Character Sketches

And so I continue my off-location posts. :p At the beginning on this particular composition, I'm sitting (actually laying) on the floor in the lobby of my dorm watching my housemates play Mutants and Masterminds, an RPG somewhere along the lines of Dungeons and Dragons. These people are so incredibly unique that I'm in awe at their personalities. They mesh incredibly well. But they are, for the most part, old friends. I'm entertained at the very least. But allow me to introduce my subjects. My setting will change over the course of this post, so I won't bother to specify. Suffice it to say that I'm trying to encompass all of the people with which I interact from my house on a regular basis.

To being with, there's Josh. He's a wiry guy with long hair. He has diabetes and is currently playing narrator. Josh is the house masseuse on part-time duty. He's very much a great guy, very friendly, and incredibly kind. He lets me give him his shots. That's pretty cool, lemme tell ya. Josh is a biology major. He's been in the house for a few years and likes it as far as I know. I don't really know how else to describe Josh except that he is incredibly caring. He always says "hi" and waves when he sees me. He offers to share with me if he's eating something and is always willing to lend an ear if I need to talk. I think it's safe to say that everyone in the house knows Josh. Which is impressive, all things considered. Josh and Dave are roommates. They both love comic books and comic book characters. Josh's favorite is Batman. For Halloween we're going as Batman villains. I'll get back to y'all with a final list. Josh is a mix between JP and Chas as far as actual talking goes, but they all have a unique spin on life.

David and Regina could almost be described together. They are an item. They both act in the Renaissance Festival every year. David, whom we call Dave is a large individual, about 6'2", 300#s or thereabouts. Dave's favorite comic book character is The Hulk. Regina, or Gina, is about 5'2", a little over 100#s. They make a great couple. It's really neat to see them together because they dote on each other. And you can see the camaraderie and love between them. It's not extreme or gross at all, just sweet.

Steven is our house pet. He "lives" under the stairs. We call him our under-the-stairs troll. I made him a curtain for his little cubby-hole under the stairs. He's from New Jersey but moved to Texas before he started college. He has red hair and is about 5'7". Steven is a very cool guy. He doesn't actually live in Spivey, just visits every day. He goes home at anywhere from 11 to 2 at night. But no one begrudges Steven his home away from home. We accept him and welcome him. Everyone jokes that they've been trying to get rid of him for 2 years and nobody's succeeded yet. But we love you Steven!

Chas is the resident "Mexican". He's 6'3" and only about 150#s. He's broken 19 bones, some twice. He's thinner than Josh. He's got short black hair that he spends 30 minutes on every morning. He does the robot surprisingly well and is very entertaining. Chas and Josh are on the same lines as far as being friendly to everyone, but Chas is quite a bit more vocal. Which is really funny considering his roommate is JP (see below). Chas is comparable to Donkey from the Shrek movies. He randomly bursts out in song and sound effects. But he's funny. His bed is the softest of any of ours. He has this great mattress pad. Hehe. I know this because I perch on his bunk (the top) when I'm in their room studying or just hanging out. I'll either sit there or on the floor. That room is so much more welcoming than mine. It appeals to the darker side of my tastes. Just in general. From the arrangement and decoration. But the door is always open, if not literally then figuratively. Chas is very big on hugs, as is Dave. This, of course, doesn't bother me at all. It was actually a relief to find someone to whom I can relate. The running joke: "Do ya want to cuddle?"

Then there's Nicole. She's a very sweet girl who jokes around and is sarcastic more often than not. She's short, about my height, and quite a bit more voluptuous than I am. She has brown shoulder-length hair and a very sweet smile.

Keith is our homosexual resident. He has a boyfriend named Noah and is about as feminine as I am. He's friendly and our interactions are never awkward. He's a nice guy and not someone I feel threatened by at all. I don't agree with his sexual orientation, but it's not my place to judge or condemn.

Now JP is a very intriguing case. He was quiet for the first three weeks. I didn't hear him talk very often, and when I did he was very soft-spoken. After this past weekend he's not so quiet anymore. Nothing specifically happened, but Saturday, as I was hanging out in the lobby, he came down and just started talking. About nothing in particular, just conversation. That evening he asked if I'd be home for Trivial Pursuit. I informed him that I wouldn't be back from Gala until about 11. He said they still might be playing when I returned and invited me to play. He was sitting outside with Nicole when I got back and asked if I was going to play. I said yes, and we all sat down and played. JP and I were a team (because I was losing miserably and JP doesn't know much about sports), Steven and Chas were a team, Nicole was by herself, and Josh read the questions. (JP and I won by a single piece of pie.) He has been very open since then. We actually talked yesterday and he interacted with everyone more than he ever has with me in the room. Then he came to check on me last night after Jessalyn's tantrum. I think, no, I know we're making progress. He's about 5'7" with brown hair.

On to those who don't play the RPGs. Jessalyn, my roommate, is unpredictable and almost a trial to live with, but I'm making it. Communication is the key, and I know this, so we'll be fine for the year at the very least.

Heather, one of my suitemates, is awesome. She has diabetes and is from Louisiana. Her house lost a few shingles in the hurricane, but her family is perfectly fine and in good spirits. She's our house comedian. Extremely funny and very nice. She's very blunt, but seldom to the point of insult. She's quite a character. And she's a very good friend.

Lisa is my other suitemate. I call her Colorado because that's where she's from. She has a red car and loves for things to match her car. She's very sweet but a little confused about guys and relationships right now. She'll get it sorted out, I'm sure. She's quite an athlete. She has rotator cuff problems (both sides), but gets shots to help make them feel better every three months or so. She really needs the surgery, but she might join the military and doesn't want that on her record.

Jessica is another close friend. She's in the marching band and is a wonderful person. She's a ball of tight energy with lots of potential rage inside. She is very intense, but is super sweet and a really great person. She reminds me of my old drum major Maria. Yeah, she's like that. I can't really describe her any differently. You'd have to meet her or know Maria.

Stacy is her roommate and the sweetest, quietest, kindest person at my age I've ever had the privilege of meeting. Stacy is pretty much angelic. Hehe. She may not think so, but I think she's precious. I'm still amazed at her patience and sense of humor. It takes a whole lot to ruffle her feathers. She was born in India and is Pentecostal. Stacy, Lisa, and I went to the Assembly of God church together yesterday. It was very neat, and quite an experience. We're still "church shopping" for the time being, though.

Ashton, Ashley, Cheyenne, Stephanie, Amy, Darcy, Karen, and April are all fellow Spiveyans. They are, for the most part, the people I talk to. I also know Bobby, Brandon, Grant, Morgan, Todd (sort of), and Victor (whom I've never actually spoken to). There's another guy named Jonathan in the marching band who lives right across the hall with Victor. That's pretty much everybody I can think of right now.

So now you can see what sort of people I deal with and hopefully you won't be completely lost when I mention names. Hopefully. Well, that was the "character sketch" I promised, so I'm off to write a paper now. Toodles! Love and hugs!