Close encounters of the roommate kind

Not only do you have the uncertainty of leaving home to live in a new place to deal with, you get to live with a complete stranger in very close quarters. Hurray! I can only think of one thing that can make it go easy: make like the Japanese and respect that personal space. You don't have to like each other, but switching roommates is not an easy or quick task so you'd better respect each others crap and space.

Here's a fun example:

I lived, briefly, in an apartment with two other guys. One was much neater than me, and I was neater than the third guy. Except when it came to dishes. Number three and I had an implicit competition to see who could go the longest without doing the dishes. The lengths we went to to stack dishes and glasses in the sink were epic. A Tower of Filth to shame those lazy denizens of Babel. Until Number one finally popped a gasket over the disgraceful state of the kitchen (rightly so, it was foul.) It was pretty awkward for a few days, even after cleaning up, and we didn't have that battle of nastiness again.

Some rules:

1. You spill, you clean it up.


2. You let loose with bodily fluids and don't make the toilet, get to scrubbing.


3. Vomit belongs to source. Always. Having to clean your own puke is a good reminder to not get in that state again. Or to at least wait in the grass until your stomach is empty.


4. Food belongs to the buyer, don't assume it is communal because the fridge happens to be a commons.


5. Drink. See food.


6. Money. Don't even go there.


7. Homework can be a collaboration, but don't even think about doing a ctrl-c, ctrl-v on it. In the off chance you get away with it, you'll still be hosed on the test for not knowing the material.