satyromaniac
Random word list:
satyromaniac
sphenocephalous
nivernaise
territorialism
psychos
Word chosen: satyromaniac
Definition: a lascivious man; lecher.
Free association word list:
Vince
roommates
studio apartment
simple times
Pizza Hut
delivery
hard on the car
POS car(s)
Chevy Citation
strange cars
Dodge Diplomat
old cop car
bullet hole
guns
shooting
NRA
guns good
people bad
Word chosen: simple times
Writing:
When I was first on my own, I was in a two bedroom duplex with 4 other people, but that’s a story for another time. I want to tell you about the apartment that J.J. (and then eventually Vince) and I lived in.
It was a two-level studio. That basically means one big room downstairs, and one big room upstairs. Big is a relative term. The rooms were about 12×30 or so. Not really all that big. Downstairs was the kitchen, and upstairs was the bathroom. There was also a closet on each level. It was a great place to live because we were all just getting started out, and didn’t have lots of money.
The apartment ran $99 a month, and our two phone lines and electric bill ran us another $25-$30 a month more. Once you split that three ways, the total cost of living there was about $40 bucks a month for each of us.
We all worked at Pizza Hut. Vince and J.J. were cooks at a normal Hut that didn’t deliver, and I worked down the road at the Hut that was just a DelCo (Delivery/Carry Out) unit. They were cooks at their Hut, and I was a delivery driver. They had a harder time making ends meet than I did, though. They just got their hourly wages. I had my hourly wages plus $0.50 per delivery plus tips. In a week, I would usually make enough to cover my monthly bills. That left me with my paycheck, and extra tips to have fun with.
Most people would consider that extra money beer money. There were two problems with that. J.J. and Vince were recovering alcoholics, so no booze in the apartment. We were also all under 21, but that was more of a challenge than a true barrier to getting booze in my hometown.
Instead of booze, I would spend my extra money on books. Role-playing books to be exact. That was during my “buy every RPG out there” phase. There were some crappy ones (Pendragon and Dangerous Journeys come to mind), and there were some really good ones (Cyberpunk 2020, Top Secret S/I, and D&D 2nd ed. come to mind.) There were also some mediocre ones, but they slip my memories right now. I guess that’s why they were mediocre.
Those were good times… Simple living. Simple job. Simple hobbies. Lots of spare time.
Having said all that, I wouldn’t go back to it in an instant. My life now is much more rewarding than it was back then in every aspect.
