![\"illust-roommate\"](\"https:\/\/carpecollege.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/illust-roommate.png\")
<\/a>So, all of that preceding chapter was about planning for the worst and hoping for the best.\u00a0 Here\u2019s a \u2018quick tips\u2019 approach to living well with your roomie for more than three days:<\/p>\nAvoid Alarm Annoyances<\/em>.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n The surest way to create roommate tension is a lack of alarm clock management.\u00a0 If you tend to sleep through your alarm or incessantly slap the snooze button, you may be in for some trouble with your roommate.\u00a0 The surest way to make enemies is to \u2018wake the bear\u2019, and if you keep doing it, eventually the bear will turn on you.<\/p>\n One solution might be to use your cell phone alarm and plug earphones into it, so when you awake, it doesn\u2019t wake anyone else.\u00a0 Another solution is to simply shut off your alarm the FIRST time it rings.\u00a0 While both of these are REASONABLE solutions for most REASONABLE people, they may not be successful for you if you\u2019re the kind of person who falls back asleep right after turning off your alarm.\u00a0 For that, you\u2019ll need another strategy.<\/p>\n The best way to avoid falling back to asleep is to get to your feet as soon as possible.\u00a0 The best way to get to your feet as soon as possible is to place your alarm far away from your bed.\u00a0 This way, you\u2019ll feel compelled to shut it off, so it doesn\u2019t bother your roommate (who will kick you out \u2013 or kick your ass \u2013 if you don\u2019t).\u00a0 You\u2019ll jump out of bed, and by the time the alarm is off, you\u2019re on your feet and ready to head off to the shower.\u00a0 If, on the other hand, you simply jump back into bed, then you might as well stay there and enjoy the ride.\u00a0 You\u2019ll probably flunk out, but you\u2019ll get plenty of beauty rest in the process.<\/p>\n T-shirt Trivia. (If \u00a0you\u00a0want to skip right to the t-shirt hack video, click HERE<\/a>)<\/span><\/b><\/em><\/p>\n Alarms buzzing, slivers of sunlight at 6am, a roommate\u2019s tardy typing at 2am, or a snoring suitemate can all become the most annoying and grating sounds in the world if you\u2019re trying to sleep.\u00a0 Of course, they typically inject themselves when you least expect them and most need your sleep.\u00a0 There is, however, a cheap and effective fix:\u00a0 the t-shirt.\u00a0 That\u2019s right!\u00a0 All college kids have \u2018em, but not all know how to use \u2018em.\u00a0 They can become your best friend, a \u2018sensory silencer\u2019, when you most need it.\u00a0 Here\u2019s how:<\/p>\n Lay any t-shirt out flat on your bed.\u00a0 Fold in the arms across the torso, so that the cloth becomes a rectangle.\u00a0 Beginning at either the left or right side of the shirt, roll it into a loose \u2018log\u2019.\u00a0 You now have God\u2019s greatest gift to humankind\u2026 if you\u2019re trying to sleep, that is.\u00a0 Lie down with your head on your pillow, take your new \u2018sensory silencer\u2019 and lay it across both eyes with the extra cloth hanging down the sides of your face.\u00a0 Take these sides and cover your ears, tucking any excess in behind your ears between your head and pillow.\u00a0 That\u2019s it.\u00a0 You\u2019ll notice all the sensory deprivation (or at least the muffling of all sights and sounds) right away!\u00a0 Try it this summer before you head off to campus.\u00a0 If you aren\u2019t satisfied with the results, you may not return this book, and you will not receive a full refund.\u00a0 You can figure out your own damn strategy.<\/p>\n (Hey!\u00a0 Maybe I should have some \u2018Carpe College!\u201d t-shirts made up, and you could use those.\u00a0 Then, if not satisfied, you\u2019d have another nice, colorful, non-refundable item you could not return, not ever.)<\/p>\n NOTE: \u00a0I recently confirmed this t-shirt thing really works! \u00a0I was in a hotel in LA recently, sleeping with my \u2018sensory silencer\u2019 over my eyes and ears.\u00a0 At 3am flashing strobe lights on every alarm in the hotel suite went off, but the alarms remained silent.\u00a0 I did not wake up until I heard my wife on the phone with the front desk, trying to figure out what the heck was going on. \u00a0So, yes, I did hear my wife through the muffling of the shirt, but I did not see all those strobe lights.\u00a0 Apparently, my \u2018silencer\u2019 method blocks light better than sound, but I contend that it’s way more comfortable than any eye mask. Try it for yourself.<\/em><\/p>\n Stock-up on Supplies.<\/b><\/span>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Ear plugs, eye masks, earphones (and extras because they tend to wear out), your mp3 player, the aforementioned \u2018sensory silencer\u2019 t-shirt roll, and an extra pillow are all great supplies to have when it comes to avoiding things that go bump in the night (or morning).\u00a0 If your roomie is an early riser, needs a bit of light to get dressed or, God forbid, blow dries her hair at 6am, then you may need some sensory protection.\u00a0 Have this stuff at the ready for those manic mornings (or late nights) when you want to sleep but your roommate doesn\u2019t.<\/p>\n Of course, the BEST strategies and solutions involve communicating with your roommate and getting healthy, consistent sleep and exercise so you can wake refreshed (with no alarm \u2018snoozing\u2019).\u00a0 If both of you are doing that, all will be right with the world.<\/p>\n No Sweat?<\/b><\/span>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n College kids these days are working out and staying more physically fit than ever before.\u00a0 It may be because they want to look healthy or simply be healthy, or because many campuses have nice fitness facilities.\u00a0 Whatever the reason, it\u2019s probably a good thing.\u00a0 But those sweaty clothes need to go somewhere.<\/p>\n In our household, with both our kids in high school athletics and working out on their own, our laundry room got pretty darn stinky.\u00a0 It got to the point where we put a hamper in the garage and threw all the sweaty stuff in there until we could do a load of wash during our busy week.\u00a0 When our son went off to college, his fitness lifestyle didn\u2019t change; however, his dorm room living quarters were about as small as our laundry room, so those wonderful aromas had much less space in which to waft away.<\/p>\n As we discussed how to handle sweaty clothes in dorm rooms, my wife and I couldn\u2019t remember how we did it in college, other than to simply throw them in our closets.\u00a0 We did remember, however, that our rooms did NOT smell, which, my wife assures me, is NOT the case with my son\u2019s dorm room (as of this writing, I have not yet been allowed in my son\u2019s dorm room.\u00a0 My wife talked her way in when picking him up for winter break because he needed an extra set of hands to carry dirty laundry).\u00a0 So, we tossed out some ideas for managing this olfactory obstacle, and here are my thoughts:<\/p>\n 1.\u00a0 Have three (3) laundry bags, one that\u2019s mesh for the \u2018sweaty-smellies\u2019 to air out, one that\u2019s nylon and doesn\u2019t breathe (or a plastic garbage bag will do), and one that\u2019s cloth or anything else to carry your stuff down to the laundry facility.\u00a0 When empty, put the first two bags inside the third and keep it under your bed or in your closet.<\/p>\n 2. After working out, when you come home dripping with sweat, remove your \u2018sweaty-smellies\u2019 and turn them all right-side out (do not leave socks or anything else rolled up in a ball).\u00a0 Clip it all to a hanger, a makeshift clothesline, or your mesh bag AND HANG THAT WET STUFF OUTSIDE YOUR DORM WINDOW TO AIR OUT!<\/i>\u00a0 Now, depending on your windows, your residence hall policies, or the weather, you may have to get creative.\u00a0 If you\u2019re on the fourth floor, maybe you can tie the drawstring onto your desk leg with a bungee cord or something.\u00a0 If dorm policies prevent hanging stuff out your window (a STRONG<\/i> possibility), maybe you can hang your clothes in your open window with a fan on them until they\u2019re dried out.\u00a0 If it\u2019s raining, or you\u2019re worried about your wet clothes freezing and then melting and reeking once back safe and sound in your room, then, obviously, you\u2019ll need to dry them indoors over a chair or your bed rail.<\/p>\n The key is, whatever you do, you must get them dry!\u00a0 Although I\u2019m an old-school cotton kind of guy, you may wish to start with synthetic sweat-wicking clothing, which will dry much quicker.<\/p>\n 3. Once your \u2018sweaty-smellies\u2019 are dry and aired out, throw them into a nylon bag (or plastic garbage bag) that doesn\u2019t breathe.\u00a0 Scrunch down the bag, so there\u2019s very little air in it, and seal it tight.\u00a0 That way, all that nastiness can\u2019t waft throughout your small dorm room.\u00a0 (If the clothes only reek a little after drying, then toss \u2018em into that mesh bag with a fabric softener sheet to mask the odor a bit.)\u00a0 If you continue to work out and have new \u2018sweaty-smellies\u2019, just repeat the process, again and again, until laundry day.<\/p>\n NOTE:\u00a0 My sister-in-law contends that if there\u2019s even a little bit of moisture, the clothes will mildew, smell, and continue to smell every time they get wet again.\u00a0 She may be right, but she\u2019s also a little overly sensitive.\u00a0 She thinks it\u2019s a bad idea to eat stuff out of the fridge without checking expiration dates, too.\u00a0 But we all know that the smell test works better.\u00a0 If food smells, don\u2019t eat it.\u00a0 If clothes smell, don\u2019t wear \u2018em.\u00a0 Or, better yet, just clean \u2018em.<\/i><\/p>\n 4. On laundry day, throw the nylon bag of \u2018sweaty-smellies\u2019 into your main laundry bag, and head down to the machines.\u00a0 Separate your clothes as you see fit, and enjoy the results.\u00a0 It\u2019s as simple as that!<\/p>\n Of course, I\u2019m still waiting for some innovative and entrepreneurial spirit to develop a better system.\u00a0 Maybe your campus fitness facility could implement a system where you toss your \u2018sweaty-smellies\u2019 into a mesh wash bag with a number on it, bring that bag to the locker room check out desk, they do the wash for you, and you pick up your workout clothes the next time you stop in.\u00a0\u00a0 The same way you check out a basketball or badminton racquet, you\u2019d check in and out your workout clothes.<\/p>\n Maybe not\u2026..\u00a0\u00a0 We\u2019re just spitballin\u2019 here\u2026.<\/p>\n (NOTE:\u00a0 Yes, I know we already had a section on laundry, but that wasn\u2019t really about laundry the way this was).<\/i><\/p>\n Cleanliness is Next to Godliness?<\/b><\/span>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Invite people into your dorm room at least once a month.\u00a0 That way, you and your roommate(s) will clean your room at least that often. If you have no idea how to do this, ask your folks, ask your roommate\u2019s folks, or walk up and down the dorm hall until you find someone who can help. Or, maybe there\u2019s a YouTube tutorial or app for that!!\u00a0 Hadn\u2019t even thought about that until just now because this is stuff you should already know (look it up)!<\/p>\n If you need more motivational help, visit unfuckyourhabitat.com<\/i>, a website acknowledging that we all have busy lives, or are just lazy, and need a little push.\u00a0 So they offer \u201cterrifying motivation for lazy people with messy homes.\u201d\u00a0 Oh, and they even have an app for that.<\/p>\n Any way you choose, figure it out, and clean your damn room!<\/p>\n Don\u2019t Touch It or Borrow It Without Asking!<\/b><\/span>\u00a0<\/em> Not her snacks.\u00a0 Not his laptop.\u00a0 Not her favorite top.\u00a0 Not his Frisbee.\u00a0 No, no, no\u2026..\u00a0\u00a0 Again, this is stuff you should already know.<\/p>\n Stay Gold, Ponyboy.<\/b><\/em><\/span>\u00a0 To survive and thrive in a college dorm room, just follow The Golden Rule:\u00a0 Do unto others as you would have them do unto you (or anything close to that).\u00a0Nuff said\u2026.<\/p>\n Or, if that\u2019s not enough said, then take a peek at P.M.Forni\u2019s Choosing Civility:\u00a0 The Twenty-Five Rules of Considerate Conduct<\/i>.\u00a0 It has everything from \u201cListen\u201d to \u201cDon\u2019t shift responsibility and blame,\u201d and plenty in between.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n SPECIAL NOTE:<\/i><\/b>\u00a0 <\/i><\/span><\/p>\n David Foster Wallace was a great author who died too young.\u00a0 Before he left us, he gave a commencement speech that gets at the heart of what it means to live with other people and how we can CHOOSE to hate it or celebrate it (Hey, that rhymes\u2026 I should be a rapper!) \u00a0Wallace called his speech \u201cThis is Water,\u201d and a few people have made short films<\/a> to accompany it.\u00a0\u00a0(Look it up!<\/a>)<\/i><\/i><\/i><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cFishes and visitors smell after three days.\u201d\u00a0 – Ben Franklin So, all of that preceding chapter was about planning for the worst and hoping for the best.\u00a0 Here\u2019s a \u2018quick tips\u2019 approach to living well with your roomie for more than three days: Avoid Alarm Annoyances. The surest way to create roommate tension is a lack of alarm clock management.\u00a0 … Continue Reading