Closure

Two wonderful things happened today: My Windows 7 upgrade package arrived; and RM and all his stuff are out of the house. Initially, I was annoyed because I almost just missed him, but we both got here at the same time. I almost would have stayed out longer, but I thought since he hadn't said anything, he'd come tomorrow instead, when I'd be at a holiday musical, of all things (it's supposed to be good!). As it happened, though, I couldn't have asked for a more painless parting, as RM encounters go. I was expecting the opposite--I was primarily concerned that he might expect a parting hug of some sort, but a handshake sufficed. I was also concerned that he'd want to have a drawn-out exit interview, but we settled for a brief 'sorry things got bad.' I never did tell you what was on that note:

Computers are taking over. It's costing us our social skills-we don't know how to talk to our neighbors anymore. It's sad!

Now, this is absurd on many levels, the most clear-cut being twisted reasoning that I wasn't talking to RM because of some computer addiction, rather than because he'd completely alienated me and made me wary of showing him any modicum of friendliness. Anyway, he's out--as is his stuff--and I'm ready to move on. Gracie, not so much. After he left, she let out this 'meow?' as in, where's my friend going. All I could say was, 'sorry, Gracie. I understand where you’re coming from, but it's for the best. Oh, and this doesn’t mean you need to be all over me more than usual, as you have been for the last week or so.'

Now it's time to get some incense and clear his presence from that room. And start an indoor garden in there, once I rearrange the furniture--dude had a horrible sense of feng shui. I'll clean the whole house--I could definitely use a cleaning ritual to mark his departure. I won't change the locks--he returned the key, and I trust he hasn't made a copy of it--but I will change the alarm code. Even though he hasn't lived here for almost a week now, there's something cathartic about his having officially moved out. The Roommate Experiment has come to a peaceful conclusion.