Things I Was Not Aware Of Until I Had Roommates

So...the idea from this post came from a topic of conversation in the car the other day.....where I immediately thought 'excellent idea for a blog post'...

I was talking about some of the things I had NO CLUE about until I had roommates.... (In the real world...college roommates and real world with job roommates are NOT the same....) and I realized the list is pretty freaking hilarious. 

Let's just say THANK GOD for my sake (and yours!) I lived with these ladies. 

Before we get into the list...let me introduce you to the Roomies: 

(we are a pretty good looking bunch, aren't we?!?!)

E is a working gal (check out her blog here!) and L is in law school. They are fab ladies and have been putting up with me for almost 5 years, so that says a lot about their character.

Anyways, I have learned a lot of valuable and RANDOM things from them..... (mostly having to do with the kitchen....both of them LOVE to cook...I do not.....)...and sometimes when I give them blank stares they just roll their eyes and give me an 'Oh, Alexxxx'.....it's pretty comical BUT thank the dear lord  we ran into each other, or I wouldn't know a DAMN THING about:

Plantation Shutters-Yep, no clue what the heck these things were or what was so great about them. As soon as I looked them up online and saw how much they cost, I immediately understood why I never knew about them beforehand....I have a Jewish father, he would NEVER spend that kind of money on blinds.

Kitchen Aid Mixers before Marriage- This is one of those things I thought was reserved for 'married folk only'...as if it were some rite of passage into that foreign land way off in outer space I will never visit. Then L showed up with one when we moved in, and baking things has NEVER BEEN THE SAME. If you don't have one, don't wait until you have a wedding registry...just go get one.

All-Clad Cookware-So I don't exactly cook, and my mom didn't cook all that much either growing up. Then all the sudden I find out about this super nice, hella expensive stuff that apparently anyone who is anyone has. Well shoot, wtf does that make me?

Dutch Ovens- Again, I said it would be heavy on the cooking/kitchen. We have one in our house, I have NEVER used it, but I fully intend on getting one when we go our separate ways. I know you can use it for soup AND you can put it in the oven, so look at that.

Dinners other than oven-baked grilled chicken- Yeah, so I kinda just throw some chicken breasts in a pyrex, catch up on Bravo and wait for the timer to beep when my chicken is done. Then I moved in with E&L and they make all sorts of fancy chicken...mostly never in the oven. I am sure somewhere down the road a man will be very thankful I learned there are meals other than oven-baked chicken.

Extreme Aversion to Overhead Lighting- this one I will never understand, but according to my research, almost 90% of the female population HATES overhead lighting. Who knew? I fall in the 10% category...this is probably because I am blind and I like bright rooms...I could care less where the damn light comes from, as long as I can see. My roommates on the other hand prefer dim, lamp-lit rooms. 

(disclaimer: this monstrosity is not in our house....this is the first thing that comes up when you type in 'overhead lighting' in google....)

Ovens do fall apart into pieces-especially if your oven is a POS like ours. Hopefully, Sears is at our house fixing this situation ASAP, because if I told you this actually happens about once a week you would probably tell me I am lying (but I'm really not....and it looks hilarious, but when the oven is 400 degrees and you have to use oven mits and get a 3rd hand to help you bring out whatever is cooking inside, it's suddenly no longer funny but quite dangerous)

Blue Bell Ice Cream-Texas' best gift to the rest of the country....(have you had this stuff? It's freaking a-mazing and generally NOT available in Virginia...BLAH)

and anything else having to do with Texas. E lived in Texas for a few years, so I have learned all sorts of interesting Texan things like Cowboy boots go with everything and can be worn any time of the year in any weather. Also, Tex-Mex is NOT the same as Mexican....you are supposed to use a tortilla to dip into queso (not chips...) and everyone drives a SUV in Texas.

Anthrpologie's Home Section- this is really sad, but I had NO CLUE that Anthropologie had the best home section of any store put on this planet. (I know....I know....we all have to start somewhere people....) Before I lived with E&L, I only went there for dresses...now it's my favorite part of the whole store. My bank account has never been the same since. 

Voluspa (and other pricey) candles- I am def not a HUGE candle person, but they sure smell good and our house is covered in them. They not only make GREAT gifts, but they come in cute decorative tins that look good on any tabletop or bookcase. Thank goodness I didn't get too far into my 20s before realizing this house must-have.

LUSH Cosmetics- This store is amazing! It has a wide array of natural products hand-made in North America (ooooh Canada....) that I love! 

Advent Calendars-This Jewish girl who loves Christmas decorations had never seen nor heard of one of these bad boys until 2008....but they are awesome. Who doesn't want 25 little gifts to get you through December? Sounds like a GREAT idea!

Phew...that is exhausting and almost shameful to admit...but the good news is I am no longer living in the dark about any of the above!

All I can say is Thank You E&L for teaching me new things all the time :)