HCIYH: The show on Lifetime, with the two women who go around to clean up people's homes. Good Lord, I cannot believe there are people who live like this. Dishes in the sink with swarms of flies. Dog sh*t on the living room carpet. Armies of roaches all around. Piles -- no, make that mountains -- of clothes filling the bedroom.

I know a few people who are little cluttered, piles of papers and bills always on the coffee table, and maybe a few dishes from last night in the sink, that kind of thing. But does anyone know people who really live like this?

I just have to believe that the houses are made up to look uber-messy. Seems that the people they typically profile are educated professionals. And if they do really live like that, why would you invite a camera crew and two nosey broads into your space for all the world to see it? Must be really craving that 15 minutes of fame.

PatSan Fran, I am willing to bet there really are people that live like that. Every so often, a story makes the news here in Chicago where someone is discovered living in filth. Usually, it is when DCFS is called in to remove the children. Sometimes it happens with elderly folks. Sometimes, people are just too lazy to clean. The stories are almost always the same, piles of rotting food, feces, papers, junk just piles up as high as the ceiling. It may be the result of a "mental unbalance". If my house looked like that, I would be far too ashamed to call in a camera crew to shoot my house to have it on television.

I went on a date with a guy about 10 years ago and I remember his apartment being the filthiest place I had ever seen. He shared the apartment with 2 other young men and none of them did a single lick of cleaning. There were dirty plates and food related items covering the living room table, kitchen counters, and completely filling the kitchen sink. I was a bit shocked at it all. But the clincher came went I went to use the bathrooom. I very gingerly stood in the bathroom trying not to touch anything. As I glanced to the side I noticed that the bathtub and shower curtain had a thick coating of black mold. I asked myself "is this someone you could date long-term or live with?". I didn't go out with him again.

Even worse are the houses that smell! I remember meeting a guy one night years ago and then going back to his place for what I thought was going to be a good time. "The minute I walked thru the door, I could tell he was a man of diSTINKtion!" The place had this disgusting, humid odor that seemed to be a combination of dirty wet laundry, diapers and I know not what. I never found out, because the stench forced me to turn around and cough my way out. Yecch!

So much for that stereotype that only str8 men are the dirty, disgusting pigs...and not in the good way. wink

my mother said I couldn't be gay, I was too messy

little did she know...

Believe it. My ex was EXACTLY like that... a major reason as to why he's now my ex.