My Roomie

Within my year and a half of being stationed here I have gone through 3 roommates, each having there own special thing to offer. My second roommate (we shall call him, I dunno... how about Sean R.) was the most interesting of the 3. He got kicked out for cocaine use, and I would often come home to him bumping nasties with some fat Italian chick (he had a bad habit of leaving his door open), putting me into a state of extreme nausea and burning horrible images into the back of my skull that would later reappear in a nightmare.

My current roommate is the most mellow of the three and is nearly a decade older than myself. He has been with the Marines and has been to Iraq not once, but twice! He is from Montanna and has several missing teeth, even though his hygeine habits are immaculate (40 minutes showers are a little much though). His room is almost sterile and its contents are nothing more than Navy issued linen and a framed picture on the desk of his dog in the back of a truck that his sister gave him. He sits alone in his room quietly everyday reading western books and war books. He listens to the radio (for the weather) only in the morning while he is getting ready (which is 5am ,7 days a week). Ive never seen any visitors, he gets mail on the holidays, and he doesnt even own a phone, nor a computer. He wears the same outfit almost everyday that is composed of; Jeans, Sneakers, White Tee Shirt thats tucked in, brown web belt, and an faded orange hat. He is a sad sad sad little man, and I have tried to get him to hang out with me with no prevail.

I however, am his yang, I am loud and listen to music 24/7. I have guests and visitors all the time and people often crash on my floor. Showers are hit and miss with me, I can only guarantee that I shower on days that I work or go to the gym. My room has so much clutter in it, almost like a garage sale from hell, and the clutter comes from ebay, which keeps my mail flowing at a glacial pace as it slowly trickles in. If Im not working, you wont know when Ill awake from my slumber, nor will you know when I will fall asleep. I believe dishes should be done when you need to use that certain dish, and its home is in the sink until then (thats why we have paper plates, another mutual agreement between us). My clothing varies greatly from day to day, and isnt limited by season, I am a firm believer that flip flops may be worn year round. The differences between us are many.

Now lets talk about the similarities, like you really even care. We have been roommates for 8 months now, and like two lesbian women living together and menstrating at the same time, we have developed something of the same sort. Our bladders have the same clock, and it never fails, that when I REALLY have to go pee, hes in there peeing. Whenever I am hungry and want to use our microwave/stove, low and behold its already in use, BY HIM. When I want to brush my teeth to go to bed, hes doing his 30 minute floss job. When I need to take a shower and go to work (ON THE WEEKEND, his off time) hes in there at the buttcrack of dawn taking a 40 minute shower, we are constantly stepping on each others toes in this tight space. I hate it when I have to make a B.M. and hes already in there doing it, its just ridiculous.

In the 8 months he has known me, he has said maybe 20 sentences to me. I wonder, is it me, or is it him. He's real quiet, and Im afraid he will go postal one day starting with me (post traumatic stress) and then go to work like nothing happened. I've spent alot of time with my grandparents, and I know how they are set in their ways and are creatures of habit, but this guy would put them to shame. Hes a real nice guy, just a little creepy, thats all Im saying!