No friends pledge

One of the useful things about getting older is that you start to see patterns in your life and in your relationships with others. One thing that stands out for me is that all of my relationships seem to go through three stages. In stage one, my not-yet-friend thinks that I'm maybe a little annoying. In stage two, my friend thinks something like, 'sure, I can see how people might think dr is annoying, but deep down he's a sweet guy and besides he's fun/funny/interesting.' Then comes stage three, during which my soon to be former friend starts thinking that being a friend of mine is more trouble than it's worth.

I'll readily admit that all the character defects that my various associates identify are real defects. I'll even go so far as to say that I'd like to not mind that all of my various associates eventually find themselves wondering whether my friendship is worth the trouble.

At the end of the day, though, I do mind. In fact, the deep emotional truth is that I find that attitude utterly unforgivable. It's not fair, but there it is.

So no more friends for me. Ever. I'm done. Go away.