Western Courier

Issue date: 10/2/09 Section: Opinion

Skylar Patridge/cartoonist

So let's say it's the middle of a long work-week, and you've been at the library all night working on that 10-page research paper or meeting with your group to put together a presentation that is worth 30 percent of your final grade. All you want to do is throw your books on your desk (or your floor, I'm not always that tidy either) and crawl in under the covers for a well-deserved night of sleep. Instead, you turn the key in the lock, open the door and are greeted with a scene straight from the Discovery Channel.

That's right. You just walked in on your roommate having sex.

Aside from the obvious discomfort of seeing the person who inhabits the same tiny box you do in a most compromising position, there's also the added fact that your long-awaited and desired sleep must now be put on hold, though in some cases after seeing something like that all you want to do is scour your eyes with a wire brush and huddle under the shower trying to remove the dirt that will never come off.

These situations can be avoided with a little planning or the creation of a signaling system, which can be a discreet way to let your roommate know what is going on within the four walls of your dorm room turned love grotto without alerting the entire floor. There is always the tried and true towel on the doorknob (or sock, or tie, or any other scrap of fabric lying around) or a coded message written on the ubiquitous dorm room dry-erase board, but in this age of technological advancement, it's easier and definitely more inconspicuous to send them a text. There's no need to go in detail, a simple message such as "The eagle flies at midnight" or "Seismic activity in the lower regions" will do.

Shared living spaces make having a sex life slightly more difficult, but not impossible. In order to prepare for the unexpected (bar hook-ups) and in the case of permanent relationships, the best thing to do is to be frank with your roommate and discuss the situation. Making a plan to alert each other about the possibility of sexual activity can prevent embarrassment for all parties involved.

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