So I said that in my Junior Year I decided to return to the Berkeley dorms. As with most schools, the dorms are designed for incoming Freshmen, who most likely aren't accustomed to living on their own, so the rooming priority is slanted towards them. Still, I applied for a double anywhere and I was assigned a double in Putnam Hall in Unit 1. It was an old building due for renovation in a year or two, after Unit 3 (which was done by the time I started school) and Unit 2 (which was being done now). So once again it was basic accomodations.

I've written before about how really annoyed I was with my roommate that year. Time and the mind is a great thing, as you tend to forget all those non-important events that seemed so bad back then. I forget where Seth was from, out of state certainly. I think Canada. He brought a stereo system and his collection of hard rock and metal albums, as well as his guitar and motorcycle. Not the neatest person in the world, really quite sloppy.

College changes people. Idealistic young kids who don't know much about the world get their first taste of independence. I think most people start with the intention of studying and having fun. For a lot of people the fun takes a life of its own. Berkeley is not much different than other colleges in that respect. There are lots of parties, especially at the fraternities and sororities. Coffee shops and clubs, protests and rallies, there always seemed some sort of protest or rally, whether for Peace in the Middle East or higher wages for the GSIs.

I, being a rather introverted person, didn't really do much of that. Seth on the other hand found the place he had always longed for. He could go play his guitar and jam in pick up bands at several places, become a born-again hippie with the tie-dyed shirts and scruffy pants, he tried pot and attended rallies and in had a life. To paraphrase the quote, "he didn't learn much that year, but he learned a lot about *life*".

Unfortunately, he did a lot of that learning in our room. When not studying (which he did occassionally) he practiced on his guitar (it was an electric guitar, loud sucker) or listened to his rock music. He drank a lot and though he wasn't a really loud drunk, he was still quite talkative. There was the time he brought in one of the many homeless people in Berkeley to sleep in our room and take a shower in the morning. Naturally, he had extended the offer after drinking too much and if only the guy had taken a shower first and then slept in our room it would have been ok. But that was the worst smell I've ever had to endure.

We didn't hit it off. It's not like we hated each other -- he was certainly a nice guy and considerate once he realized that he was annoying you, and I didn't hate him since he was only a kid. But we didn't talk to each other much and we had nothing in common to bond with. So it was a strange sort of relationship.

Across the hall were Cliff and his roommate (who's name I've forgotten). I got to know them better and hung out at their room a lot, since it was much better being there than being in my room. Cliff was Korean with a relatively rich dad. He was into Tae Kwan Do and did competitions, though he'd be the first to admit that Tae Kwan Do is a showy martial arts, less suitable for a real fight. Cliff's roommate was into hockey (New Jersey Devils I think) and 90210 (and that's when I started watching that show).

Cliff and I became friends, which is strange since I usually take my lead from taller guys (cause I'm short). But actually I did most of the leading since he was a Freshman. We'd go to Sun Hong Kong (one of my favorite restaurants in Berkeley that I never go to since no one else in my group other than Woo seems to like it -- Hong Kong style cooking is a bit different than other Chinese cooking) with Cliff's brother and his brother would always pay. That's where I got my taste for Black Bean Sauce and had Beef with Scrambled Eggs (partially raw) over Rice. Home Kong style chow mein is just heavenly.

(continued)