LJ Idol - Week 4 - What does narcissism have to do with me?
"No. I want to be alone. Solitude in the middle of Wal-mart--it's like the PERFECT thing."
Sitting on my couch in our dorm room, and looking her straight in the eyes, I deadpanned my response to Bekah's request to join me on my expedition to the Wal-mart two towns over. I couldn't keep my serious expression for long, and we both cracked up, laughing as much over the ridiculousness of the statement as from relief that we could see this rooming situation was going to work.
Bekah and I had only been friendly acquaintances when she agreed to room with me that year. Both of us were nervous as to what we'd signed on for, but we were in for a pleasant surprise. In each other, we had found the perfect roommate.
Imagine a nine month long slumber party with your best friend. Now multiply that by about a million and three and you're getting close to the level of awesome that was our year together. We kept similar schedules, liked ordered chaos during the week and tidying up on the weekend, similar interests in books and anime, I cooked, she baked, we grocery shopped together and loved the buffet at China One. It was a match made in heaven.
We decorated with all sorts of fun pictures and posters and comics and pretty phrases on 3x5 notecards all over those drab institutional white brick walls. One of my favorite features of our home in Room 302 was the Quote Wall. We kept paper and a Sharpie sticky tacked the wall near the entry way, and wrote down the best things that were said in our room that year. I have too many favorites from the seven page list, but they definitely include:
"I'd wipe it off, but then it would be on my hand." ~Bekah
Me: You're a HORRIBLE person!
Bekah: Reeeeally? A WHORE-able person? *strikes a funny seductive pose*
Me: *grins* Yeah, thank God!
Bekah: ...Can you say 'threesome'?
Me: THREESOME! Sure enough, I can! Let's have a victory dinner!
"I am not a can of tuna! Ahhh! Leave me alone!" ~Bekah (as I chased her around the room with a can opener)
"I was just getting ready to type 'I'm more than slightly insane,' and then I realized... I look so normal compared to you." ~Me
"That is EXACTLY how penises get cut off--they're just OUT there!" ~Me
and
"He sounds so... responsible. Not at all like a guy who would light his armpit hair on fire." ~Bekah
With lines like those, how could it not be a non-stop party in the room? Eventually, we even got to know each other so well, we could speak for one another with lines like: "It's MY blame! You can't have my blame!" and "You behave or I'll knock the vowels out of you!" Our friend Emily once was quoted saying, "You two are almost married."
One time, I was on my way to work and Bekah decided I needed a little ego squashing:
Me: I want to be comfortable at work tonight.
Bekah: You mean hideous.
Me: YOU THINK I'M HIDEOUS!
Bekah: NO! I think your outfit's hideous!
Eventually, maybe we got a little too close, as evidenced by the time Bekah asked, "Can I use your thong? I don't think that phrase has ever been uttered in the English language before."
On the door of Room 302, we had a fun assortment of stickers and comics and art along with our whiteboard for messages. The item that got the most attention was a Garfield comic strip. When asked by a dorm mate what that big word meant, I remember explaining it as "Narcissism is when you look in the mirror and think: I'd do me!"
(For the visually impared: A comic strip. Panel 1: Garfield sits looking out and thinking "Hey, I know I'm fat... so what?" Panel 2: Garfield's grinning, arms open wide as he things "I'm fat and I'm BEAUTIFUL!" Panel 3: Garfield looks out smiling and thinking: "Narcissism...use it or lose it.")
Other good times in our room included roommate nap time, making Zuppa Toscana, brownies, watching anime, Story Time with Bekah, Story Time with Thellie, my secret admirer (a vampiric balloon), and just being there together. You know you have a good friend when the silence isn't uncomfortably empty and begging to be filled. We could work separately in silence, or use our instant messengers to jabber on incessantly in silence.
And the music! How could I forget the music of the Bekah-Thellie playlist. I won't incriminate either of us by listing tracks here, but the random songs and artists we came across while surfing on Youtube for fanvids of our various fandoms and other goodies were spectacular.
Sadly we live half a country apart now--she's in Charlotte, and I'm in OKC. After four and a half years apart, we did get to see each other this past Labor Day weekend. It's amazing how the years apart melted away, and we were us once more. I could have just sat there, basking in Bekah's presence the whole trip. Being together, just us, was glorious. I long for the day that we are neither one tied down to a place and can perhaps move together and be roommates again. Until then, we'll keep the friendship alive through Skype calls, e-mails, editing, and yearly trips to Atlanta together. Now that we know what it's like, I doubt we'll let 4 years pass without a visit again.
~*~*~*~*~Lovingly dedicated to my dearest Bekah-boo, from her devoted Thellie. "And together, we're TEAM R0XX0RZ!!"
Sitting on my couch in our dorm room, and looking her straight in the eyes, I deadpanned my response to Bekah's request to join me on my expedition to the Wal-mart two towns over. I couldn't keep my serious expression for long, and we both cracked up, laughing as much over the ridiculousness of the statement as from relief that we could see this rooming situation was going to work.
Bekah and I had only been friendly acquaintances when she agreed to room with me that year. Both of us were nervous as to what we'd signed on for, but we were in for a pleasant surprise. In each other, we had found the perfect roommate.
Imagine a nine month long slumber party with your best friend. Now multiply that by about a million and three and you're getting close to the level of awesome that was our year together. We kept similar schedules, liked ordered chaos during the week and tidying up on the weekend, similar interests in books and anime, I cooked, she baked, we grocery shopped together and loved the buffet at China One. It was a match made in heaven.
We decorated with all sorts of fun pictures and posters and comics and pretty phrases on 3x5 notecards all over those drab institutional white brick walls. One of my favorite features of our home in Room 302 was the Quote Wall. We kept paper and a Sharpie sticky tacked the wall near the entry way, and wrote down the best things that were said in our room that year. I have too many favorites from the seven page list, but they definitely include:
"I'd wipe it off, but then it would be on my hand." ~Bekah
Me: You're a HORRIBLE person!
Bekah: Reeeeally? A WHORE-able person? *strikes a funny seductive pose*
Me: *grins* Yeah, thank God!
Bekah: ...Can you say 'threesome'?
Me: THREESOME! Sure enough, I can! Let's have a victory dinner!
"I am not a can of tuna! Ahhh! Leave me alone!" ~Bekah (as I chased her around the room with a can opener)
"I was just getting ready to type 'I'm more than slightly insane,' and then I realized... I look so normal compared to you." ~Me
"That is EXACTLY how penises get cut off--they're just OUT there!" ~Me
and
"He sounds so... responsible. Not at all like a guy who would light his armpit hair on fire." ~Bekah
With lines like those, how could it not be a non-stop party in the room? Eventually, we even got to know each other so well, we could speak for one another with lines like: "It's MY blame! You can't have my blame!" and "You behave or I'll knock the vowels out of you!" Our friend Emily once was quoted saying, "You two are almost married."
One time, I was on my way to work and Bekah decided I needed a little ego squashing:
Me: I want to be comfortable at work tonight.
Bekah: You mean hideous.
Me: YOU THINK I'M HIDEOUS!
Bekah: NO! I think your outfit's hideous!
Eventually, maybe we got a little too close, as evidenced by the time Bekah asked, "Can I use your thong? I don't think that phrase has ever been uttered in the English language before."
On the door of Room 302, we had a fun assortment of stickers and comics and art along with our whiteboard for messages. The item that got the most attention was a Garfield comic strip. When asked by a dorm mate what that big word meant, I remember explaining it as "Narcissism is when you look in the mirror and think: I'd do me!"
(For the visually impared: A comic strip. Panel 1: Garfield sits looking out and thinking "Hey, I know I'm fat... so what?" Panel 2: Garfield's grinning, arms open wide as he things "I'm fat and I'm BEAUTIFUL!" Panel 3: Garfield looks out smiling and thinking: "Narcissism...use it or lose it.")
Other good times in our room included roommate nap time, making Zuppa Toscana, brownies, watching anime, Story Time with Bekah, Story Time with Thellie, my secret admirer (a vampiric balloon), and just being there together. You know you have a good friend when the silence isn't uncomfortably empty and begging to be filled. We could work separately in silence, or use our instant messengers to jabber on incessantly in silence.
And the music! How could I forget the music of the Bekah-Thellie playlist. I won't incriminate either of us by listing tracks here, but the random songs and artists we came across while surfing on Youtube for fanvids of our various fandoms and other goodies were spectacular.
Sadly we live half a country apart now--she's in Charlotte, and I'm in OKC. After four and a half years apart, we did get to see each other this past Labor Day weekend. It's amazing how the years apart melted away, and we were us once more. I could have just sat there, basking in Bekah's presence the whole trip. Being together, just us, was glorious. I long for the day that we are neither one tied down to a place and can perhaps move together and be roommates again. Until then, we'll keep the friendship alive through Skype calls, e-mails, editing, and yearly trips to Atlanta together. Now that we know what it's like, I doubt we'll let 4 years pass without a visit again.
~*~*~*~*~Lovingly dedicated to my dearest Bekah-boo, from her devoted Thellie. "And together, we're TEAM R0XX0RZ!!"