommate fights or the dreaded roommate tension - i.e. "I'm going to be passive-aggressive all day because you forgot to wash the dishes."
My "roommates" are more like friendly neighbors that I see every so often and converse with on a highly superficial level. We chit-chat, talk about the weather, and then head our separate ways. It's awesome.
With them, there are no mind games, no secret agendas, and certainly no emotional diarrhea.
Did I mention my old roommates had problems?
Anyway, the only thing my current roommates and I share is a mailbox and a washer/dryer. It's a pretty good set-up. But last week, the dryer stopped working. And so us roommates actually had to meet each other on purpose. After looking at the dryer for a bit, we were all ready to give up and call the Maytag repair man, but I, for some reason, said, "Let me have another look."
Now I'm not the handiest of persons around, and never have been, but I can also be overly confident/stupid at times. For once though, it didn't end in total disaster. I found the problem, and when all was said and done, I was able to fix the dryer with my bare hands!
All I did was replace the thing that ignites the gas, known in technical terms as the "igniter", and now the dryer doesn't crap out on us. My roommates were very happy, and now we have something else to chit-chat about. My landlord was very happy as well. He let me deduct $100 from the rent, which in turn, made me very happy. And not just because of the money (Souplantation, here I come!), but now I know what it feels like to be one of those people appreciated for their ability to fix things, someone who can always be found at Ace Hardware or Home Depot. So maybe, at least this once, I know a little of what it's like to be my grandpa. Now all I'll need is hemorroids and the transformation will be complete.
