some things i've learned...

...living in a small space with four other people...

- having four roommates is a great way to ensure you eat all of the food you buy, as you don't have room to keep buying more new stuff when the old stuff is occupying "your" half shelf of the camping-sized refrigerator.

- "cleaning as you go" in the kitchen is imperative to ensure that you have enough counter space to make, say, anything involving more than three ingredients, especially when four people are in the kitchen simultaneously.

- washing dishes by hand is critical for items you only have one of, e.g. the measuring cup or the semi-sharp butcher knife. although, this does take the fun out of watching someone dig through the mountains of mess in the dishwasher for something and then spend another twenty minutes trying to cleaning two-week old food off said object. (who can be bothered to run that darn machine? we need a house mom, really.)

- it isn't worth getting upset over small things, like someone ALWAYS taking your produce out of what looks like a community bowl and setting it on the counter. (but seriously why, WHY won't you leave my poor Tesco tomatoes alone people!?)

- it IS worth it to wash someone else's random dishes just so that you don't have to look at them another day (although i am NOT touching the cup of oil that has been sitting next to the stove for the better part of July. must have some standards, you know)

- nobody wins if you are too lazy to change the empty toilet paper roll. what goes around, comes around...

- washing the shower curtain and seeing it emerge (two hours later) from the machine in a completely different shade of white produces an unimaginable sense of pride and joy. (seriously, i thought that thing was CREAM coloured.)

- that said, you should always check the washer before you throw things in, just in case someone has decided to dye something purple and leave it in the machine overnight.

- it is nice always having someone available to tell you what shoes go best with your dress.

- sometimes you have to scrap your dreams of making Sunday brunch and go out, because your roommate is blasting foreign rock music whilst using every available countertop, stovetop, microwave, and oven to make...something...

- it is possible to eat rice and prawns that were left out of the refrigerator for 24 hours and not die (or even get sick) (wasn't me).

- wine tastes better when you share it with your roommates.