Temporary Housing

I will be going to upstate New York this summer to do some archaeological fieldwork, and need a place to stay. I found some temporary housing possibilities on craigslist, but since I live in NYC, a friend of mine, from that region, has agreed to visit possible rooms to rent, on my behalf.

After I gave her a list of things to check out, her over-protectiveness kicked in, she is my Mom's age. It is a gesture I appreciate, although it is somewhat unnecessary, but it makes me feel cared for. She said she would find out if my potential housemates were clean, nice, had moral standards, and what their sexual proclivities were. I suspect some of this information was more for her own vicarious pleasure, and, mine too. I replied, that moral standards were like expectations, and that there should be none; as for sexual habits, let's face it, it's fun to hear about sexual escapades.

So, after she saw some possibilities, she decided one was suitable for my stay, I trust her judgment and will take the room she recommends. Unfortunately, no one was forthcoming about their sex life, and moral standards can't be judged in one visit alone. One of the apartments she visited belonged to a white male under-graduate student, who greeted her rather coldly and rushed her through the visit. He kept saying that he had a doctor's appointment, even though he had agreed to show the room at that specific time.

I think it is because he expected her to be younger, not his grand-mother's age. My friend is a very fit, Caucasian lady, with a hippie disposition, whose company I enjoy.

Appearance does tell you lot about a person, but I think it tells you more about your own preconceived notions of others. We place a lot of value on looks, and while it maybe hard to get past that, ultimately the outward appearance is only temporary housing for the soul. As for my temporary housing for this summer, well, it won't be with the under-graduate boy, in addition to being kind of a douche-bag his place was not very clean.