High Street houses construct family… constructs – Part 2

Once upon a time, Brooke Yoder ’12 was a senior in high school, while Claire Reeder ’11, Lucy Bloch-Wehba ’11, who serves as Editor-in-Chief of the S&B, Augustus Karisch ’11 and Kale Knisley ’11 came to Grinnell College. The rest is history. The “four jocks and a Bloch” currently inhabit 1010 High Street—the pea-green colored abode nestled between Soccer House of years past and the overzealously shambly 1008.

Fifty-odd pairs of shoes offer a welcoming sight at the front door, carpeting one’s way into the cozy living-dining room. Here you’ll find all the essentials of college life—an Optimus Prime shrine tucked away in the corner, a vintage painting from Goodwill and a metal plaque of The Last Supper adorning the walls. Apart from being a comfortable living space, the house is also tailored to meet the requirements of its residents—the showerheads are sufficiently high enough for the likes of Knisley, while Bloch-Wehba is accomodated by the extremely low kitchen counters.

When asked about any special house traditions, Yoder said “We cleaned once, does that count?”

Along with sporadic attempts at cleanliness, other family practices seem to include the recently discovered love of Electric Light Orchestra, Wham’s “Wake Me Up Before You Go Go” on Sunday mornings and occasional alcoholic beverage consumption—especially popular after a strenuous day of cleaning.

“We have once-done traditions that will hopefully be done at least once more,” Reeder said.

What the house folk may lack in established traditions, they certainly make up for in familial roles.

“Lucy and I, we’re the moms of the family—tree and shrub,” Reeder said. The nicknames refer to the substantial size different between Reeder, 6’0”, and Bloch-Wehba, 5’0”.

Karisch and Knisley are dubbed Dad number one and two, while baby Yoder brings up the rear. But rumor has it that Karisch is dating Yoder, Reeder and Bloch-Wehba—all at the same time. It’s hard to tell where such ridiculous claims stem from, but Bloch-Wehba was able to shed some light on the subject.

“[It was] probably that time Brooke, Claire, and I had that one conversation about how we’re all attracted to Augustus,” Bloch-Wehba said.

“I’m flattered,” said Karisch, buried behind his Optimus Prime mask.

There has been some debate over the naming of the house. Suggestions have ranged from last year’s Binary House to Trinary House—it’s 10/10 in the year 2010, get it?— to Meat Haus, to the acronym B.L.A.C.K. House (the first letter of each of their names) and finally, Bad Romansion.

Though opinions vary across the residents of 1010, Little House on the Prairie: Home, Home off the Range seems to be the favorite.

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned in college, [it’s] that the key to a successful title is a colon,” Bloch-Wehba said.