roommates

I keep trying to figure out why living with Ryan irks me so much, and I think I finally hit the nail on the head. Ryan is an awesome, supportive friend. He is an amazing person and is super fun. However, he is a bit dirty, actually, his dogs are, and I am OCD and have a hard time dealing with dog hair, and being a guy Ryan never cleans. But still, I don't mind cleaning, so I don't think that is the problem. I have always had roommates since undergrad, and never before have I dreaded coming home so much sometimes.

I think I figured it out this week. Living with Ryan is like living in a mini-frat house. It's always slightly dirty. I am the one who remembers to do the chores 80% of the time. And I work all day long, but yet Ryan's schedule is so flexible, he is ALWAYS home. I think he is not fully stimulated by his job, so when I come home he spends ALL his time in the common areas of the house, and kind of follows me around analyzing everything I do. I had Monday off this past weekend, and I realized this when he too did not work on Monday, and followed me around a bunch asking "what you cooking?"..."What you doing?", etc. etc. Never leaving me alone. He is such a happy guy, he loves to sing out loud about what he is doing. I am glad he is happy, but am not getting peace that way. When I shut my door to my room to read or be ALONE he knocks and asks "what is wrong and why is the door shut and is everything ok and why am I anti-social?" I like to watch House on dvd on my own, but he must join me when I do and analyze it and make commentary and laugh so loud at points I can't hear the TV. So Ryan and I are both social people, but I think Ryan takes it to a new level because unlike me he is not overwhelmed by work all day. I come home and need some down time, alone time, ME time. I want to watch my TV on dvd alone, uninterrupted, without other's comments. I want to go to bed early since I get up at 5am without hearing someone singing in the other room. I want to make dinner without someone coming in and asking if they can try a piece or analyzing what type of fake gross food that is, gross, you will eat that?!

So yeah, I love Ryan to death as a friend. He is an amazing person. And I am so glad I am living closer to Boston and have a healthy life outside of work/school. But for roommates, we are a little incompatible. I think he would be great living with someone more his speed. Again, I feel like I am living in a sort of frat house with no relaxing alone time. I will survive, but I feel like such a bitch always asking Ryan to change something since I can't handle the over stimulation from him, and yet Mark and most of my friends think of me as one of the happiest people they know. Hopefully if Mark and I end up living together next year we will be a little more compatible, but since I love to cook and Mark hates too, and we both like to keep things clean, I think it will be fine....if I get lucky enough to live with him.