Wow, this is where I was 30 years ago?

It appears that it has been a very long time since I have been on my schedule of writing about people, places or pets on Tuesdays. There was the whole Christmas theme going in the month of December, and November was all about that writing a book in a month goal. (By the way, I have added another 343 words and am on chapter four of the revision; my current goal is to start sending it off to agents by the end of the month.) It is time to get back on track.

This week’s person I met in the fall of 1981. I was in my second year of college, living in Marathon Hall, the only dorm on the tiny UWC-Marathon County Campus. A few of my friends from the year before had signed up to room together, but I wanted to take a chance on meeting someone new. Plus I knew that sometimes the best friends made the worst roommates.

I can’t remember who my original roommate was supposed to be. I could possibly find it in my old journals, but I’m not that ambitious tonight. Whoever it was supposed to be, something fell through or she dropped out or her plane crashed. I was remorseful for a very short time, before I became excited to hear who I would get next.

The rumor was that it would be the sister of one of my friends already living in the dorm. Deb was from Antigo and a total brainiac. She currently has a string of degrees and works for the CDC in Atlanta. I stay in contact with her coz I never know when I will need a connection in the CDC.

Like most sisters, Deb held her younger sibling at arm’s length. They could get along fine when they had to, but got along the best when they were in different cities. Plus they had another seven brothers and sisters at home. That scared me a lot.

I wish I had a video of Gundy. Ok, I won’t go into where that nickname came from (just like I won’t tell you what they called me or why), but Gundy just seemed to fit her. Someday I will have to at least scan a picture of her, but my scanner isn’t quite working yet.

Anyway, Gundy had this little dance move, jiving her hands up and down and jutting out her butt. She couldn’t jut out her chest because she didn’t have one and joked about it constantly. “Honestly, I put my bra on backwards this morning and never even noticed.” Some of the things she said. “I am hotter than a bee in Siberia”. She was the sweetest girl, never talking bad about anyone, and slapping her hand across her mouth if a swear word spilled out.

She wasn’t the best housekeeper and how we got our room deposit back when we moved out in the spring is beyond me. I have no clue how all those floor tiles came loose or how that lamp broke. And the Halloween pumpkin that Gundy found in the bottom of her closet in May? It didn’t leave much of a stain on the floor and the room actually did air out rather quickly. Ah, college memories.