Some things to know about your new roommate

October 18th, 2012 · 106 comments

Shortly after he moved out, our submitter in Canada discovered that her ex-roommate had glued a memo for the room’s future occupant inside his bedroom closet — “his final passive-aggressive attempt to get under my skin.”

Caution: Some things to know Her dog stinks up entire house so close your door and get an air freshener. Roommate plays loud music and stays up all night talking on Skype and POF (very annoying) She has a high body temperature and never turns on heat, she will tell you to buy a box heater (annoying) Arguing with her is like boxing a glacier She yells at her dog all the time (annoying as fuck) She has an annoying voice and is a control freak She washes dishes and doesn't take them out of sink (annoying but also just fn weird) Overall, we're dealing with quite the peculiar roommate, good luck!

related: You’re not as bad as everyone warned me you’d be!

FILED UNDER: "helpful" advice · Canada · roommates


106 responses so far ↓

  • #1   Lulz

    LOL @ how she ripped it up in a fiery rage after seeing it!

    Oct 18, 2012 at 9:08 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

    • #1.1   bibi

      I assumed it ripped when she was tearing it off the closet door. That often happens to me which is why I can never take my children’s drawings off their walls. “YOU RUINED IT MOMMY!”

      Oct 18, 2012 at 10:16 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #1.2   TRT

      You are such a bad parent. ;-)

      Oct 19, 2012 at 5:46 am   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
     
  • #2   Team roommate.

    I’m with the ex-roommate on this one.

    Oct 18, 2012 at 9:19 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

    • #2.1   Poltergeist

      Me too. If I were the next roommate, I would instinctively take the side of an unknown previous occupant who left a message hidden in my closet. It’s the only logical thing to do.

      Oct 18, 2012 at 11:07 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
     
  • #3   Kara

    But seriously- who the hell leaves clean dishes in the sink??

    Oct 18, 2012 at 9:23 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

    • #3.1   katie

      i leave clean dishes in the drying rack, and use some from there until i have time/feel like putting them away. does that count?

      Oct 18, 2012 at 9:37 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #3.2   Kore

      Um, I leave clean dishes in the sink. I just sort of pile them in one side in a way that they will dry overnight. I put them away in the morning. We don’t have space on our counter for a drying rack.

      Oct 18, 2012 at 10:04 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #3.3   Aidan

      I wash my dishes by hand and leave them in the sink before putting them in the dishwasher to sanitize. I’ve never had a dishwasher able to get all the bits of food off my dishes the way hand scrubbing does and my hands can’t withstand the hot temperature of water needed to sanitize them.

      Oct 18, 2012 at 10:18 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #3.4   tch tch

      Have you tried rubber gloves?

      Oct 19, 2012 at 1:24 am   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #3.5   TRT

      Definitely wear a rubber. Please. For the sake of humanity.

      Oct 19, 2012 at 5:47 am   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #3.6   Marco the Amazing

      What exactly do you do with your dishes that they need to be sterile enough to do surgery? Soap does that without needing high temperatures.

      Oct 22, 2012 at 12:42 am   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #3.7   Dewprisms

      People don’t understand that temperature of water is not going to affect how clean their stuff gets (dishes, hands, etc) unless it is basically at or above boiling temperature.

      Washing your hands/dishes with cold water is just as acceptable as hot water for cleanliness purposes. It’s about having a good soap. The only reason hot water is ‘better’ is that it helps cut actual grease, dirt, and grime much better, making it easier to rinse away.

      Oct 22, 2012 at 7:21 am   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
     
  • #4   DNH

    “…like boxing a glacier”

    What a great metaphor…on so many levels.

    Oct 18, 2012 at 9:37 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

    • #4.1   Rich

      That would be a simile.

      Oct 18, 2012 at 10:37 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #4.2   shwo! bang

      No, a simile is the opposite of a firown.

      Oct 18, 2012 at 11:06 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #4.3   spoko bang

      All similes are metaphors, just as all squares are rectangles.

      And yes, this particular metaphor is a really good one.

      Oct 19, 2012 at 7:11 am   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #4.4   Tesselara

      Spoko! You just gave me geek-happiness. Thank you.

      Oct 19, 2012 at 10:43 am   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #4.5   M L

      Spoko: do you have a source for that? I’m actually curious. My whole world has turned upside-down and google isn’t helping.

      Oct 24, 2012 at 11:15 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #4.6   Siobhan

      I thought a simile was comparing something by saying it like it whereas a metaphor was saying it actually something else?

      Nov 6, 2012 at 5:26 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
     
  • #5   Kitty

    Team ex-room mate. The submitter sounds like a frustrating person to live with. I think we’re just seeing the tip of the iceberg of the crazy that occurred between these two.

    Oct 18, 2012 at 9:37 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

    • #5.1   Me

      Umm…Kitty…did your roommate just move out and leave a note in his old closet???

      Oct 18, 2012 at 9:41 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #5.2   Aidan

      “Me”: If Kitty were the person the note is about (as you’re implying), why would they be on the ex-roomie’s (aka the PA note writer’s) team?

      Oct 18, 2012 at 10:20 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
     
  • #6   Grammar Popo

    I don’t know. She sounds kinda awesome to me.

    Oct 18, 2012 at 10:51 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

     
  • #7   Dean Treadway

    Wow…five uses of the word “annoying.” I think of that word as something that connotes stuff that bothers me, but that I can live with.

    Oct 18, 2012 at 10:55 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

    • #7.1   spoko bang

      Yeah, but when something is “annoying as fuck,” then it’s time to move out and leave PANs glued in hiding places for future residents.

      Oct 19, 2012 at 7:13 am   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
     
  • #8   shwo! bang

    “She has so little self-awareness that she will submit this note about herself to a Web site without pausing to consider the fact that it paints her in a bad light.”

    Oct 18, 2012 at 11:10 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

    • #8.1   nurgleth

      “Nothing on this note could possibly be exaggerated or untrue.”

      Oct 18, 2012 at 11:13 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #8.2   Jami

      Remember, there’s two sides to every story. Perhaps they’re one of those overly sensitive types to whom even someone’s breathing is loud. Maybe there’s not enough counter space to leave clean dishes to drip dry. Maybe her dog is hard of hearing.

      Maybe the reason arguing with her is so hard is because the other roommate was an idiot who thought he was always right, even if he didn’t have any facts to support his side, or his “facts” had actually been disproven years ago. And yet he just can’t let them go even when you can find tons of websites and books that prove him wrong.

      Oct 18, 2012 at 11:20 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #8.3   shwo! bang

      Maybe you’re the submitter, Jami?

      Oct 18, 2012 at 11:31 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #8.4   Jami

      Nope. I’m not ashamed to admit I live with my parents. Between the craptastic economy and my mom being handicapped and not being able to do things anymore like drive, it’s just easier for me to stay here.

      Now if this had been a note from my brother who lives with us too – though more likely it would be a not from me to him about how lazy he is.

      Oct 19, 2012 at 7:02 am   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
     
  • #9   NEYNEY

    no body makes this shit up…i vote for the moved outer. i would be outty in 2 secs flat if i saw that note, no explanations

    Oct 18, 2012 at 11:44 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

    • #9.1   Poltergeist

      I’ve seen people make up much more ridiculous shit than this. Of course I can’t outright deny the validity of the claims since I wasn’t there, but to take a stranger’s note as fact by default is just plain silly. You might as well make important decisions based upon what you read on the wall of a bathroom stall.

      Oct 19, 2012 at 12:49 am   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #9.2   whoot

      “I’ve seen people make up much more ridiculous shit than this”

      Exactly. This kind of shit doesn’t look that ridiculous to assume it’s made up – it’s actually rather believeable.
      I really really wish there was someone to warn me beforehand about some stuff i’ve been through in my living arrangements. Could have saved me some time and nerves.

      Also, every last bit of stuff described in this note would be annoying as hell to me. Who cares if her music isn’t actually that loud – you just don’t use speakers in a shared appartment, period. That’s what headphones are for.

      Not that i would consider living with someone who has a dog, but still.

      Oct 19, 2012 at 2:59 am   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #9.3   Poltergeist

      It’s nice that you’d be so easily swayed by the words of a complete stranger. If I go around to your neighbors and make up “believable” shit about you, I guess you’d be okay with them taking my word as fact?

      Oct 20, 2012 at 12:43 am   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #9.4   Reed

      I’d assume by the tone of the note that the roomate in question is going to interview a complete stranger as her new roomie. Therefore…which “complete stranger” should a person believe? The one who presumably moved out due to all the issues, or the one still there?

      Also, it’s fairly simple to ask the roomate about the dishes since that’s the best proof-of-truth in the note. It’s the least likely to arouse suspicion (just pass yourself off as a stickler in the kitchen), and the most out-there so it can serve as a “if she says she does that, the rest is likely true” test.

      Finally, I’m not sure what the real issue is. Anyone moving in after reading that note presumably would have no issue with the list, and everyone would be happy, regardless of whether roomate actually yells at her dog all the time.

      Oct 20, 2012 at 10:34 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #9.5   Dewprisms

      “Who cares if her music isn’t actually that loud – you just don’t use speakers in a shared appartment, period. That’s what headphones are for.” (sic)

      Seriously? As long as it is an acceptable volume level and not in a shared space/when others are using a shared space if it is, it should be perfectly fine.

      Do you expect people to use headsets for their television as well?

      Oct 22, 2012 at 7:24 am   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #9.6   Team Note Writer 2

      Yes. If it’s going to be loud otherwise.

      Oct 22, 2012 at 10:57 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #9.7   whoot

      “Seriously?”
      Yup, i’m completely serious.

      “As long as it is an acceptable volume level and not in a shared space/when others are using a shared space if it is, it should be perfectly fine.”

      No it should not.
      Firstly, there is no such thing as “an acceptable volume level”. It’s completely subjective, and therefore unusable in an agreement.
      Secondly, music isn’t a necessity, it’s entertainment, so there is no possible argument as to why other people should be involved with it.

      “Do you expect people to use headsets for their television as well?”

      I expect people not to “watch television”, actually. What is there to watch beside jersey shore reruns. I wouldn’t have a problem with people watching shows, movies, sports and the like (although only to a certain degree and i’d wonder why still do it on a tv), but “watching television” as in leaving mtv on in background is not allowed right off the bat.

      You know, it’s common courtesy to other human beings – it’s entertainment and people do not necessarily share your tastes, so it’s only natural not to impose on their hearing and visual comfort.
      For instance, i watch mma matches, but i fully accept the fact that not everyone is comfortable with violent sports, so i wouldn’t even think of doing it in a shared space or without headset. I strongly believe that peaceful and healthy coexistion is not “asking to turn it down”, but not being in a situation when one might ask that.

      Like cleaning your hair from the shower drain – why would anyone think that A asking B to clean it is healthier then for it to be a non-issue, when B cleans it on his own, preventing the whole thing? Why should other issues be any different?

      Oct 23, 2012 at 5:44 am   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #9.8   whoot

      “If I go around to your neighbors and make up “believable” shit about you, I guess you’d be okay with them taking my word as fact?”

      Yup, i’d be okay with it.
      Primarily because i don’t think anyone would do that, lacking motivation to do so.
      Unlike this case.

      Not to mention that some of the claims are easily testable before moving in, and if they are true, i’d assume others are too.

      Oct 23, 2012 at 5:50 am   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #9.9   M L

      Whoot, you sound like a ball to live with.

      What is this “there’s no such thing as an acceptable volume level” shit? An acceptable volume level is a level that my roommate and I deem acceptable in real time.

      “Will it bother you if I play music?”
      “No, go ahead.”

      “Will it bother you if I play music?”
      “I’m studying actually, do you mind using headphones?”

      It’s called being friends with your roommates. They accommodate your wishes because they like you, and vice versa. You’re not inherently “imposing on their hearing and visual comfort” when participating in an activity that makes noise.

      It sounds to me like you’d rather just… never talk to your roommate about anything, ever? In which case you should live alone.

      Oct 24, 2012 at 11:24 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
     
  • #10   sduck

    The fact that the ex-roomie would glue a bitchy note to the closet in the first place kind of diminishes his credibility. Maybe the woman should send a note along to his future roommate, warning about he lies around the apartment in stinky socks and leaves his hair clogging the shower drain.

    Oct 19, 2012 at 12:28 am   rating: 90  small thumbs up

    • #10.1   Tesselara

      Word. I was inclined to think of him as a pissy drama queen just by the gluing of the note to the closet door.

      Oct 19, 2012 at 10:47 am   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #10.2   Anna

      There’s no point in leaving a note. If it’s true, the new roommate will know it soon enough.

      Otherwise, why didn’t she warn her before the poor sap took the room?

      Oct 19, 2012 at 5:12 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
     
  • #11   Sir Puke

    This is not a good sign (accidental pun).

    Oct 19, 2012 at 12:46 am   rating: 90  small thumbs up

     
  • #12   Aaron

    Too many pronouns. I spent about five minutes trying to parse the sentence assuming that “our submitter” was the “he” in the “shortly before her moved out”. But then, who’s the “her”?

    I don’t know whether that’s a dangling modifier or what you call it, but it hurt my head.

    Oct 19, 2012 at 2:35 am   rating: 90  small thumbs up

    • #12.1   nyuu

      The submitter is the subject of the note, the female roommate who stayed.
      The male roommate moved out.

      Oct 19, 2012 at 7:43 am   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
     
  • #13   starspring

    She yells at her dog all the time. That pretty much tells you what you need to know about the person you are moving in with-nearly everything on the list sounds like rational beefs you could have within an small apartment-even if the dog is not the problem it sounds pretty clear from what else is written that the roommate doesn’t know or care whether her voice carries. If you have ever lived in mixed housing or in dorm rooms you know there are always some assholes whose mommy spoiled them into thinking they were the center of the universe and whatever comes out of their mouth is spun gold-you can hear them across a courtyard-and they are always the MOST butthurt when someone tells them to keep it down and the least gifted at modulating their voices in public/private spaces. Having lived with one or two over the years, they make horrible roommates-which is probably the very good reason the roommate was so fed up with her he finally moved out. Who wants a roommate that yells all the time, even if that’s just at the TV? a home should be someplace you can relax, not be perpetually shaken by someone loudly disciplining their dog. I love dogs but lazy pet owners blow-and they make terrible roommates.

    Oct 19, 2012 at 4:13 am   rating: 90  small thumbs up

    • #13.1   We Shall Speak Anon

      Totally. It even applies to neighbors. I own a house next to a rental unit and for some reason every 20-something who moves in next door seems to feel as though the entire block is their personal auditorium, and we’re just delighted to listen to his/her proclamations. It’s like every person under 30 in my city thinks they’re starring in a sitcom these days.

      Seriously, what’s with young people these days? Inside voice!

      And get off my lawn.

      Oct 19, 2012 at 12:35 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #13.2   Anna

      I wouldn’t say it’s all young people, but a LOT of people in their 20s have seem to have hearing declines (due to bass boom and mp3 players).

      Seriously. I’ve had people tell me that I have freakishly good hearing because I can hear them speaking in an indoor voice from fifteen feet away.

      Oct 19, 2012 at 5:17 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #13.3   Alice

      If it’s an older dog it could be going deaf.

      Oct 19, 2012 at 10:53 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #13.4   Poltergeist

      “When I lived with Starspring, he never cleaned up after himself, stole my food, and didn’t knock before he entered the bathroom. Don’t ever live with him.”

      Wow, that was easy! Okay, now that I, an anonymous individual, have written a note concerning rational beefs somebody could have had while living with you, I expect everybody who reads it to believe it.

      Oct 20, 2012 at 1:03 am   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #13.5   Jessi

      An older dog would also explain the smell. Some older dogs stink for various reasons.

      Oct 20, 2012 at 1:04 am   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #13.6   L

      I have hearing loss from ear infections as a child, actually.

      Oct 26, 2012 at 9:31 am   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
     
  • #14   Strawberry Creme

    It seems to me that he didn’t write this for the next occupant of the room. He wrote it specifically so that she would see it after he was safely far away. That seems more important to me than the contents of the note, which may or may not be true or exaggerated. Looks like an excuse to call her ‘annoying’.

    Oct 19, 2012 at 6:37 am   rating: 90  small thumbs up

     
  • #15   The Elf

    Sounds like the roommate is rather easily annoyed.

    “She has an annoying voice”. Really? This is your complaint?

    “She never turns on the heat”. Oh, the great thermostat wars. Well, you can put more clothes on but you can’t take more off. Point to the person who likes it cold.

    “She washes dishes but doesn’t take them out of the sink.” But she washes them, right? That puts her well above some of the other roommate wars we’ve seen here!

    Plus leaving a secret note is both passive-aggressive and way too late to be of use. Easily Annoyed Former Roommate needed to stalk the entrance to grab prospective roommates before they sign up for anything.

    Oct 19, 2012 at 7:28 am   rating: 90  small thumbs up

    • #15.1   The Elf

      Forgot to add: I’ll give her the too loud too late at night point. That is annoying as fuck.

      Oct 19, 2012 at 7:29 am   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #15.2   kermit

      Voices can be irritating as fuck. Try living with Fran Dresher or Madeline Khan when she was alive – especially if aforementioned person is an aspiring singer. Granted, you know the person has an annoying voice before moving in because you’ve met them before.

      And sorry, but being stingy with the heat is NOT okay. It’s legal grounds for withholding rent. Try waking up stiff as a board because the temperature in your apartment is 60F.

      Oct 19, 2012 at 9:03 am   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #15.3   The Elf

      Yeah, there’s unreasonable when it comes to the thermostat wars. 60F is unreasonable. But most of the time, people are fighting over a few degrees. I assume this was also the case here. Put on a sweatshirt.

      Living next to Madelaine Khan wouldn’t be so bad, except for the late night squeals of “It’s twue! It’s twue!”

      Oct 19, 2012 at 11:22 am   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #15.4   kathryn

      KHAN!!!!! (Shakes fist at an uncaring sky). Sorry, it’s Madeline *Kahn*. It’s always a great day when I can use a Shatner reference. Taffeta, darling.

      Oct 19, 2012 at 11:32 am   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #15.5   kermit

      Oy, I’m so tired.

      Oct 19, 2012 at 12:01 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #15.6   The Elf

      D’Oh!

      Oct 19, 2012 at 2:36 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #15.7   omg

      I am not in love with Kathryn. I’m in love with a caretaker man!

      Oct 22, 2012 at 12:38 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
     
  • #16   je

    “Quite the peculiar roommate”? I don’t think anything that the note writer wrote makes the roommate peculiar. Assuming everything is true, it could make them insensitive to others, annoying, frustrating, but peculiar? I have a feeling that this person hasn’t had too many roommates. Or a Mom that told them to suck it up….especially about the heat.

    Oct 19, 2012 at 7:46 am   rating: 90  small thumbs up

    • #16.1   Alice

      It’s just a way to make it sound like there’s something WRONG with her. Like she’s not merely annoying, but like she’s different and deeply disturbed.

      It’s stupid.

      Oct 19, 2012 at 10:56 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
     
  • #17   QBall

    I would have made copies and glued them in all the conspicuous places, under toilet seat, in bin lid, on top of stereo in the bottom of the sink under the clean dishes.. then get therapy

    Oct 19, 2012 at 9:20 am   rating: 90  small thumbs up

     
  • #18   Spooky

    No one else sees what’s so obvious to me?

    It’s unrequited love.

    Oct 19, 2012 at 9:59 am   rating: 90  small thumbs up

     
  • #19   Speedy

    She sounds like my old roomie, except my roomie never cleaned her own dishes.

    Oct 19, 2012 at 10:04 am   rating: 90  small thumbs up

     
  • #20   Mrs.Scrooge

    It’s much more uncomfortable to be too hot than too cold, so for that particular point, I side with peculiar roommate. I find it hard to breathe when someone cranks the heat up too high.

    And to those of you whining about how cold 60F is – PUH-LEASE! You’ve obviously never had to foot the bill for an oil heated home in New England. My ‘stat is programmed for 59F from 11 pm – 6 am and we survive every night just fine. I do bump it up to 62 or 63 during daytime, inhabited hours and still we manage not to die off of hypothermia. Put a freaking sweater on! That’s what wool socks and electric blankets are made for.

    Oct 19, 2012 at 1:21 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

    • #20.1   Rattus

      We have our set to 16C (60.8F) from 9:00 pm to 6:00 am, and then from 14C (57.sF) until 5:00 while we’re at work, but otherwise, close enough. Plus, the bedroom window is always open at least a crack while we’re sleeping, even if it’s -20. And not only do we survive, but we do it while saving enough money to buy ourselves some sheepskin slippers, which are truly awesome.

      Oct 19, 2012 at 1:34 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #20.2   The Elf

      It’s different when you agree on the 60F! (Or when you’re the only one living there.)

      Oct 19, 2012 at 2:38 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #20.3   Cat

      I agree, my boyfriend and I were discussing where to keep the temp this winter and agreed to 55f at night and when we aren’t home (most of the time) and 62f-65f when we are up and doing things in the house. We have blankets, plenty of sweaters and nice fuzzy slippers. The cats may suffer, but it’s good for their character.
      We are required by our rental agreement to heat, but only to the point of not damaging the house due to frozen pipes and such.

      Oct 19, 2012 at 2:46 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #20.4   kermit

      If you still spending many hundreds of dollars a month to heat your home with oil in winter, you’re probably financially illiterate or live in old timey medieval castle. Yes, there are such things as slippers and electric blankets.

      But you know what’s even cheaper than paying the heating bill? Having no heating bill whatsoever by camping out in the yard. I mean, if you’re going to be dressed as if you’re outside, you might as well live outside.

      Oct 19, 2012 at 3:08 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #20.5   Poltergeist

      The point, Kermit, is that it is actually easier to get warmer if you’re a little chilly than it is to get cooler if you feel overheated. Believe me, I know. I’ve worked with people who try to turn off the air conditioning in the summer because “it’s too cold.” Uh, put a damn sweater on grandma.

      Oct 20, 2012 at 1:19 am   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #20.6   Rattus

      You are 1,000% correct, Poltergest. One really shouldn’t expect to be able to sit on the couch eating Cheetos and watching reruns of King of Queens while wearing boxers and a wifebeater during a Canadian winter.

      Oct 20, 2012 at 5:43 am   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #20.7   kermit

      actually easier to get warmer if you’re a little chilly than it is to get cooler if you feel overheated.

      And just how do you figure what’s easier? Sure, it’s no big deal to go put on a sweater, some slippers and an electric blanket.

      Just like it’s no big deal to drink a cup of ice cold water or a frozen treat, take off a sweater or wear some sandals.

      In other words. they’re both equally easy (or difficult) to do.

      Oct 20, 2012 at 7:36 am   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #20.8   Akili

      I have to keep the heat at the same range due to having a horrible body that likes to kill me if it gets too hot (vomiting) or cold (my whole body shakes and I will sometimes not be able to breath if it gets too cold), so sometimes not turning on the heat can be bad for the roomie.

      Of course most of the time I’m sure that both sides are just whining.

      Oct 20, 2012 at 4:07 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
     
  • #21   Earl

    This site has recently alerted me to two behaviors so bizarre I never considered them possible: people who leave cabinet doors open and people who leave clean dishes in the sink. Effing bizarre.

    Oct 19, 2012 at 3:22 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

    • #21.1   evilkillerpoptarts

      My boyfriend has the “leaves random cabinets open” problem. Seems how he does not live here, and is usually rifling through all four of my cabinets when I am in another room, I often don’t find out until I’ve wandered face- or shin-first into one of them in the dark.

      Who DOES that?

      Oct 20, 2012 at 2:26 am   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #21.2   Stuffin'

      Don’t forget people who shit in college dorm showers.

      Oct 20, 2012 at 6:29 am   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #21.3   Seanette

      The shower dumping was definitely in the “human beings DO that?” category for me. I’ve done the “clean dishes in the sink to air-dry” thing, and in our previous apartment had an ongoing issue with my husband failing to close upper cabinet doors (which would then try to smack near-sighted, bad-depth-perception me in the face). The cabinets in our current apartment self-close if they’re only partway open, so it’s now a non-issue.

      Oct 21, 2012 at 8:02 am   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #21.4   omg

      I’m so into leaving the microwave door open. It shocks even me and yet I do it every.single.time.

      Oct 22, 2012 at 12:50 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #21.5   mystic_eye_cda

      I hate closing cupboard doors, so I took them down to paint them umm 7 years ago when we bought the house and have never put them back up

      Oct 22, 2012 at 7:22 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
     
  • #22   Roomie

    “Firstly, my pup is a smelly beast, but I love her. :)
    I played loud music and talked on Skype but asked him if it bothered him or if I was keeping him up and he said it was fine, that he was a heavy sleeper and it wasn’t disturbing.
    Yeah, I have a high body temperature, and I did suggest if he were cold a space heater might be the way to go. Apparently that was not considerate and a compromise, but annoying.
    The arguing thing is probably the only accurate point.
    I do not yell at my dog.
    My voice is what it is. He mumbles and says stupid things. I found that annoying, but didn’t make a list of all of the reasons he was the worst roommate on the planet.
    I sanitize one side of the sink and put my clean dishes in there so they can dry. Apparently that’s more annoying than someone who never does his dishes?

    I may be peculiar. This made me laugh.”

    Oct 19, 2012 at 6:59 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

     
  • #23   kermit

    Even if that’s true, it’s still scummy to reveal their identity without their permission, Someone.

    Oct 19, 2012 at 8:13 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

     
  • #24   The Peculiar Roommate

    Firstly, I just want to say that I did not submit this. Someone saw it on my Facebook and posted it here (I did not know that this website existed until someone told me this was here, today).

    Secondly, I did not tear the paper in a fit of rage. In fact, I laughed when I found the paper because, having lived with this guy for a month and a half, this was not at all a surprise. He never once mentioned these things to me while living here, and I wouldn’t have even known he planned to move but for the fact that he flew off the handle one morning and yelled it at me in his own ‘fit of rage’.

    Thirdly, the heat thing was a huge contention. I suggested he get a space heater, because when I turn the heat on to 65 downstairs, it becomes 80 upstairs (way too hot for sleeping), so I prefer to keep it off at night. His complaint was that it was too cold for him to sleep; I was willing to pay for the additional energy consumption of his space heater, but he would rather walk around in his underwear (true story) complaining about how cold it was.

    As for my voice, my new roommate said I have a lovely voice. Also, my job entails making phone calls, and I didn’t get the job because I have a horrible voice (I’m often complimented on my ‘perfect tone’). This guy mumbled and you could never understand a word he said, and he would come home talking loudly on his phone while I was working. Very inconsiderate.

    And to ‘Someonewhoknows’ – very classy putting my identity on here. Just so you know, it doesn’t bother me, because I’ve nothing to hide. The whole situation was rather amusing, really. And I’m happy with my new roommate, so all’s well that ends well.

    Oct 19, 2012 at 8:58 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

    • #24.1   Nunavut Guy

      Doth she protest too much?

      Oct 19, 2012 at 10:42 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #24.2   Ashes

      Seriously though, don’t yell at your dog.

      Oct 24, 2012 at 4:14 am   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
     
  • #25   Nunavut Guy

    Whatever happened to the times when your roommate just hit the bong with his headphones on and the windows open?

    Oct 19, 2012 at 10:32 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

    • #25.1   The Elf

      Then the roomie would complain that she ate all her stale Cheetos.

      You just can’t win sometimes.

      Oct 22, 2012 at 8:38 am   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
     
  • #26   Bluecanary

    When I was much younger I rented a room from a woman who seemed perfectly nice and sane. At first. Turned out that she was a paranoid schizophrenic who spent every night stomping around the house talking to invisible people. One night I went on a date and came home to find the locks changed (with all my stuff inside the house) and a HUGE sign taped to the door stating that I was evicted because she’d heard me talking bad about her on the phone in my bedroom. (I did not HAVE a phone in my bedroom.) I had to call the cops to make her let me take my belongings from the house. The cops knew her, and told me that she did the same thing about every three months: advertise for a roommate, get a roommate, kick roommate out in the middle of the night, refuse to give roommate back stuff until the cops come. I asked him why they didn’t do something about her, and his response was “Well, nothing illegal about advertising for a roommate.” Of course I left a note hidden in the closet for the next poor bastard who might find themselves in my situation. I can only hope it prevented them from having to stuff all their worldly possessions into the back of their car at 2am. Or perhaps being murdered in their sleep.

    THAT was a situation that required a hidden warning note. This, this is just stupid shit.

    Oct 20, 2012 at 9:47 am   rating: 90  small thumbs up

    • #26.1   Amy in Toronto

      In defense of those who struggle (and often suffer) with mental illness, your off-the-cuff comment about a future roommate being murdered in his/her sleep is stereotypical, stigmatizing and statistically erroneous.

      Statistically, people with mental illness are more likely to be the victims of violence rather than the perpetrators. Perhaps if you knew how terrifying it must be to hear demons/voices/G-d/Satan/whomever in your head and see things that may not really be there as auditory and visual hallucinations, then you might have a more sensitivity to this population, including your former roommate. I’m not saying this to minimize or disregard your experience with this particular roommate, but you didn’t have to go there and label her with a broad, flawed brush as a potential psycho-killer.

      Oct 22, 2012 at 12:56 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #26.2   Bluecanary

      You know what, I feel for her. Really, I do. I’m sure it’s terrifying to hear voices and whatever and I really wish that there was some place left in this state where people like her could go and get the treatment that I’m sure she needs very badly. But as someone who lived with her and through the wonderful experience of being a suddenly homeless minimum wage worker with all her stuff crammed in the back of a truck and nowhere else to go, excuse me for my lack of real sympathy. After she kicked me out and I managed to fairly quickly find a new place to live (I only had to sleep in my car for a few weeks until I had enough saved for a new place) she apparently drove around the neighborhood until she recognized my car and left a bag of toiletries I’d left behind at her place on the hood along with a note encouraging me to get myself right with Jesus. She also found my phone number and heavy breathed me for a few months until I called the police enough times for them to actually get off their asses and go over to her place and ask that she stop. I figured that was too much information for a flippant comment about roommates, but whatever. AND, on top of that, a few months later I had the wonderful experience of being stalked, intimidated, and covered with human feces at my job by ANOTHER paranoid schizophrenic. This one was homeless after Regan dumped all the indigent mentally ill out of our friendly neighborhood mental hospital. It was a stellar, poop and terror filled year of my life, so pardon me if I feel like, hey, sucks to be crazy, but at the very least someone in authority should prevent you from being the bad thing that happens to someone else. In my opinion, both of those people were prime candidates for committing horrible murder and should have been put away somewhere so that they don’t get to victimize other people because of something that is wrong with them.

      Seriously, as long as you’re taking your meds and not harming anyone else more power to you, but when you get to the point of damaging the lives of others you void your right to be fucking sensitive about your insanity.

      Oct 22, 2012 at 3:25 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
     
  • #27   Tom

    Yeah, I was about to say, inside the closet is a decent spot. Roomate herself is not extremely likely to find it, but anyone surveying the apartment to move in will definitely be sticking their head around every corner and would likely spot the note.

    Even if only half the stuff on this note was true, I wouldn’t have been able to live with her. Mostly because I found out that I can’t deal with living with anybody else, period (thank god when I got out of college, seriously). And a voice that’s nice sounding to one person can sound awful to another – I know plenty of people who have nice “voices” but their inflection and tone drive me up a wall.

    Oct 20, 2012 at 10:44 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

     
  • #28   Jonesy

    Oh, dear Lord! Enough with the “Team Such-and-such,” already! It’s over. Really.

    Oct 21, 2012 at 1:00 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

    • #28.1   Team Note Writer 2

      I disagree.

      Oct 22, 2012 at 11:08 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
     
  • #29   Wrench

    The temperature thing would be a deal-breaker for me. I’m always cold. I have really poor circulation and my hands and feet get very painful if it’s too cold. A space heater seems like kind of a crappy solution unless the roommate was going to get one for every room, or just never leave his room. Extra layers of clothes don’t really help, either, unless you wear boot socks and heavy gloves all the time — again, not very practical.

    So… yeah, team ex-roommate.

    Oct 21, 2012 at 3:07 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

    • #29.1   Amy in Toronto

      Wrench, have you been diagnosed with Reynaud’s Syndrome? It’s quite common but not always well known (it runs in my family) and it can be caused by more serious instigating conditions like lupus or connective tissue disorders.

      You may want to get checked out. Simple Reynaud’s phenomenon is not dangerous and just involves blood vessel constriction and spasm in the fingers, toes and other areas, causing discolouration and temperature change in those affected spots.

      Oct 22, 2012 at 1:03 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
     
  • #30   Rinny

    At least this roomie offered the space heater solution. My roommate is extremely spartan with the thermostat, not because of comfort or energy costs, but simply because it’s ‘good for the planet.’ If I change it by one degree, she will flip at me. So I can only imagine how enraged she would be if I had a space heater running in my room.

    Oct 22, 2012 at 12:10 am   rating: 90  small thumbs up

    • #30.1   Team Note Writer 2

      Does she also happen to be a vegetarian?

      Oct 22, 2012 at 11:10 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
     
  • #31   Susie

    In response to:
    “I sanitize one side of the sink and put my clean dishes in there so they can dry. Apparently that’s more annoying than someone who never does his dishes?”

    How is he supposed to do his dishes if the sink is full of clean ones?? I mean who does that!

    Oct 22, 2012 at 6:33 am   rating: 90  small thumbs up

    • #31.1   The Elf

      There’s more than one way to do the dishes. Or clean a toilet. Or vacuum. Or do any number of household chores. The idea that there is only MY WAY and everything else is WRONG is what leads to roommate fights like this.

      Dude can lift out the clean dishes, do his, and put the OP’s clean ones back in the sink. It would take, what, 30 seconds? I think that, somehow, he’ll survive it.

      Oct 22, 2012 at 7:21 am   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #31.2   The Peculiar Roommate

      The sink wasn’t constantly full or anything. They only sat in there overnight on occasion and were always put away in the morning. He just never did his dishes.

      Oct 22, 2012 at 1:37 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #31.3   mystic_eye_cda

      I’m assuming ‘one side’ means one half of a double sink. Lots of people do dishes with just one sink, like the person who puts hers in the other side. Usually you use a dishpan in the sink so you can run the water.

      Oct 22, 2012 at 7:27 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
     
  • #32   Lisbeth

    Why are people weirded out about the dishes? You wash and rinse in one side, air dry in the other. What’s strange about that? It’s not how everyone does it, but it’s far from unusual.

    I once had a roommate who woke very early for classes when I worked late nights and slept later. She would listen to the tv at quite a loud volume right next to my room, waking me up. I offered to *give* her a tv to watch in her bedroom just during the very early hours. She refused because she, “didn’t have to bow to my wishes.” Some people just don’t know how to share space.

    Oct 22, 2012 at 10:50 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

     
  • #33   raichu

    Some of the roommate’s behavior sounds obnoxious (like staying up late so Skype loudly enough to bother one’s housemates). Some of it sounds like not that big of a deal (you’re upset that she leaves clean dishes in the sink? What?). Either way, note-writer should have taken up those issues with her, and leaving a PAN in his closet to start off the new roommate relationship with bad relations after he leaves is kind of a dick move.

    Oct 24, 2012 at 6:51 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

     

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