I’m a working man.

So I had a most interesting conversation tonight….it went like this:

I had said: A social life helps in meeting people but not necessarily in finding people.

Clearly, I have a hyperactive social life, but my experience is that of so many but so few. I’m going on date after date…hanging for hours
with many different people….sitting at bars even….I’m picking up friends
like there’s no tomorrow! But I’m not even close to finding
“someone”….which is fine…..but there’s not much
in the way of kindred spirit friendships forming.

Even if I found “someone”
I’m not going to “start a relationship”.  “But” I would
“use” fewer “apostrophes” **when I can** But I need people so badly for my own
mental health. I can’t just walk away and have things
improve.

Which prompted this from my friend: tons of acquaintences, few friends, and
hardly any deeper relationships.

That pegs me perfectly. So how do you feel alone,
or lonely…  I mean, how could you, right? You have
so many people around you! No, no, no… You don’t understand. I guess,
I don’t form those best-friend relationships that others might. I never
have. With a limited amount of time and energy, I would never trade in having a large circle of friends for a small close-knit circle. Why? I think I know…

My best connections are with other guys. That’s
where the long-term friendships are that stand the test of time.
Seriously, in a heterosexual way, we care about each other. With those
of the female gender, though, things tend to ebb and flow a lot more.
Say what you want about the nature of women, but I think the key
regarding forming close relationships is this: there’s a seductive nature to connecting with someone of the
opposite sex.

It works both ways. If you get closer, you’re
drawn to the person. If you’re drawn to the person, you get closer.
Until I find a lifetime mate, I’m resigned to forming healthy casual
relationships with girls. Which is fine, I guess. But it’d be nice to
have something stronger. Until then, I will thank God for being in my
life. Drink chocolate milk to excess. Post the updates.

YES! I set a new record for weight: 155 lbs. The CDC says I’m in my normal weight range now.

I felt like that, drimming wet on the scale. I’m so happy that I gained weight!!
The half-gallon-of-chocolate-milk-a-day diet is going to stay! Gonna
have to be the 1% milk, though. Exercising is helping to keep the
weight on, but my endurance-requiring job keeps my build lean, which
isn’t the most appealing look...

Pete and Amanda are home! Um, I didn’t even open my book for accounting, but I think I did really well.

Haha! The mayhem I can generate with a cryptic post on here is hilarious!

No encoding here: I love it when I get in touch with people that I
haven’t talked to in a while! Maybe that’s the extrovert in me… But I
found some people recently and got caught up on news tidbits from them.
I found out the Jamie and Danielle, two sisters I went to HS with, are
engaged. Sarah must have found her phone again and called me for the
first time in a while.

Jake, my tree buddy from Point sent me an e-mail and told me that I’m
the only one who seems to think size matters. I’m not sure what he
meant by that… Courtney had a million questions about being in SGA,
and I was thrilled to be asked! My cousin’s got tons of questions, and
I haven’t talked to him in a while. Ryan and I are eating dinner
tonight. Yeah! This is great! I like people!

But I’m giving up on girls. Carl doesn’t think I can make it 12 hours, but I’ve been single for a year, what’s another…80?

What a beautiful day! Today’s high for Milwaukee is 64 sweet degrees!

Gonna get me some color in my skin today.

This picture is from August, 2002. Right now, the Hemerocallis is just creeping out of the ground – this gardener is getting all excited right now!

There are those times when you give a little and get a lot.
There are those times when you give a lot and get a little.

If only I knew in advance.

Save yourselves some money with CouponCraze!
This place is saving me some real money. Just find the store you were
going to shop at anyways, click the link or copy down the coupon code.

I’m so full of secret surprises that I can’t tell anyone about! At least not yet. Of course you’ll all hear about them in due time.

Today
I am off to Baraboo, WI (right near Crawford Crossing!) to climb trees with my buddy for the ALF. Not the Association of Libertarian Feminists, although that would be amusing. But rather for the Aldo Leopold Foundation. My friend Alanna works there, and fellow Pointers Bruce and Johnny are joining us this evening.

We’re pruning some oaks pro bono for them since they don’t really have
the money otherwise. I have a lot of philosophical differences with the
late Leopold, but I’m glad to help. If you wish to read his land ethic
for an example, you may do so here.

So….I’ll catch ya back here Saturday night. Text messages are your only way to reach me.

No luck on the wallet department!

Still spent money like crazy using my back-up credit cards. But when
you have the chance to go out with someone who never ever goes out, you
seize the opportunity. Even if it means having dinner twice.

Edit: She’s back in the pocket.