When I was applying for housing at WWU, I remember reading the advice that you shouldn't count on making your roommate your best friend. I didn't take that advice, as Charlie was not only the best roommate anyone could ask for, but a heck of a person and fun to hang out with. His witty observations alone were worth the price of admission... AND he is a talented artist. (hey Charlie, where's my $20?) ;-) Here we see Charlie dorking around with his 'Cindy Crawford shrine' smiling at him in the background. 

The Esquire shoot: Left to right, me, Jeff and Charlie.. 

Omega Memories, Part 1

Here is a collection of random memories, both personal and general of WWU and Omega. Feel free to add your own in the 'comments' section.

• Friday night basketball marathon sessions. They were the most fun after eating a ‘Viking Burger’.


• They actually put study carrolls in the study lounge? What’s up with that?


• Who is buying the condoms in the vending machine?


• Freshman year: The first floor women’s ingenius use of feminine hygene products as ghosts for the Halloween hall decorating contest.


• Late night on-campus games of ‘Capture the Flag’.


• The Omega trip to see “Almost Live” and the mad rush home to see it air.


• Geeking out to various videogames on Jason M’s computer.


• Having to make up content for the Omega newsletter because the only submissions I’d get were anonymous, obscure, vaguely violent poems submitted in the dark of night.


• The loud, wild, fun ‘80s music’ parties featuring the music of Duran Duran at Sigma.


• Cans and bottles thrown from Alpha Hall windows. The drunken losers!


• My extremely cool little sis, Karen!


• Late night discussions of elf shoes for cats with Bill Helbig on the first floor.


• The enigma that was Smoker Dave.

Stay tuned for more..

Bill H wondering why I'm snapping his picture while we all try to eat at the Iron Horse in Seattle. 

Charlie tolerating Karen's eyewear make-over. Why Charlie didn't kick my ass for that Paula Abdul poster I put up, I'll never understand. 

Bill Clinton 'hanging out' outside my door to greet me on the morning of my birthday. Courtesy of my roomie, Charlie.. what a nice guy. :) 

Workers bonding molecules together to build the new Chemistry building, which opened in 1995 (?). Eventually another new science building went in next to it. This was the view from my dorm room window. 

Dave, Aaron, me and Bill B ham it up at Omega's festive Halloween bash. 

Isaac and I, circa 1994: I met him in my first hours at WWU, and we continue to be good friends to this day. He's one heck of a person, and very good buddy.  

The name's Bond: Isaac bursts into Charlie and my room Bond style. 

Christine prepares the official 'easy assemble' Omega Christmas tree she galantly harvested from the local wilderness. 

Jason M stops in for a chat with Charlie. 

To all of us, Dixie was a fixture of dorm life. She truly cared about each of the students in Omega (some might argue that she cared too much). She was less of a janitor to some of us and more like our dorm mother. Sadly, she passed away a few years after our time in Omega. She will be missed. 

Posed? What makes you think that? L-R, Jeff B, me and Charlie. We were on the way to a Mariner's game. 

Angela and Karen prepared to duel before going to the Picadilly dance. 

Bumper pool was nearly a religion in Omega. From Isaac and Kenyon's historic duels, to the casual weekend games it was a major draw. Here Doug and Bill H play while Candice and Charlie watch. 

Steve chillin' in Birnam Wood. I cheated here, this was after he moved out of Omega and lived in BW with Isaac, Charlie and Jason M 

Pat and Emily looking spiffy for Casino Night. 

Western Jamming

Angus would’ve been proud. Several intrepid Omegamites decided to lip-sync perform AC-DC’s famous song “Thunderstruck” at the annual springtime ‘Western Jam’, a campus-wide talent show.

To support Omega, and boost our chances at winning..all the Omegamites watching were urged to clap, scream and go nuts during the performance, more that what people would have normally done. At one point, everyone was to rush the stage.

The spirit of the song took us over and our adrenaline pumped, pushing us to rock hard! In the middle of the song we all broke loose and rushed the stage, surprising the judges and the rest of the audience. By the time the song was over, the whole audience was yelling and screaming along with us.

The performance earned Omega 3rd place out of the 10 dorms represented!

Western Jam. The night Omega rocked the house! 

This room was the nexus of Omega. It was here you could find your mail, as well as visit an R.A. during office hours. You could also check out various recreational items or see who was on duty. Personally, I came here for the mail. 

The TV room! Home to movie marathons, X-Files and Northern Exposure watching. Here we have (L-R)Brad, Chris H, Michael and Dave J 

Omega: The R.A.s

Most would think being an R.A. in Omega would be akin to being a forester in the arctic circle--Easy job, not much action, boring even. That might be partially true, because most of the partying took place in other dorms. Those few who took on the responsibility of being R.A.s in Omega found a warm place with some interesting folks.

There were 2 R.A.s each year in Omega. From 1991-92 I remember Tim, and Amy, a blonde girl who was studying genetics. From 92-93 we had Woody and Abbey. I can't remember who was there in 1993-94, maybe you all can refresh my memory.

Personally, I stayed out of trouble with the R.A.s, but did once get into a verbal scrap with our Resident Director, Mara. She wouldn't let me publish an article on the Secret Training of the R.A.s in the Omega newsletter, because it referred to the 'German boot-making industry'..she believed those of German extraction would be offended. My answer was a confused "What the hell are you talking about?"..I ended up scrapping the article to avoid my 20 lashings.

That same year I remember a secret operation to bust Smoker Dave and his girlfriend, Cherilyn drinking a whole six pack in Dave's room. I walked into the bathroom just as Tim was dumping beer after beer down the drain. What was mysterious about it was that no one had seen any R.A. anywhere on the first floor that evening. I suspected that they rappelled down the side of Omega and in through Dave's window.

Here's a couple snapshots of famous Omega R.A.s -->

Isaac with Abbey, one of the most popular R.A.s during my time in Omega. A very nice lady! 

Woody, one of our friendly R.A.s from 1992-93 

Omega Memories, Part 2

Here's a few more personal and general memories of Omega and WWU life..

• Jason M’s insightful commentary.


• Somehow always finding dorm president Michael standing in the shadows near the front door whenever me and my ex gf would come back late at night.


• The massive start of the year dances in Red Square. Do not swim in the fountain afterwards! I stayed away after getting accidentally (emphasis on that)pepper-sprayed during that event one year.


• Isaac and I surviving bottle rocket mortars at the WWU homecoming celebration.


• Filming the “Bubble gum Bandit.”


• Pool and faux-brewskies at Bigfoot’s Bistro


• Real brewskies in Nash/Mathes, Highland, Alpha, Gamma.



• The size of my thighs from walking up the stairs to the Ridge daily.


• The elation of finding an open parking spot on Squatter’s Row.


• Many late-night hours spent playing Doom 2 in the Ross Technology building. This led to a harsh campus-wide ban on gaming in the computer rooms.


• The fact that we survived the ‘Acura Boys’ incident. (Ask me, Steve B, Charlie or Isaac about that dangerous day.)


• Weekend forays up to the sleazy bars just across the Canadian border to drink.

You knew that your tastebuds were in for a treat on Gourmet night... ;-) 

Door Art

Artistic impression took many forms in Omega. Some went beyond the standard name tags for their dorm room doors and took a more artistic tact. Here are couple examples of decorated doors in Omega Hall.

Isatode Lives Here: Isaac and Bill's door. 

Watched by Zeltar: Charlie and my door told you exactly where we were. Kathy Ireland was the object of my celebrity desire at the time. I wish I would've had a 'Dorking Around' option for me!