New Roommates

This past week has been a big adjustment with the new roommates moving in. They're super nice and I feel lucky that we found fun people just through Craigslist. But living with new people is always a little hard. My biggest issue is that they smoke. I find smoking absolutely disgusting. But they are just about the most courteous smokers I have ever met. They only smoke outside, and they don't throw their cigarette butts on the ground. I still would prefer if they didn't smoke at all. It's also a little hard for me to relate to them. They grew up in Rhode Island and basically haven't ever left the northeast. They're used to a very rural environment. They have talked about having chickens and rabbits in the backyard, and have never had a fenced backyard either. Their dog, Burt, has never been on a leash either. He just roams around the forest or whatever and comes back when they call. (I wish we could trust Jackson that much!) The city is kind of new for them. But they seem to like it okay. Just about everyone loves the weather here, and they are no exception. There's one other big difference between us, and I don't know quite how to describe it exactly. I just get the impression that their families aren't like ours. Where I have grown up surrounded by college educated people, they haven't. It was always expected that I would go to college, and my parents and grandparents went to college. They, and their family, are largely blue-collar it seems to me. For example, Dave has worked in construction since he graduated high school. I'm not saying that's bad or anything, it just makes it difficult to relate to one another. It's a different culture. I'm actually kind of glad. It will be a great opportunity to expose myself to different kinds of people. I realize more and more that growing up in Scottsdale, and attending a private university, has severely limited my exposure to people not like myself. I think I'm just beginning to understand the value of diversity. Overall, it's going better than I thought. They are fun to hang out with, especially Lily. She's so outgoing and upbeat and laughing all the time. They both talk so much, it's hard to get a word in! But I'm sure that will calm down as we get to know each other better. It's been really hard for me to let strangers move into our house. Your house is supposed to be your safe place, where you always feel comfortable. But when you have roommates, it's not always that way. I hope after a few weeks I feel more comfortable.

Last night was Hope's 21st birthday so we all went downtown. Daniel and I were the only ones invited for her birthday, but we thought it would be a good chance for Lily and Dave to see downtown. I guess they were expecting a slightly different experience however. We met up with Hope and about 12 of our other friends at a wine bar, and then walked to a nearby club. Lily and Dave were really uncomfortable. I guess they just wanted a beer. They weren't really into the dancing, shots, and cocktails scene. So they went next door to a pizza place while Daniel and I stayed with Hope. I had a blast. The place we were at was called Double Daughters and the interior was designed by Tim Burton. It's so hard to describe, but it was clearly Tim Burton's style. It was the coolest place. And Hope and I took tequila shots and it was the best tequila I've ever had. And I had this drink called a teddy bear orgy that was like candy! Well, very strong alcoholic candy. It had gummy bears in it! So around midnight we thought we should meet back up with Lily and Dave and we took the light rail home. They still had a good time.