Intro
Since moving to Seattle 6 years ago, I have lived in the same house. It's spacious, has cheap rent, and some may say luxurious in a way. It also has 5 bedrooms, and over the years, I have lived with 11 distinct long-term (at least 1 year) housemates.
To no one's surprise, there have been ups and downs and those with whom I enjoyed living more than others. In an effort to overcome the over-saturation of sports content, I endeavor to rank my housemates.
A few disclaimers:
- The names used in the rankings are fictitious to maintain some level of privacy and not be overtly obvious.
- This ranking is meant to be good fun. I truly enjoyed living with every person and no one should take a low ranking as an insult.
- All verbs will be past-tense so as not to provide context clues for if someone is a current housemate or not.
- Rankings are mostly based on the reflection of each person as a housemate specifically. That's not to say who they are as a person and the level of friendship we share plays no role in positioning, but I tried to focus on one's capacity as a housemate.
Without further ado, the official yellow house rankings:
Rankings
#11 – Marcus
Bringing up the rear is an individual who was messy, had a loose interpretation of what counted as his food, and treated hanging out as an optional activity.
#10 – Derek
Now, there is a sizable gap between the top 10 and everyone else, but someone needs to be ranked at the bottom. This person wasn't around all that much, and we generally just didn't have too much in common.
#9 – Colin
In ninth place is a man who rarely joined in on house meals, and you could count on him to leave his laundry in the dryer at least once a month.
#8 – Shane
Shane spent a lot of time in his room and had a complicated relationship with returning dishes in a timely manner. But the moment he emerged, the energy in the house went up considerably. There was never a dull moment with him in the room.
#7 – Brian
Brian kept the place tidy and was the kind of housemate who noticed when things needed to be done and just did them. We didn't have a ton in common, but I always felt the house was in good hands when he was around.
#6 – Kevin
Landing just outside the top 5 is someone with whom I could share in my Packers' fandom. He's a fan of multiple sports, so ball-watching is always on the menu. The bonding extended beyond sports to the occasional tv episode as well. The fact he was never in on house meals lowered his ceiling.
#5 – Scott
Spot 5 is reserved for a man who cooked some fire dinners and planned even greater parties. Unfortunately, he also left the back door open way too much.
#4 – Greg
Just outside the podium, Greg was the ultimate ball-watcher despite having questionable fandoms. Vibes were always high when he was around, and he always made sure the beer fridge was stocked.
#3 – Danny
The last spot on the podium is for an individual who checked just about every box. He brought excellent vibes, liked to house sit dogs, got in on meals, and was always down to hang.
#2 – Ryan
I've known Ryan the longest and could go on about him as a bro. He started the meal train that continues to this day and was a consistent instigator of good times. He was a reliable chauffeur to the mountain for skiing or hiking and was responsible for my newfound golf addiction.
#1 – Matt
And finally, the man who has shared the yellow house with me longer than anyone. Matt set the standard for tidiness, never missed a house dinner, and could always be counted on for a ride to the mountain. But the thing that seals the top spot is: the man plays piano, and on the right evening, the whole house gets a serenade.