Batting pretty well

[miss_yt]

I recently put up a Craigslist ad for a new roommate since colorwhirl is leaving soon. I've gotten five replies already, but only three are "good." This is because of the smoking issue. Two people have assured me that they will only smoke outside, but I said that was non-negotiable. I can't trust that they won't get lazy and try to smoke out the window or something in cold weather, and I don't want to have the smell in my living space at all, even if it's faint. Call me picky, but...

Also, I am about halfway through Alfred Bester's The Demolished Man. It's very obviously an old-school science fiction book, but in addition to his concept/speculative visions, Bester could write with grace and could create three-dimensional and believable, though not exceptional, characters. He also sets up the story in such a way that you aren't sure who to root for and, as a consequence, the ending does not seem predetermined. It's quite refereshing to read a science fiction author who can do the fiction as well as the science.

Oddly enough, certain aspects of the book remind me of Transmetropolitan, in that they are imaginitive and beautiful, yet at the same time bizzare and disturbing. This is a real chestnut of a book.

Comments

[arcessita.livejournal.com]

I've never tried to screen people, but I do know someone who asked for a facebook profile in the ad. You could ask for something like that--LJ/myspace/friendster/whatever--and poke through their profile and their friends' profile to get an idea of what they're like. The nice thing about facebook is that it's a limited set of people, which increases the likelihood that someone you know knows them. I don't think outright asking for a character reference would work. Any creep worth their salt can write a sockpuppet reference.

[miss-yt.livejournal.com]

Maybe I can edit the ad to ask for a facebook or LJ reference (I am not going to touch MySpace, it is t3h 3vil).

I also thought I should explain my reasons for asking applicants to meet me outside this particular bar near my building, instead of at the front door. I figure that some creepy guy posing as a girl or a serial killer wouldn't want to meet me in a relatively public place first, or give me extra breathing room. So it's a sort of screening device in and of itself.