Friends

No man is an island, but a man's friends are an archipelago. Not even months in advance could plan a ride across states without a car and a license. The best I can do for Mike is send him a card for his birthday.

He'd be one of the only cats whose birthday I can remember, after all this time. The fact I can't remember my boys' birthdays sours my mood particularly. I won't make any excuses. I haven't committed them to my phone to remind me.

Now, guys are different beasts, certainly. They don't always require the acknowledgment but I'm writing platitudes to myself. The truth is everyone enjoys a little recognition from time to time. On that front, I try my best.

One mate in particular, I worry I can't reach. Without saying too much, he's another friend of mine. That means, what I can afford to give him, I do. Now, we don't always see eye to eye, but I don't know, sometimes. It feels like I speak my truth to him and for some reason or another, he's not listening.

He's not a bad guy per se, either. He might be having a hard time, but who doesn't? Nobody's perfect. The unfortunate reality is I can't compel him to do anything he doesn't want, nor am I trying.

It's only tough to hear someone you care about struggle.

Maintaining One Business Among Many

I might need to strip things down to the bare bones. I want to write a book, make music, cook and plenty other things, which is fine. I can't seem to settle on a good business idea, though. The lack of consistency plays a major part, but I'm just not interested in offering any other service than occasionally writing an article.

I feel I can put my style and effort into it, and what's more, I draw my payment from a collective "banking of the crowd". No single person could afford me anyway.

But professional blogging has its limits. For one, my wages are limited to my posts, audience, and again, consistency.

But I had a crazy thought. What if I was just a professional listener instead? Not a therapist of any kind, because they talk to you, but I could just listen. My ability to actively listen impresses and encourages so many people to share more with me than I realize.

I don't plan on retaining any of their information either, since I'm not expected to respond. I got this inspiration from Japan's "professional do-nothing" man. There's a video on YouTube about a guy who simply loans himself to people, who typically want company. He seldom speaks, but they pay him, to meet up at restaurants, walk unfamiliar streets, and mainly tag along.

You could tell me anything you want for 15 to 30 minutes, and you'd pay a flat rate. It'd be great for people who feel like they have no one to talk to, especially about private matters.

What I'd get out of it is mainly stories. Their honesty, the language, their emotions could help me write real good stuff for literature. Of course, I would sign NDA's to ensure confidentiality, but it's not like I'd want to write about people, anyway.

I'm inconsistent about blogging; do you really see me writing a million different biographies?

Games, Time & Money Management

Speaking of the wretched inconsistencies, I've managed to "check-in" to Maplestory daily quests for some time, now. In the last event, without buying in, I showed up for 63 days of a 70-day event.

That's an A-!

I've checked in 22/28 times for a daily reward, 29/30 for an ongoing event, and I'm on Week 5 of 5 in a third one. The nostalgia rekindled my passion, but the time and money I have to play a desktop RPG has increased considerably since I was 12 or 13.

I might even be getting carried away. I just hope my one buddy who likes Maple doesn't get sick of me or the game soon. We're just this close to fighting some of this content together and I'm excited.

At the same time, I think my excitement doesn't always present itself positively. He's his own man, but sometimes, I can't tell what he wants. He's occasionally indecisive about what character he wants to play in the game, when I think he's got a clear winner.

We can't change the past, I agree, but I am not so sure what he wants in his future. Still, it's his game, his life and so as a friend, I'll be there if he needs anything.

Dreams

On the subject of futures, I can't help but think dreams are the key to happiness. It may not even be the accomplishment of a particular desire, though of course you'd feel satisfaction.

I think having ideals makes a person hope. And hope is needed to drive out despair. I've seen despair and despondence. Their ugly heads rear, those twins, whenever people fall on hard times. And do we fall on them often.

Life at best, is bittersweet.

And often times, it's the media we consume, habits we can't break and ones we make that embitter the brew. Everyone I know drinks coffee. Most of them say it's not for the taste. I think it's a lot like life. You have sweetener, sugar, Splenda, whatever. You sweeten that cup of joe with your hopes, wishes and dreams, and the bitterness comes with the territory.

What's the harm with a little extra sugar? A few more dreams? So, maybe I don't make a thorough side gig out of this crypto-blog, fine. Then again, if I play my cards right, maybe sticking with these posts helps me drive one of these on the front cover of Classic Motorsports.

Who knows?