How To Be A Decent Roommate

Fall semester for Universities are starting very soon, if they haven't already.  For a lot of students, they'll be living with their first roommate or are returning and want a better experience than last year.  I have had four roommates total over the past two years and most of my friends have been roommates themselves.  I have stories and they've told me some of their horror stories about their worst roommates.  I don't claim to be the world's most perfect roommate, but if you're just entering college or getting into a situation where you have a roommate, this list is for you.  I think you'll have a better experience with your roommate.***

This sounds a little dysfunctional to me....

1. Make a Roommate Agreement and Follow it.  It sounds stupid and it'll feel stupid when you're doing it, but it's actually a really helpful tool.  If you're attending college, they'll might give you a contract to go through with your roommate(s).  If there is no pre-made contract for you, make sure to say what's really important to you.  Is it okay if your roommate uses your dishes?  Say so.  Would you be really bothered if they borrowed clothes from your closet?  Say that.  Do you have a particular time of day when you really need it quiet?  Get it out in the open.  This is a space to say what's okay and what's not and to inform the other of your major habits before they find out the hard way.  It's a worthwhile courtesy.

2. Use Your Words, Not Your Fists (Or Other Assorted Weapons).  Things aren't always going to be hunky-dory in your dorm or apartment.  Sometimes you'll say stupid things to each other and you'll get offended.  Sometimes you'll be doing something that's really bothersome.  Instead of getting really mad and possibly resorting to physical violence, talk.  If your roommate really needs to wash their dishes due to lack of space or a mysterious odor, tell them.  If you really offended each other, take a break, but then come back and talk about it.  Write down what you want to say if you have to.  You don't have to be best friends with your roommate, but you do need to make a valiant effort towards living with them.  You might as well make your time together bearable.  On the other hand, maybe you're the perpetrator as opposed to the victim in this situation.  Your job is to hear your roommate.  Hear what they're saying and do your best to fix whatever behavior is causing trouble.  The worst thing you could do is ignore your roommate's concerns.

3. Take care of yourself.  I mean this in two ways.  The first way is literal-- shower, brush your teeth, etc.  Your roommate(s) have to live with you.  If you're not taking care of yourself, they're going to suffer just as much as you.  Plus, you're putting your roommates in the position to act as your parent, which they never signed up to do.  Your roommate's job is not to tell you to take a shower or put some deodorant on.  They're there to sleep and possibly to go to school.  They have better things to do with their day.

The second way is to take stock of yourself.  Is this living situation working well for you?  Is your roommate giving you space to get the things that need to be finished done?  Can you afford to be in this living situation, roommates aside?  If you and your roommate just can't get along no matter how many times you've talked and no matter what either of you has done to fix it, it's time to move on.  If you can't afford your part of the rent or utilities, that's a problem and you need to find a way to work that out too.  If you are having trouble doing your work in your living space, you need to address the problem or find somewhere to go where you can get work done.

4. Don't Let Just One Person Buy Everything.  I didn't have too much of a problem with this, but one of my former roommates had bad roommates that would take advantage of her and expect her to buy things like toilet paper, cleaning supplies, and other things that one would regularly need.  This depends a little bit on what kind of living situation you have.  If you're living in a dorm, you probably don't have to split up those daily things, but things like furniture and common decorations will need to be discussed.  If you're living in a suite or an apartment (on or off campus) you'll need to figure out some furniture and these daily things.  If just one person is buying a majority or all of the things you both need/want, you're going to have some tension and a potentially angry roommate.  Figure out what you absolutely need and split it up as evenly as possible.

5. To A Certain Extent, Be Flexible and Understanding.  Be open to experience and different lifestyles.  If you don't, you're going to cause a rift between you and your roommate, which is super uncomfortable.  If you have a Muslim roommate who needs to pray five times a day, don't demand that they stop or adjust their schedule because it's an inconvenience to you.  If your roommate is Wiccan and is performing rituals that are different and foreign to you, don't treat them like they're crazy or need an exorcism via the nearest Catholic priest-- ask questions and make an effort to understand.  If your roommate likes to exercise at night, ask them about it or try joining in instead of staring and wondering when they're going to stop.  No matter what situation you're in, I have one BIG or overarching piece of advice: Never assume that your roommate is trying to change or affect you in any way.  They're living their life just like you.  Make an effort to understand what is important to your roommate and respect them.  Respect will probably be returned to you.

These are some important things to think about if you're getting into a situation where you'll live with a roommate.  I hope this helps!

Do you have any roommate horror stories?  What did you learn from having a roommate?

Thanks for Reading!

--Jude

***Disclaimer: this post does not guarantee that you will be best friends with your roommate or even that you will function well together.  These are just some challenges that I or some of my friends have encountered while being roommates ourselves and is not a prediction or a definite fact of what your roommate experience will be like.

Living Life Like Henry David Thoreau

I'm taking a philosophy class this semester and it has been one of the greatest experiences I've ever had.  It's so interesting!  No matter how warm that classroom has gotten (and it's gotten pretty warm in there), I have never felt the urge to take a nap!

For the past 2-3 weeks we've been talking about Henry David Thoreau (we've since moved on to Tolstoy).  I'm writing a paper on him right now (I'm taking a break from that paper to continue writing about him here, I guess.  Interesting distraction method, Jude!) where I'm being asked to explain what his version of a philosopher looks like.  It looks a lot like Socrates' version of a philosopher, but it has been modernized (relatively).  But that's not what I wanted to tell you about.  I want to talk to you about the wee crush I have on him.

As we read a few chapters of his book Walden, we've been learning that he believes we aren't nearly present enough in our lives.  Sure, we're physically present, but how often are we truly aware that we are alive?  In class, we talked about moments when we truly knew that we were alive.  I could think of two moments right away.

I have this vague memory of when I was between the ages of six and eight when I stopped, looked around the room, and realized that everything was real and that I was alive-- a living, breathing, human being.  If I remember correctly, up until that point I thought it was just one long movie.

The second memory is in the more recent past.  It was when I was standing on top of the Eiffel Tower about a year ago and I was looking out over Paris, having just walked up as much of the Eiffel Tower that we could (which is two levels, and then if you want to get to the very top, you need to take an elevator).  Even though it was a little bit foggy, the sun was still a burst of light through the clouds and I could look down and see herds of Parisians and tourists, just mere ants below my feet.  That's when I had that moment of clarity: I am here.  I am in France, on top of the Eiffel Tower, hundreds of miles away from home.  I am on the cusp of starting the next chapter in my life and I can't think of a better way to ring it in.  I am truly alive!

It sounds so cliche, but I feel like this information was presented to me in such a way that it wasn't.  It was just about the coolest thing I've ever learned in a classroom setting.  I felt like I was falling in love again.

I want to live my life more like Thoreau.  That's the point I wanted to make with this post.

So now, I'm eager to read more Thoreau and keep delving into philosophy (I have to take either one theology class and two philosophy classes or two theology classes and one philosophy class as my core requirement for school, so I think I will take another philosophy class... but I'll save it for study abroad!).  I'm  considering doing a philosophy minor, just because it's so darn interesting.  And I have two "useful" majors, so ha!

Any way... Thanks for Reading!

--Jude

D.I.S.C.

I probably have one of the coolest Physics classes so far.

We haven't done anything with eggs or skateboards just yet, but instead we're learning about personality types. I love this very much! It's fun to get inside people's heads! That's why I'm sad that I can't take Psychology this year...

There is a purpose for this though! I wanted to show you what we used to determine our own personality types. Perhaps if you've finished your homework, you could read through this and determine for yourself (and perhaps you could leave a comment below as to what you came up with!).

The D Personality:

Task-oriented/outgoing

Some Synonyms: Dominant, Driving, Doers

"D types can be very self-sufficient, relying on their natural abilities and talents to get them through difficult situations... They are never satisfied with the status quo. They are constantly looking for new and better ideas and ways of doing things."

Basic Needs: Challenge, Control, Choices

The I Personality:

People-oriented/Outgoing

Some Synonyms: Inspirational, Influencing, Impulsive

"High I's are very friendly. They seem to talk to or wave to everyone they see. They know no strangers. After you have been with them five minutes, you feel like you have known them all your life."

Basic Needs: Recognition, Approval, Popularity

The S Personality

People-oriented/Reserved

Some Synonyms: Steady, Stable, Supportive

"An S is very orderly and efficient, preferring to know that things are running smoothly... They prefer the standard, tried and proven way of doing things... One of their mottos is, 'Working together we can do it.'"

(Hmm... interesting motto...)

Basic Needs: Appreciation, Security, Approval

The C Personality

Task-oriented/Reserved

Some Synonyms: Competent, Cautious, Careful

"The C type is usually extremely gifted. They are very bright and have a high capacity for intellectual achievement. They know how to take a big project and break it down into little components."

Basic Needs: Quality answers, Excellence, Value

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So... what's your personality type?

I did this several hours before now, and I (and one other person) determined that I have a large mixture of "S" and "C." Now you know.

Of course, everyone on earth has a little bit of all of these personality types. There are just certain areas that are more apparent than the rest.

Yay learning!

I'll speak with you soon! Until then...

Your madly blogging,

--Jude

Second Day of School

As long as I'm in school, there will be posts regarding school, so bear with me here.

It was the second day of school, and I have to say, it was much better. I'm not going to break it down class by class, merely the ones that stuff actually happened in.

Hour 2: Wind Ensemble-- We actually got to play music today! The nice thing about being in this band is that there aren't any freshmen (I love freshmen, don't get me wrong) so we don't have to explain some things. We can skip right over those things because we are all quite familiar with those things. So we get to start right away! And, let's face it, we have to, because our first concert is in a month. One of the songs we are playing is so awesome, and I can actually play it! I was really worried about that when I found out I got in.

Hour 5: Honors Physics-- This class seems more like a psychology class right now. I'm really enjoying it, but the girl next to me doesn't seem to like this very much. We did this little exercise thing to prove that everyone's brain works in different ways and it isn't necessarily a bad thing. My teacher presented to us a rectangular piece of wood with three holes: a circle, a square, and a plus sign. Our job was to figure out one solid piece (made out of wood) that would fit through each and every one of those holes. I hate ruining surprises (trust me, some guy ruined another exercise for us and I still hadn't gotten the answer at that time). My challenge to you, my very smart readers, is to figure out what that piece looked like. I'll try and show you either tomorrow or when I remember next. Be sure to remind me if you're really curious!

Hour 6: AP English-- My spirits have been lifted towards this class! Though the teacher has not gained back the respect that I lost for her yesterday, the class is much better already. I talked to her about the ridiculous circumstances of the summer homework. I told her that taking half credit off of an assignment that I never got was very unreasonable. She proceeded to tell me that it would still be half credit, but when she gets to grading for the first time (mid-semester) and if I have all of my assignments in at top quality (which they will be) she will give me the rest of the points for that assignment. If she had bothered to tell us this yesterday, we could have avoided all of this drama.

Any way, I will end my rant here. All in all, my second day went far better than my first day.

Enjoy your week!

--Jude

It's the First Day

Hey guys...

Today was my first day of school. I can now officially say that I am a junior in high school! That's exciting! I'll just walk through all of my hours leaving brief comments here and there...

First hour was French 3. I thought I retained a decent amount of my French, but I felt really stupid when it came to actually speaking out loud in that different language. I wasn't the only one that forgot. I took pride in trying, because some people didn't even do that.

Second hour was Wind Ensemble. I'm really excited for this class. We actually get to start playing music tomorrow! The one thing I wasn't happy about was finding out the first day that I have to play in a concert in a month. Yeah. And then about five or six more after that.

Third hour is Government/Econ. I really don't have anything to say about this because we did absolutely nothing. Just that lame "get to know everyone" activity that the teachers seem to like to do...

Fourth hour is Precalculus. My teacher seems nice. She talks about her husband, one of the history teachers, a bit, but when you're married and everyone at school is at least familiar with the guy, I guess sometimes you can't help it. We were going over linear equations and logic today... boring... I've done linear equations, they're the easiest ones out there... and my logic is totally shot when it comes to math.

I have lunch next. I was glad that I had lunch with my friend Avery, because I wouldn't have a class with her otherwise. I was sad that my friend's Rosemary and Jack weren't there though... I assume they have first lunch. That sucks, because I don't have any classes with them either.

Next is Honors Physics. The teacher seems nice. We went through introductions, went over the rules... basically there was a lot of talking, but apparently there are going to be a lot of labs, which is exciting. He was talking about throwing eggs out the window and riding on skateboards.

Finally, AP English Literature and Composition. I am happy to say that I will mainly be working with fiction! I like fiction a lot! But when I got in the classroom, what do I see on the chalkboard? "Summer Homework." Oh. Crap.

Cue the rant!

No one ever told me I had summer homework! I was aware of the other AP English classes, but not mine! I'm one of the people I used to make fun of because they came to school without their summer homework and they had three months to do it! I read nothing on Facebook, heard nothing from anyone... Now I've lost a little respect for my teacher because now I still have to do the summer homework, but I have a week and I get half credit for all of that. Uuurgg.... I thought that was going to be my best class too... what was I thinking? Of course AP classes have summer homework! What was I thinking!!!? I don't understand what happened... I blame the counselors. I can't blame my last English teacher because he was a reserve teacher and is now in China teaching AP English. The original teacher was fired, and believe me, my new teacher had a bit to say about him...

I can't give you an idea of how I'm feeling about tomorrow... school is a mixed bag right now...

I'm off to go write about John Green and 'Looking for Alaska' for my summer homework (she changed it up a little to make the assignment easier, which I am grateful for).

Have a good day everyone.

--Jude

A Letter From Jude!

Because I was busy doing my homework, procrastinating, yet again. If you absolutely hate this format, I'll only do it sporadically. Just leave me a comment or something. To get a closer look at this letter, just click on the pictures and they'll become hopefully big enough for you to read with ease.

To add to this list...

13. Learn to tie a cherry stem in a knot with just my tongue

Bad Habits/New Habits

So I found something interesting just by watching a video called ‘Life in a Day’ by Alex Day, also known as Nerimon on YouTube. He took a moment to show us his bracelet and tell us what it was for.

As you might be aware, it takes about twenty-one days to break a bad habit or to create a new one (thank you health class!). So what you do is, you make a goal; what is it you want to do differently? Alex Day’s goal was to complain less. So what you do is put the bracelet on one arm and then go through life normally.

If Alex is going through his day and he complains that, “Oh crap, I forgot to put gas in the car, now I have to go all the way over to the gas station…” you get the idea, right? Now Alex has to take the bracelet and put it on his other arm and his twenty-one days start over again.

To me, this sounds like a spectacular idea. I might try it. Maybe to stop biting my nails or something like that.

As far as I know, you can use any bracelet, as long as you remember to switch arms if you continue that bad habit.

Any way, I thought that was kind of cool and I wanted to share it with you guys.

Thanks for reading!

--Jude

Breast Cancer

Breast Cancer

View more presentations from JudeRosenberg.

Alright everyone. Some of you may have picked up on the fact that I am in summer school for the month of July. One of the assignments that was required of me was to make a slide-show (PowerPoint) about a non-communicable disease of my choosing. So enjoy learning about breast cancer! I hope you become as enlightened as I have.

Inspiration

I'm part of a writing group on Shelfari called Young Writers Group. One really cool thing that they do in that group is something called Picture Prompts. This means that the admins change the group picture (because there aren't any other places to put pictures that we've discovered at this time) and anyone in the group can post a story or a poem relating to that picture. It's really a lot of fun!

I think I've told some people that I would put excerpts of stories and poems on this site, but I haven't gotten around to doing that just yet.

"So... why are you bringing up picture prompts?" Well, I thought I'd give it a try here. You should too! I don't care how great or horrible you are when it comes to writing. It's just fun! And you don't even have to use the picture up there. All I did was go into Google Images and typed the word 'Inspiration' into the search box. Very easy :) It's choosing your picture that may or may not be the hard part.

Catching the Sun

Jump up and catch it

Grasped in your hands

Casts its glow

Holds your gaze

Lights up your eyes

Feeling lighter than air

Light up the town

Warm every house

When darkness comes

Shadows the day

Toss it into the air

And chase the phantoms away

Your compass

Your guidance

Your peace

Hardly a chance

It's really meant to be

It's yours to keep or share at will

Your anxiety

Your nervousness

Your burden

Think you can write a better poem than this? I think you could too. So if you are willing to share a poem/story that you wrote about the above picture, I'd love to read it.

Thank you for reading this entry! Enjoy life, have a good summer (or winter, if you're in a different hemisphere) and be sure to take plenty of dance breaks throughout the day :D

--Jude