Back to "Normal"

Just a quick post, because I really should be sleeping now, but I figured since last night was the venting of all hostility and evil thoughts, today can be the venting of happiness or something...

So Julianne (my roommate...read yesterday's post for background) and I just got done having one of the longest conversations we've ever had. She was going to bed at midnight, and we started kind of talking, and it's now 3:48 a.m. and she just went to bed and I'm typing at my computer.

(Random thought I should discuss further in the future...all the best conversations I've had with people have either been in a car on a long trip or late at night. Why is that?)

We actually did briefly discuss her attitude yesterday, although I didn't really mention how it affected me. And I think, looking back, that I was more upset at myself that I was hurt by her actions than I was upset at her for actually being mad. As I think I've said before, I'm insane. I am aware of that fact, though, and that should count for something. She's under unbelievable stress at work, and she has realized that she's redirecting some of it at me, and she's now using my healthy avoidance technique.

What I've learned since yesterday:
Tired and emotional Julianne, combined with tired and sick Elizabeth, is not a good thing.
I obviously care about her more than I was aware...the only other people whose anger can affect me like this are my family.
The stress of her moving to Houston (now definitely happening in July) and me moving to NYC (in July or August if I get into NYU, but still happening this year even if I don't get in) has caused both of us to be more emotional than usual.

So things are back to "normal." What's weird, and we brought this up tonight, as we do every time we have a conversation regarding living with people, is that we are total opposites. And yet we get along better than I've gotten along with any other roommate (there have been 10 others since I started college). We were talking tonight about the fact that in Houston she'll be living alone, and I'll need to find a roommate to afford to live in New York, and while it's kind of scary to think of finding another person to live with, I think throughout the drama I've experienced with all my former roommates (there has been quite a lot), I've finally learned how to get along with a roommate.

When we first escaped from the dorms (and the Ashleys...to be explained in future post) we set up some ground rules. Anything just affecting one of us is our decision, and the other has no impact on it. Anything involving both of us, either one has complete veto power. There is compromise, but it's completely voluntary. The "rules" were set up primarily for decorating the apartment, but we've applied them to basically everything about living together. And while you wouldn't know it by last night's post, there has been very little tension in the 17 months we've lived together. Which, considering the situations both of us have been in with former roommates, is pretty amazing.

So this was supposed to be a short post, and it's obviously not (I don't think I'm capable of a short post about anything of any significance), I just wanted to say that yes, last night was bad, but life is still pretty good. :o)