Moving On

Even though it slowly ate away at my soul, 
By the time I had noticed the damage was done.

And in some sadistic way it's strange to say,
That throughout it all I was having fun.

Part of me still yearns for old times, 
Even now as I fight back this plague.

The majority knows that this is unwise, 
And questions the accuracy of my gauge. 

I Need New Friends

I don't know what it is, but lately my close group of friends have started to bore me. I like to try new things, and trying new things is always more fun with friends. Not only do you get to have a new experience, you get to bond over that experience, and share what that experience meant to you. Some of the more extreme experiences you can try, like skydiving, can really be life changing. However, the vast majority of experiences you will have the opportunity to try are much more tame. These include new places to go, new things to eat, and new media to consume.

One of my closer friends has really been a wet blanket over the past few months. I'll suggest that we do something and he'll raise some objections, some of which are just not valid. Get-togethers on weekdays are just out of the question for him for some reason. Now, we are both in fairly similar situations. We are both currently working full time, we both have cars so we can get around, and we both live within 5 miles of each other. The major difference between us is that I have graduated and don't have much debt from school, while he is in a less than idea financial situation. Not having money is definitely a valid concern and limits what you can do, but not wanting to come to some event because you have work the next day isn't one, at least not in my eyes.

Now I'm not saying he should blow off work. I understand that if money is tight, you want to be at work everyday so you can make ends meet, and you want to do a good job so your source of income ins't jeopardized. This is a valid concern. What isn't though is being tired or wanting to stay in and play video games. Drink some coffee and come hang out with your friends, and go play your video game when nothing else is happening. The game isn't going anywhere, but having a group of people make time to see each other is no easy task so come and be social while you can.

My other friends bore me in what they want to do. It's usually visit the same few places, eat at the same few restaurants, and then go drink with the same few people. It's really not hard to find a new place, but people have these weird expectations and a reluctance to be somewhere they are unfamiliar with. If the food's good and the price is decent, does it really matter that the place is a little unclean? And if you're worried about being in a dangerous area at night, there's 4 of us and we're parked right out back. No one is going to mess with us.

People worry too much. People crave comfort. People flake for the stupidest reasons.

The Importance of a Leader

I've heard throughout my life that people would rather be led than lead. While I've acknowledged that this is more or less true for the majority of people, I never thought that I would experience it first hand. I thought that I had surrounded myself with a group of friends who were leaders. Today, I found that this was just not true. While trying to coordinate a brunch with roughly 10 people, everyone dropped the ball today, myself included.

Multiple cars with multiple people leaving at multiple times. You would think that when every single person has a smartphone, this wouldn't be an issue. You would think that someone from each group would be wise enough to coordinate with the other two on where the others were and when to meet. You would think that everyone should try and pick up the slack a little instead of just letting one person have to manage it all.

You sure just did a lot of wrong thinking.

Normally, this probably wouldn't have even been an issue. However, I'm currently in the process of setting up a phone plan and transferring my number over to Google Voice, so my phone is wonky at best and I'm unfamiliar with exactly what I can and cannot do currently with regards to calling, texting, and data. I would normally take the leadership position and get everyone where they needed to be, when they needed to be.

So I'm driving. I don't really like to use my phone when I'm driving through a city with pedestrians and lights and a billion other distractions. I especially dislike doing so when I have passengers, as this also risks their lives. I practically have to beg someone else in the car to call/text anyone from the other two groups to find out what's happening.

People are extremely reluctant to do anything proactive and would rather just sit around and wait for someone else to strike a path. While I'm not ok with this, I am extremely disappointed that the brilliant people I associate with are also this way. I guess I've never noticed how much it irritated me until I was unable to just do the action myself.