Mr. Y and Lloyd can be absolute "lads", in that they act like little boys with Tonka trucks in the sandbox, kicking the sand in the face of the lone scrawny American who wishes to park her tractor there, too. They love to gang up on the lone American chickie and give her grief, usually all done under the guise of friendly drinking.
We spend our evenings watching Lloyd's favortie "Eastenders", which is this English soap opera in which everyone has slept with everyone, hates everyone, or plans on chopping up and cooking everyone, the boys talking about the brilliance that is Jeremy Clarkson (an uppity guy with a Brillo pad for a hairdo that reviews cars and loves to make fun of Americans, all done while trying to fit his gut in under the steering wheel), or one or another of us having to pay up on bets we have had in which we have checked a word in the dictionary and proved ourselves triumphant. They especially like to make fun of American terms and phrases.
Yeah...cause that never gets old.
Losers.
Friday is my night. I claim the TV then. It's my American TV, beer, and pizza night. I have one hour of "Friends", some "Will and Grace", and (up until last week), "Sex and the City". They showed the last episode of that last week, and I cried like a baby.
I also seem to be cleaning a lot-not because they make me, but since I hate clutter, I hate dirty dishes, and I hate not having things in their proper places. That, and I think that loose hairs should be moved out of the bathtub, peach toilet paper should be illegal, and meals don't have to be eaten over the sink.
The boys are a great laugh, though. I really love them.
A bit about Lloyd-he's 30 years old (only just), of Indian descent, and very discreet-he only just revealed that he has recently split up after a long term relationship. He and I went and saw "Starsky and Hutch", we watch terrible TV when Mr.Y is away, and we discuss the pros and cons of the death penalty while knocking out a bottle of wine (I am pro, he is against.)
But sometimes the boys come through in a startling round of sensitivity. Mr. Y gets sensitive to me doing too much washing up, and we truly do take turns making dinner. Lloyd likes to re-adjust the lilies I have bought, making sure they all get equal time in the sun, and he likes to sit beneath them and just take in their deep, woody scent.
And one thing that they have stunned me on is the refrigerator poetry.
You know those stupid magnets that are used to make poetry, all in cheesy Times Roman type on white blocks. I actually hate those things, since (to be honest) I hate clutter. But the boys have these things, and from time to time, I walk into the kitchen and find a new phrase on the fridge. These, to date, are what I have found:
-She blows like a mad dancing queen.
-Sit on my face and drink the lust cup.
-Don't go for my ass you uphill gardener.
-Stop mooning at old boys in the jungle.
-Lick white glory hard from behind and she is in heaven.
But sometimes the boys can be sensitive. So last night I stumbled into the kitchen for a glass of water, and turning on the light, I saw:
"Memories crowd a lonely heart."
Sometimes the boys can touch me with their sweetness.
But once I get all soft on them, they make fun of the way we say Birmingham, Alabama, and then I hate them all over again.
-H.
PS-Happy Birthday, Best Friend. I miss you!
PPS-Abs, thanks for the wonderful card. I loved it!
Posted by Everydaystranger at March 24, 2004 05:27 PM | TrackBackWow...I love that phrase. Memories truly do crowd a lonely heart. And sometimes they're the only thing that keeps it going.
Posted by: Andrea at March 25, 2004 02:59 PMI love Eastenders! You can always be sure that the Christmas day episode will be so sad and depressing that however hard Christmas with the family was seeming, after 'Enders' you feel almost grateful!
I also love male flatemates, i have three, and as for fridge poetry? fab!
Glad you liked the card petal, now, can i please know the date of your birthday?!
abs x
Soooo...
Got any CATS/KITTENS yet?
Impatiently waiting,
me
LOL I love magnetic poetry :)
Posted by: Onyx at March 25, 2004 02:13 AMCool, so its like you are living in a reverse 'Three's Company" sitcom?
Posted by: Marie at March 25, 2004 02:11 AMAs I was born in Birmingham (and my family have never forgiven me for it. Birmingham = bad, heh. I see no problem with the place/people. Apparently that makes me retarded.) and then lived in Manchester/Leeds/Northumberland(?) before I moved to Australia, I can comment and with certainty & divine approval/support, say:
Haha, Americans.
Oh yeah--EastEnders rocks!!!
Posted by: angel at March 24, 2004 09:37 PMFor the first year that I was here, people seemed to treat me like I was personally responsible for everything the US government has ever done, and they seemed to delight in making fun of everything I did, said, or wore.
Now that I have been here for 5 and a half years, people still treat me the same way, but I've learned that it's really not personal.
It will probably get very old a lot faster than you'll get used to it, but one day you'll laugh along with them :)
Posted by: angel at March 24, 2004 09:33 PMmmmhhh... I´m not making fun of anyone’s English. Once had to do the voice over of a program, the final test screening for clients approval, because our usual journalist wasn´t available. The program was history related, and to be broadcasted in English only. People were laughing on the ground... the client loved the show, but thought my accent came from the docking area of... Amsterdam! Miguel.
What's wrong with the way we say Birmingham, Alabama?
If they didn't want the 'h', they should have removed it.
Posted by: Serenity at March 24, 2004 08:37 PMbwahaaha, i love "Don't go for my ass you uphill gardener." that's awesome.
an old roommate left us a set of raunchy refrigerator poetry magnets. it was good fun. but we had to take it down when his parents came to visit. tee!
Posted by: kat at March 24, 2004 08:24 PMA boy moved in with my roommate and i a couple of months ago and i totally understand what you're talking about. He can be so very messy (eww! clean out the sink after you shave!!!) and i often think he's just a big red neck oaf. However, i too was surprised by his sensitivity a couple of days ago. My little sister is in grade 12 and i was freaking out about her partying and kissing boys and such and he has a little sister the same age and actually had some great advice and comforting words. It was rather impressive as usually all he talks about is drinking and fighting :P silly boy.
Glad to hear the roommate situation is mostly good :)
Posted by: Laura at March 24, 2004 07:41 PMYeah, that's right. Tell them if they had done it right in the first place we wouldn't have had to do it over again in the States.
Posted by: Jim at March 24, 2004 07:14 PMLeeme guess - they don't like the way you pronounce the "ham" in Birmingham.
Quick note to Y and Lloyd - get over it. It's in the US and we can pronounce it any way we wanna.
Posted by: Clancy at March 24, 2004 07:02 PM