How NOT to pick a roommate.

Let's go back to August 2011.  I have just moved into a new apartment, with my new(ish) girlfriend, Leah.  Signed a lease, moved all of our belongings across the lake from Mandeville to a 2 bedroom apartment in Uptown New Orleans.  If that sounds awesome, you're right, it was pretty awesome.

Unfortunately, it sounded awesome to pretty much everyone we knew in Mandeville as well.  Within 2 weeks we had several people calling us wanting to crash, stopping by randomly.  Parties didn't get planned during this time, they just kind of happened.  Normally I'm okay with the odd person crashing on my couch, but that's only when they don't decide to burrow in and camp out for weeks...

Enter, Daisy.  She is about 20 years old, waitress at a Waffle House.  She's young, a little naive.... wait who am I kidding? This girl has no common sense and the survival skills of a lemming.  She calls us up, excited about her new job in the French Quarter as a "Shot Girl", and for those who don't know, this is about one step above prostitute.  These girls literally whore themselves out to sell shots to guys in clubs, and they are paid 100% commission.  But, whatever, to each their own.  She asks if she can crash for the weekend while she has work, and I am too nice to turn down anyone, so she came down that weekend.

Here's where the insanity begins.  She shows up on Thursday night with her overnight bag...AND AN EXTRA PERSON, her friend and "sister" (but not really) Stacy.  Stacy has, from all outward appearances, the exact same back story as Daisy.  About 20, shot girl on the weekend, waitress at a Waffle House.  I'm not happy that no one called to ask if this was okay first, but I agree to let them stay for the weekend anyway.

What started out as one weekend, turned into EVERY weekend. They would come over Thursday night, and leave Tuesday afternoon.  Now, at first this was no big deal, I am pretty laid back and go with the flow most of the time.  We got to know, and like, Stacy.  She seemed to have her shit together, 3 jobs, plans for college, came from a pretty hard situation, but was determined to do better for herself, and was very respectful of our home, always cleaned up after herself, asked permission to do things, tried not to butt in on our life too much.  Daisy, on the other hand, was the polar opposite.  She almost acted like Leah and I should have felt honored to have her grace our home.  She ate all of my food, dirtied all of the dishes, never picked up after herself, followed me around everywhere, and never left me alone, Leah and I even woke up with her sleeping in our bed one morning!

The final straw came when Daisy decided that she wasn't going home during the week anymore.  She started picking up extra shifts without even bothering to ask first, and just stopped leaving.  When she sensed we were about to say something to her, she would stay out at a friends house for a night or 2, always leaving her stuff behind.  Finally, after much complaining to Stacy, we just put her stuff on the back porch, changed the locks, and sent her a message to come get her stuff, it didn't finally disappear for about 2 weeks!!

End of one problem.... Beginning of another...  Stacy wound up moving into our guest bedroom as a full blown roommate, paying rent and all... But that is a story for next time.