The first year (or portion of a year, I should say) I had my webpage online. At this point, I had no idea that my online journal would become the monstrosity that it is now. There are so many chapters, so many directions, displaying the captured moments of my life-- right here on the web. Amazing, isn't it? Well in 1998 it was very amazing to me.
I was living in Philadelphia, PA. I was unhappy in my jobs. I wasn't doing what I wanted to be doing, and I wasn't living where I wanted to be living. The greatest thing about my life at this time was my roommate situation. I lived in a crappy part of town (West Philly, the third worst neighborhood in Philly) in a crappy house that was falling apart and smelled very moldy. But my roommates-- they were awesome. There were 7 of us altogether-- Colin, Tia, me, Mike, Laura, Dan, and Rob. Colin and Tia lived in the basement (they're a couple), I lived on the first floor (the other "bedroom" was used as our TV room)... Mike ran the house and lived on the second floor, Laura lived on the second floor too... then Dan and Rob lived on the third floor.
We had plenty of room even though the house was small. We meshed well together. None of us really liked Laura, so she became our scapegoat. We were all such different people that we played off each other's differences to maintain our laid-back getting-along type atmosphere. It is, without a doubt the best roommate situation I've ever had. I miss those people, I miss that situation, I miss having such a family-like atmosphere. It was so cool... they became like my family away from home. And I needed that, and welcomed the feeling.
Colin and Tia are musicians, and while living in that house they began building their home studio. They're progressive, and I think Tia's voice is one of the most incredible, amazing voices I've ever heard.
Mike is a lab technician, very quiet and softspoken but he also likes a good joke or story. A genuine good guy and hard worker. He would never intentionally do anyone harm.
Laura was the flighty teacher who went through jobs faster than Madonna went through hairstyles. She always made excuses for herself and the way she acted, like "Well I'm black you know, something you wouldn't understand, so don't even go there." That would definitely be something she would say (maybe she did? I don't remember now). She had more problems with men that I will ever have (that's a LOT).
Dan was the antique dealer and slacker Drexel student. He's campy and a lot of fun, but don't try walking into his room-- because you couldn't... it was too cluttered with great antique finds (a lot of toys and small furniture items-- his parents have been in the antique dealing business for many years). You'd have to step over or on everything in his tiny room just to get to the closet (which was used as storage for toys instead of for clothes), his bed, or his desk. If you were trying to get to the window to open or close it-- forget it.
And then there was Rob. A very odd guy indeed. He and I actually became quite close in my stint as a roommate there on 39th St. He's so ritualistic it's almost ridiculous. He's obnoxiously practical. He doesn't really care about much of anything. Well, he does, but he seldom admits it. He's an interesting cross between outgoing and antisocial, because he can be both, depending on his mood. I don't know why or how we became such good friends, but we did. I have to say out of all the people in the house, I miss him the most.
That's pretty much the sum of my life during the last 4 months of 1998. With all of that being said...