Week Two:  The Odessa House/Thugz Mansion

So whereas it may appear like Geoff, Dustin, and I started this house craze that everyone follows, it isn't so.  Before there was the Cockrell House, before there was any house, there was the Odessa House.  This pink (or salmon) colored house on the corner of Odessa and Bellaire North has been around for some time.  Mr. Leo Munson (assistant to the chancellor) purchased the house for his daughter in the early 90s when she was a TCU student.  After she graduated, Leo's son Scott moved in, and that's where the history begins.

Scott lived in the house for several years, up until 2002.  When I came to TCU as a freshman, inhabitants of the house included Scott Munson, Cody Dick, Chris James, and Travis Stuntz.  Andrew Ripley moved in soon after, and as they all graduated, they eventually trickled out.  Rather than ruin the great BYX tradition that had been established, a new crew moved in, including Matt Ravanesi, Andrew Haverly, and eventually Eric Anton and Blake McNay.

Our host for the evening is senior Matt Ravanesi, who is quite sad about moving out in a few months.  He's graduating and moving on to bigger and better things.  Here he is, savoring his last weeks in college by chilling in his room, reading all about TCP/IP network protocol.

For the past three years, the BYX New Member Captain has had the advantage of living in a house.  First there was Stuart Harrison in Wabash, then Matt in Odessa, then me in Cockrell.  The advantage is it gives freshmen a place to hang out off campus.  Odessa has also been the location of the annual Rush Barbecue for longer than I can remember.

Here is what, in my opinion, is the best room in the house.  This is Blake's room, also called "Munson's old room."  Since his dad owned the house, it was only natural that Scott got the best room.  I'm not sure how Blake got the room.  This is what Cody referred to when he said I "was truly worthy of Munson's old room."

For being a rather lethargic guy, Blake keeps a tight ship in his room.  It's always clean and very aesthetically pleasing.  He has oak furniture, large plants, and a mini-bar underneath his bed.  I'm working on getting a photo of the mini-bar.

Blake will also be moving along soon.  He graduates in December, after 5 and a half years of college.  Good for you, Blake!

Eric and Andrew share the back bedroom, when Eric isn't sleeping in the tent.  As you can see, there's somewhat less organization back here.  You know this is where Eric and Andrew live because of the telling artifacts.  If you look on the desk at left, you see Eric's green BU Baylor cap.  And on the chair at right is a standard Haverly red polo shirt.  Both telling marks of these men's territory.

Here's the living room.  Plenty of couch space, plus a classy glass coffee table, and an entertainment center built by Eric's grandfather...I think.  The TV is often turned to MTV.  Shows like "Sorority Life" and "Real World" are favorites.  Ravanesi:  "Oh man, it's like we grew up with those guys" (speaking about Real World).  What's that in the foreground, on the shelf?  Why, it's an antique Nintendo!  Every house must have one.

There are some other rooms.  When you enter the bathroom, classical music begins to play.  Don't forget that the light switch is in the hall.  There's a kitchen too, where Matt often hazes new members by making them wash dishes.

Below is the newest addition to the Odessa House:  the poolhouse.  There's no couch on it right now, weather issues, I assume.  But when the sun is shining you can bet the Odessa boys are out catching some rays.  The garage roof is also a hot spot to sit.  It's a great place to be seen by passing TCU students, on their way to the Rec, or Clark Hall.

One of my favorite things about Odessa is the Sorority Wall.  When girls visit, they can sign their names underneath their photos in their sorority composites.  There's good representation at Odessa.

So that's the tour!  Thanks for stopping by.  Stay tuned for more TCU Cribs presented by the Voorn Project.

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