Awful August

Hey Steph,
  August is the worst month. Most places it is really hot. This is not a negative for me, but for a lot people it is. It is the last month of summer, which means you spend half of it saddened by summer's impending departure--just like the last day of visiting home: you're still with your family but you might as well be on a plane because sadness ruins the entire day. (I will support with free editing and non-processed food for life the person that invents the transporter.)

Beam me up, Stephy!

In the transient life of a single-person in a college town, August means transferring your home base to another apartment and often living out of your car and on a friend's couch in between contracts. If the world wasn't already screaming loud enough at you that you don't belong, August rears its cruel head, reminding you that no one else is making and going through substantial life choices with you like where to live. And if you are not moving, most likely your roommates are, so the family-like unit you've created for the last year is rooted up, leaving a vacated, sterile space for a living room. That name no long seems fitting as you come in from work to your lonely space; Dying room fits better. And then, when you think your home that has turned into just a place you sleep and dwell takes another hit: Your moving roommate turns off the internet in the middle of a Skype chat with your family (a desperate attempt at restoring peace and love to your life). Now even the connection to the outside world via the interwebs is gone. You are all by yourself in the sucky month of August.

August: a month you drag yourself through to get to September; a period of uncertainty, change, and homelessness

August also means other changes like new roommates. My neighbor friend just got a new roommate. Upon her arrival, the roommate said that she can't stand having any dishes in the sink ever. Now, I'm all for cleanliness, and I work hard to keep the common areas of my house clean and liveable, but it kind of bugs me when people move in and make statements like that. It seems like a fairly arrogant viewpoint. "Look, I can't stand a single dish out of place. So please make sure to keep me happy and keep it spotless." When did your definition of clean become gospel truth? I consider myself a clean person, but my definition of clean isn't one of constant, immediate cleanliness. Generally, I make dinner, eat the food while it is hot, and then clean my dishes, but I had a roommate who would come into the kitchen during that gap, begrudgingly and huffingly put away the dishes and then walk by me with a look that said, "I can't believe I have to put up with you." Dirty dishes can be annoying and frustrating for sure, but I feel like my super clean roommates, more often than the others, were more irritable and less patient with others. Just as they have to deal with a few dirty dishes, I have to deal with judgmental looks and shame for not being perfectly clean from them. So, if you like things clean, have some patience. Instead of entering an apartment and laying down the law about dirty dishes, just wait and see what happens. Have some patience, and if you have a roommate that routinely leaves a sink full of dishes over night, kindly ask her to clean up her stuff. Problems will probably ensue as your two personality traits try create new habits and beliefs on cleanliness, but remember your opinion might not be the only correct way.

So, Steph, have I griped enough today? I'm sorry. I had a bunch of options to talk about, but I couldn't move through the uncertainty created by August. But I do fall asleep remembering that I have a bed to live in, my electricity is working, I have a job, and a cell phone to call home anytime I want.

Cheers,

Amanda

What's your least favorite month? Hints on liking August?