sigh
I have this friend who I think may become an ex-friend very shortly. He and I were very close for many years and used to have so much fun together. In fact, he was my first semi-serious boyfriend in high school. Last year, he went through some shit (breakup, loss of shitty job, shitty unemployment, new shittier job, financial troubles, had to move back in with the 'rents, etc…you know, crap that has a tendency to pile up on people all at once). He really was having a hard time handling all of it and I tried as hard as I could to be the best friend that I could be. I tried tough love, being kind and supportive, offering to go with him to fun places, offering to talk, offering advice, whatever I could think of. Nothing helped and he has been depressed for almost two years. One of my best friends, someone I used to talk to almost every day, will no longer answer my emails nor will he pick up the phone when I call. I guess it's obvious that he doesn't want me involved in his life anymore, but it hurts me to think that. I wish that I could just slap some sense into him. Argh.\
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whimpysmom (4:49:01 PM): hello\
ex-friend? (4:49:27 PM): How are you doin'? \
whimpysmom (4:49:37 PM): good how are you?\
ex-friend? (4:49:47 PM): meh..\
whimpysmom (4:52:32 PM): meh?\
ex-friend? (4:52:56 PM): It kind of feels like it sounds…just kind of there. or here in my case. \
whimpysmom (4:53:11 PM): right\
whimpysmom (4:55:52 PM): jonah told me that you're working at a new place?\
ex-friend? (5:02:07 PM): I'm not working anywhere right now. \
whimpysmom (5:02:29 PM): oh he said that your temp agency had sent you someplace new\
ex-friend? (5:03:06 PM): No, not yet. I was working at the culinary institute, but they haven't found anything yet that I want. \
whimpysmom (5:03:13 PM): i see\
ex-friend? (5:03:21 PM): They offered me a couple of telemarketing jobs that were seven days a week. \
ex-friend? (5:03:32 PM): I'm already depressed enough, I don't need that too. \
whimpysmom (5:04:01 PM): no, telemarketing is no fun\
ex-friend? (5:04:58 PM): Have you done it before? \
whimpysmom (5:05:33 PM): no, but i know that i would hate it. jess was a telemarketer for a few years and said that the money was okay but the rest of it was ass\
ex-friend? (5:06:06 PM): I can imagine so…people getting angry with you, hanging up on yout, etc…\
ex-friend? (5:06:27 PM): it was at the culinary institute again and paid less, so I told them where to shove it. \
whimpysmom (5:06:49 PM): yeah, plus you get fired if you don't reach a certain sales goal\
ex-friend? (5:07:04 PM): yech.., fuck that. \
whimpysmom (5:07:40 PM): i mean, i guess in most jobs if you're not “performing” well you get fired but in telemarketing it seems like it would really be your fault, you know?\
ex-friend? (5:08:09 PM): I don't think it would really be my fault. \
ex-friend? (5:08:12 PM): in that job. \
ex-friend? (5:08:17 PM): people just don't like getting called. \
whimpysmom (5:08:22 PM): that's what i meant\
whimpysmom (5:08:23 PM): oops\
whimpysmom (5:08:36 PM): most people just don't even let you get your pitch in\
ex-friend? (5:08:45 PM): oh, good, then it's settled. No telemarketing. \
ex-friend? (5:09:05 PM): People also talk about the things they do to telemarketers as well. \
ex-friend? (5:09:13 PM): lay the phone down and walk away, etc. \
whimpysmom (5:09:15 PM): yeah, i hate that\
ex-friend? (5:09:35 PM): scream, play really aggravating music, just generally fuck with you. \
whimpysmom (5:09:56 PM): thing is, with welfare reform and people getting kicked off of assistance for any low-paying job that they can get, a lot of the people who are telemarketers are people who are just trying not to get totally fucked\
whimpysmom (5:10:21 PM): i mean, i never buy anything from them, but i'm never rude\
ex-friend? (5:10:37 PM): I'ts one of those jobs that people don't take unless they are really at the end of their rope. \
whimpysmom (5:10:51 PM): yeah, exactly\
ex-friend? (5:10:57 PM): I ask them to take my number off the list, and then hang up. \
ex-friend? (5:11:21 PM): although I havent' gotten any since the do not call registry. \
whimpysmom (5:14:50 PM): so i missed you on saturday. i thought maybe you might stop by\
ex-friend? (5:15:50 PM): for what? \
whimpysmom (5:16:00 PM): are you still on the hamm list?\
ex-friend? (5:16:18 PM): Yeah, but I don't read the email anymore. \
whimpysmom (5:16:26 PM): oh\
ex-friend? (5:17:03 PM): what happened? \
whimpysmom (5:17:29 PM): i invited everyone over for cake and stuff\
whimpysmom (5:17:34 PM): kingston's birthday\
ex-friend? (5:17:54 PM): Oh, I knew that was coming up…I wish you would have called. \
whimpysmom (5:18:13 PM): well, you never answer your phone when i call so i figured the hamm list was a safe bet\
ex-friend? (5:18:16 PM): I didn't do anything on saturday, I've kind of dropped off of the face of the earth for all intents and purposes. \
ex-friend? (5:18:40 PM): I'm just really bad at life right now. \
ex-friend? (5:19:01 PM): I'm going to run down to the mailbox…I might be back. \
ex-friend? signed off at 5:19:11 PM.
