Page 2 of 5 < >

Five's Company

Park Road housemates Jorge Silva-Bañuelos, Susie Armitage, Teresa Svart, Joe Cardosi and Elizabeth Ody, whose personalities find expression in both living room and laundry room. (Ph0tos By James M. Thresher -- The Washington Post)

Discussion Policy

Comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. Finally, we will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.

You find your house on Craigslist, under a posting that says, "$595 -- Large bedroom in house with four fun professionals (Mt. Pleasant)." You go to an open house, with 30 or 40 other house-seekers, and you try to make an impression without seeming too desperate. The obviously desperate make wild, unkeepable promises, like "I love cleaning bathrooms and making lasagna for my roommates." So you try not to do that.

And then, despite the fact that you were, in fact, a little desperate, the roommates pick you. And now you live in a group house.

Constant Divvying

This is what it's like to live at Park Road:

8:51 p.m.: TV channel begins on the Republican presidential debate, at the request of a houseguest.

8:53: Teresa requests a score check for the D.C. United soccer match. They're losing.

8:54: Back to CNN.

8:57: Elizabeth asks if anyone wants a beer. The choices are fancy or cheap. Sean, the houseguest, requests a fancy beer.

8:59: Elizabeth returns and reminds everyone to pay Susie, because the fancy beers are technically hers.

9:00: Elizabeth announces that "Grey's Anatomy" is beginning.

9:02: Score check.

9:02.30: CNN.

9:05: "Grey's Anatomy."

< 2 >