Sunday evening ramble

I hardly expected any responses to my roommate ad, based on the terms (i.e., must be out of the house a lot), but that's what some people are looking for. The demand is actually kind of heart-breaking, especially among the contingent who doesn't actually have a job that takes them out of town a lot, but insist that they're quiet. That's another thing I don't want: a roommate who doesn't feel comfortable, feels like they have to be invisible (I prefer the kind that are invisible by nature).

But here's the other thing: the more the idea of a roommate becomes more concrete, the more I realize I don't want a roommate. Ugh--what have I done? Then again, it would be nice to have solar panels.

Contrast this sea of people looking for an inexpensive place to crash with the sign I saw up in the salon for trial-size Aveda products: "Thank your yoga teacher, your dog walker, your barista." As eye-rolling as that is, I realize it's not out of touch with Alexandria. Alexandria's crazy that way--highest poverty rate in NOVA, I think, and also high yoga/dog/coffee shop identity.