One More Writer

Meet Andy, my roommate and an avowed metrosexual. Notice the tells: The banana rack, the wooden dishrack ... he lacks his own rack, or it might be tough to tell him apart from your average housewife.

He's a great roommate, though. His ex-wife left him all the Pampered chef stuff, including the chic apron, so the kitchen is reasonably well outfitted.

Andy was slicing watermelon Saturday for our party - a horray it's summer kegger for about 20 people. Although everyone invited was a journalist like ourselves, they failed to uphold the stereotype - as of 3 a.m. Sunday morning, we still had beer in the keg. Lots of beer, in fact. Enough beer that Andy and I just had to have another party that day. No one wanted to come though, so after I'd slept off the previous day's hangover, I had four beers more on Sunday. I think Andy had 10, though it's hard to ask them these sort of things when he's busy in the kitchen, cooking hamburgers at 11 at a night for me and his girlfriend. His woman didn't want to take advantage of his drunkeness. But I saw it as an opportunity, which is why he was in the kitchen making me food. :-)

It's a pretty balanced arrangement, though. I do all the dishes, he cleans the floors, he cleans the bathrooms and we both bitch about each other's offspring. Mine has more teeth. His can yell louder. And despite my jokes about his girlish habits, he's a much better drinker than I : He can have twice the beers before his head hits the floor.

I go to Eugene this weekend to visit friends, family and Lillian, whom I appear to be dating again. I am rather happy with this arrangement, although it has been difficult maintaining ties via phone line at times. Unfortunately, being so attached to everyone back in Oregon has made it hard to connect to Arkansans. Not that I mind, but there are plenty of nice people in this odd midwestern state, and I'll try my best to get to know them if I can.

Wednesday I take a Pilates class. I'm stokked. My goal is to get down to 190 pounds. I'm at 196 ... up three from my low of 193 a week and a half ago when I was running twice a week.

Haven't found a church yet. Haven't really looked, either. I sleep too late. Poker is going well, although I've done little more than break even in the last month-long period.