the flux has begun ...

Well, it's started. The two weeks of aimless drifting. Well, it's not exactly aimless, but it sure is drifting. And so far, things are not looking good.

My housing contract ran out last Friday, but I still had two more weeks of work to be finishing up. So where would I live for that time? Not a problem. I talked to management at my complex, who agreed that if it was OK with the new tenants moving in to my old apartment, I could stay on the couch there for two weeks.

So I talked to the new tenants. There are three of them. They're all freshmen. Now, I remember being a freshman and being annoyed at how everyone would look down on us like vermin of the world. But sometimes, it's warranted. I have nothing against these freshmen (or any freshmen) personally, but they are still enthralled by the fact that they can stay up until 3:00 am, eat cold cereal five times a day, and sleep in until all conceivable hours ... and MOMMY'S NOT HERE TO STOP US!!

Anyway, I talked to the freshmen to see if it would be OK with them for me to sleep on the couch for the next two weeks. No problem, they said.

So last night I came home from work rather late, and then went with my neighbor to run an errand. Around 10:30, I got home, hoping to be able to get in bed within an hour or so. I thought I'd watch TV for a while with the new roomies. That didn't go over so well. On my end, not theirs. They were watching things like Elimidate (help!) and the Olympics (not a problem), and making silly or just plain stupid comments (that's a problem). My favorite moment came when they were running the gamut of channels during a commercial break. They stopped for a while on The Cosby Show to make fun of their dorky dancing. That I'm OK with -- the 80s were a very odd and often dorky time. But then Malcom Jamal-Warner (aka Theo Huxtable) walked on set and one of the freshers said, "Look at him, he's from The Cosby Show." Trying hard to mask my disbelief, I replied, "This is The Cosby Show." "Oh," she muttered, "I thought it was, like, In Living Color or something." At that moment I realized that I am 6 to 7 full years older than these girls. I went to the neighbors' for a while.

After watching a movie with the neighbors, I went back to the old apartment around 1:00 am, part of me hoping that someone would still be up to let me in, part of me really dreading having to face them again. No one was up (as far as I could tell), but the door was still unlocked. I went in and the first thing I saw was ... someone else sleeping on the couch! One of the freshers! On my couch! The couch I specifically asked to sleep on for the next two weeks! I was appalled. Closing the door quietly, I heard her mutter, "You can sleep on my bed if you want." I don't want! I don't know you, I don't want to sleep on your bed, I want to sleep on my couch! I quickly dressed for bed, got my pillow and blanket, and headed back to the neighbors' house. They were kind enough to let me sleep on their couch.

The bright side? I woke up around 7:45 this morning. That's a record-setting early wake time for me for the last few weeks.

Talking to one of the guys at work about all of this, he pointed out that the situation is not likely to improve much during the coming two weeks. And I know he's right. So, it's an option between sitting down with the freshers and outlining my demands if I stay in their apartment (i.e., I get the couch to myself after say 11:30, the living is mostly empty and quiet by around the same time) and allowing them to opt out if necessary, or of just going to stay with the neighbors or some old roommates a few blocks away. I may well opt for the latter. How does one outline one's demands in a non-threatening manner, after all? Especially when one is fully aware that one is causing a major inconvenience?