First Roommate
- Thread starter isucyfan
- Start date
I didn't go to ISU for my undergraduate degree, but my freshman roommate (1984) was the best man in my wedding, and we still stay in touch to this day even though we live half way across the country from each other.
I'm not going to say that I was the greatest roommate, but one of my first roommates (3-man dorm in Birch-Lindstrom) was a jewel. 
What I remember most about him, personally, was that he was from the South, had the accent to go with it, and had a pretty good physique. Resultingly, he had at least three reasonably attractive women who were hard after him (without corresponding interest), though two of them were settling for being "friends", though obviously biding their time. The third, of course, is legend in her own right. But that's another story.
But the thing that I just loved about this guy was his consideration for his roommates. Not really a bad guy, he had this bad habit of going out on weeknights with his friends, and hitting the bars in Campustown.
Not such a problem, right? Well, the other roommate and I spent most of our nights studying or at intranurals--he was a PE major, and we got along well--then hit the sack around midnight--we both had early classes. On the other hand, when the other roommate got home from the bars (just after we had fallen asleep), it was time for him to study--not only with the lights on, but his radio too. I asked, I begged him to change his habits or study in the (deserted) den, but "It was his room, too, and he could do what he wanted".
Of course, the RA was from the Sergeant Schultz school.
Better yet, his mom would call every weekend, just like clockwork--at 8 AM. And of course, he couldn't be bothered to wake up and answer the dang phone, so after about twenty rings (this was the early Eighties) one of us would be forced to get up and answer, then find a way to wake him up.
He had a fairly unique name, so I could probably find him online--but have never really been tempted to.
What I remember most about him, personally, was that he was from the South, had the accent to go with it, and had a pretty good physique. Resultingly, he had at least three reasonably attractive women who were hard after him (without corresponding interest), though two of them were settling for being "friends", though obviously biding their time. The third, of course, is legend in her own right. But that's another story.
But the thing that I just loved about this guy was his consideration for his roommates. Not really a bad guy, he had this bad habit of going out on weeknights with his friends, and hitting the bars in Campustown.
Not such a problem, right? Well, the other roommate and I spent most of our nights studying or at intranurals--he was a PE major, and we got along well--then hit the sack around midnight--we both had early classes. On the other hand, when the other roommate got home from the bars (just after we had fallen asleep), it was time for him to study--not only with the lights on, but his radio too. I asked, I begged him to change his habits or study in the (deserted) den, but "It was his room, too, and he could do what he wanted".
Of course, the RA was from the Sergeant Schultz school.
Better yet, his mom would call every weekend, just like clockwork--at 8 AM. And of course, he couldn't be bothered to wake up and answer the dang phone, so after about twenty rings (this was the early Eighties) one of us would be forced to get up and answer, then find a way to wake him up.
He had a fairly unique name, so I could probably find him online--but have never really been tempted to.
24 hours of a quiz show answering questions that are asked on the student radio station about every 5 minutes. There are also a variety of different challanges including the MacGuyver challange, Rock Band, Traveling (sometimes even to other states) and usually some physical challange like pulling a bus or building the biggest snow fort.
Here's the website:
www.kaleidoquiz.org
No contact. My freshman year roommate was quite the party-goer and end up flunking out after second semester along with his $500+ in parking tickets. He was a good guy and we got along and had a good time, but I actually studied. My sophomore year roommate was the ultimate honors student, along with his girlfriend, and wasn't around too much and wasn't too much into anything fun. I can't for the life of me remember what his last name was. I moved out second semester for an internship in WI.
My first place was an apartment in Gainesville with three roomates that the team assigned. One was a kid from Islamorada, he is the only one I still talk to and he now coaches football and baseball in the Tampa area. The other roomate was from Melbourn, Fl. He was a little crazy and not much into the school thing, ended up transferring to Brevard CC to be closer to home. The third roomate was crazy, a 22 year old 3rd year JUCO guy, quite a wake up for a 18 year old kid...
- Mar 27, 2006
- 41,215
- 29,567
- 113
When i was done with school, one of my first living situations was with 2 other guys in a duplex in Northwest Ames. One of the guys was(and still is) a great friend of mine. We came from the same hometown, and knew each other well. The other guy was the younger brother of a really good friend of ours. He was just out of high school and needed a place to live. He wasn't going to school. Just planned on getting a job. Well, 4 months after moving in, he still hadn't got a job, and his money was drying up. All he did was spend time on his computer. He wasn't even looking for work. He wouldn't leave the house for 3-4 days in a row. And when he did go out, he'd go buy cigarettes and frozen burritos at Kum & Go, and then come right back. His folks started footing the bill for his rent and stuff, but they cut him off after a couple of months. He finaly got a job selling vacuum cleaners. The only problem was that he only got paid if he sold one. And he didn't sell any. Finally, one month, he said that he didn't have any money for the bills, and didn't have any way of getting any. We had a pretty big argument over it. I wasn't making a ton of money either, but what choice was there? I contributed what I could, but my other roommate (the good one) was forced to come up with the bulk of the money.
The bad roommate, promised that he would pay him back, and vowed to get things in order for next month. However, 4 weeks later, when it was time to pay bills, he had nothing. Techincally, he moved out at that point. Well, he left all his stuff behind, but he disappeared. Went back to live with his folks, I think. We considered subleasing the room, but we didn't really know what to do with all of his stuff, plus there was only 2 months left on the lease. Two weeks before the lease expired, he came back with his mom to get his stuff. Not a pleasant conversation. I've only seen him a couple times since then (2001) because I still am really good friends with his brother. The other roommate and i still get along great. Best Man in my wedding. I was Best Man in his.
Some people just aren't ready to move out on their own.
The bad roommate, promised that he would pay him back, and vowed to get things in order for next month. However, 4 weeks later, when it was time to pay bills, he had nothing. Techincally, he moved out at that point. Well, he left all his stuff behind, but he disappeared. Went back to live with his folks, I think. We considered subleasing the room, but we didn't really know what to do with all of his stuff, plus there was only 2 months left on the lease. Two weeks before the lease expired, he came back with his mom to get his stuff. Not a pleasant conversation. I've only seen him a couple times since then (2001) because I still am really good friends with his brother. The other roommate and i still get along great. Best Man in my wedding. I was Best Man in his.
Some people just aren't ready to move out on their own.
Remember back in 1978? ISU was using quarters instead of semesters. Also, triples were very common. Three roommates in one room.
A friend and I prearranged living in Friley. We got put in a triple. Don't know or care whatever happened to the third guy. But for that quarter our room had an average GPA of 1.24, and I got a 2.54.
A friend and I prearranged living in Friley. We got put in a triple. Don't know or care whatever happened to the third guy. But for that quarter our room had an average GPA of 1.24, and I got a 2.54.
I ended up getting married to my first roommate. However, we were dating before we moved in, and lived off campus the entire 2 years I was there.
I did have a girl in nearly every single business class I took (both acctg majors), and we became pretty good friends. After graduation we went our seperate ways and tried to keep in touch. Next thing you know we're working at the same place, same department and for the same boss. A year and a half later I found a new job, and after receiving nothing but "glad you're doing well, too busy to talk right now" in response to my emails, I decided it wasn't worth it to stay friends. Haven't talked to her in nearly 3 years now.
I did have a girl in nearly every single business class I took (both acctg majors), and we became pretty good friends. After graduation we went our seperate ways and tried to keep in touch. Next thing you know we're working at the same place, same department and for the same boss. A year and a half later I found a new job, and after receiving nothing but "glad you're doing well, too busy to talk right now" in response to my emails, I decided it wasn't worth it to stay friends. Haven't talked to her in nearly 3 years now.
My first roommate was actually a senior. Complete jerk too - not a single person on the floor could stand the guy - except for another freshman on the floor that was from his hometown.
At semester, someone else from the floor and I moved into a vacated corner room and we had a pretty good time. He was in my wedding, etc.
The last year or so, we have not keep in contact much. I just got an updated e-mail/phone for him from someone else and need to get a hold of him. May go up to Madison, WI sometime this summer to visit - been too long.
At semester, someone else from the floor and I moved into a vacated corner room and we had a pretty good time. He was in my wedding, etc.
The last year or so, we have not keep in contact much. I just got an updated e-mail/phone for him from someone else and need to get a hold of him. May go up to Madison, WI sometime this summer to visit - been too long.
My roommate and I got along great. We each had our own group of friends so we didn't hang out a lot outside of our room but got along just fine when we were there. We didn't live together after our freshman year but he ended up having a lot of classes with some of my friends that were LSCM majors so we'd run into each other a lot. I graduated last spring and he just graduated and is actually moving to within a block of where I live now, so I'm sure we'll continue to keep in touch and hang out from time to time.
First roomate was my best friend from highschool. He quit school just before the second year, so the department or residence randomly assigned me someone else. This new roomate had the previous year, lived in a TeePee in the woods off North Dakota avanue, north of Ontario (yes, even during the winter). He had no car while he lived out there, so he would ride the bus into campus for classes. He kept a fire in the teepee to keep him warm and cook over. Needless to say, he was one strange cat. I only roomed with him one semester, since he was graduating, and haven't heard from him since. The last I talked to him before he graduated, he was unsure if he was going to become a Quaker minister, or take his teepee to his uncle's farm in southern Iowa and hide from the "student loan police".
Occasionally, I do wonder which fork in the road he chose.........
Occasionally, I do wonder which fork in the road he chose.........
