Roommate Ruminations

Since the late 1980s, I've lived with more than a dozen roomates, including women in a five-bedroom house while I was in college and the five or six years thereafter.

When people first hear that number, they often gasp and assume either (1) I'm really difficult to live with or (2) I am no judge of character whatsoever.

While both of those assumptions may, indeed, be true, it's also true nearly all of these women were terrific. Several became good friends and remain so today. Less than a month ago, a new roommie joined me, and I'm once again struck by a couple secrets to roommate success:

• Avoid living with someone who's already a friend. It can work, but friends tend to have preconceptions about each other.
• Word-of-mouth from friends or acquaintances beats an ad.
• Agreeing to ground rules may cause eye-rolling, but they're worth it. (And if someone really objects to abiding by any rules, do you really want to live with that person?)