Two Men (and a Girl) in a Boat

Question: How many men does it take to change a light bulb?

Answer: It doesn’t. It takes one woman to remind them to do it.

The first month of living with the boys has been great – the dynamic works well. The curtain falls down, they’re tall enough to fix it. The smoke detector goes, they know how to get on a ladder and change the battery. They need to dry socks, I’ve got my hairdryer at hand. I’m not stereotyping gender roles or being sexist (I know how EUSA disapprove of this), but all I’m saying is for a 5ft girl living under a 9ft ceiling, it’s pretty useful to have the boys around.

The only way I could ever change the lightbulb alone.

From my month’s experience, boys are far more laid back than girls, if there’s a problem you can come straight out and tell them, you don’t have to put up with period pains and above all, if they say that they’re fine then the chances are they are, in fact, actually fine.

After the kitchen traumas from last week I’ve tried to become a little less Monica Gellar in the communal areas and this does mean turning a blind eye to the little bit of wee on the toilet seat. However, with the boys’ easy-going and laid back attitude there’s also a downfall – pranks. I’m no Beyonce but when it’s shower time, I turn into a fusion of Whitney Houston’s sass with Mariah Carey’s vocal gymnastics. If you’ve still managed to bear with me, then please don’t judge the choice of shower song, I don’t control shuffle.

This is how beautiful my singing is.

After downloading ios7, my old songs came back up and Rod Stewart, “You Wear It Well” happened to be the first one. I’m not going to lie, but I blasted that song out like I was performing at the Grammys, trying to mimic Stewart’s husky voice, I whip the towel on my head, open the door to find the two boys grimacing with their phone in my face. They had recorded my private performance. On playback I soon learned that I did not sound like Whitney Huston, or Mariah Carey. I wouldn’t even shame Rebecca Black by saying that I was on her level; I sounded more like Donald Duck having a stroke.

So, I may not have to deal with period pains and mood swings, or the effort of getting on a ladder to change a light bulb, but I do have to repeatedly face the harsh reality that my record deal might not be just around the corner.