Coffee Table Declarations
Monday, September 08, 2003
I have met many people in my search for a new roommate and inevitably, there have been some strange encounters. Here are a couple of the more humorous yet perplexing ones.
In my ads I put a preferred age range - mid-twenties to mid-thirties. Someone named Vera responded to my ad, and we set a time for her to come and see the apartment. When she showed up on my doorstep, I had a sneaking suspicion that there was no way she was within my age range. I kept thinking to myself, "Could she be in her mid to late thirties?" but I knew that would be a huge stretch if not impossible. However, I politely proceeded to show her the apartment and then we sat down to chat. Over the course of our conversation she said, "I'm old enough to be your mother". "I'm 27", I replied, hoping that she would volunteer her age. She said, "I'm still old enough to be your mother."
I also looked at a few apartments so I could leave my options open. I corresponded via email with a girl named Denise. I was hoping to find a female roommate around my age and I got every impression that she was. We made plans for me to see her place. I brought a discriminating person along with me so I would have a second opinion. On the way there he asked me if Denise had any pets and I said that I didn't ask, but assumed not because I clearly stated in my ad that I didn't want to live with pets. (I am allergic.) We no sooner arrive at the front door when a little dog came bounding toward us. Then we were greeted by a guy who told us "Dennis isn't here." Dennis?? I had been emailing with Denise. And who was this guy? And why was there a dog?
A girl approached us and picked up the dog. She explained that she was the roommate moving out and the dog was going with her. After a good deal of detective work (observations made of the apartment, conversational clues, and outright interregation), we were able to determine that the guy was the landlord and that Dennis was a girl with a guy's name. Well do you think maybe they could've explained that all to us up front? Maybe?
In my ads I put a preferred age range - mid-twenties to mid-thirties. Someone named Vera responded to my ad, and we set a time for her to come and see the apartment. When she showed up on my doorstep, I had a sneaking suspicion that there was no way she was within my age range. I kept thinking to myself, "Could she be in her mid to late thirties?" but I knew that would be a huge stretch if not impossible. However, I politely proceeded to show her the apartment and then we sat down to chat. Over the course of our conversation she said, "I'm old enough to be your mother". "I'm 27", I replied, hoping that she would volunteer her age. She said, "I'm still old enough to be your mother."
I also looked at a few apartments so I could leave my options open. I corresponded via email with a girl named Denise. I was hoping to find a female roommate around my age and I got every impression that she was. We made plans for me to see her place. I brought a discriminating person along with me so I would have a second opinion. On the way there he asked me if Denise had any pets and I said that I didn't ask, but assumed not because I clearly stated in my ad that I didn't want to live with pets. (I am allergic.) We no sooner arrive at the front door when a little dog came bounding toward us. Then we were greeted by a guy who told us "Dennis isn't here." Dennis?? I had been emailing with Denise. And who was this guy? And why was there a dog?
A girl approached us and picked up the dog. She explained that she was the roommate moving out and the dog was going with her. After a good deal of detective work (observations made of the apartment, conversational clues, and outright interregation), we were able to determine that the guy was the landlord and that Dennis was a girl with a guy's name. Well do you think maybe they could've explained that all to us up front? Maybe?
