Rotting Away in So-lame, Oregon...

Well, I finally got something to post on here. However, this time it might not be so pleasant so reader discretion is advised(?).

So technically, it is still winter break for the college and high school students. And it will be over in a day or two after New Years... So a bunch of my friends I went to high school with are back in town. So what should I be doing? I should be spending time with them right? Well that's apparently not the case right now! The last time I even spent time with my friends was when I went to someone's home to watch the Las Vegas Bowl football game with Oregon State and BYU (epic win for BYU by the way! Sorry Beaver fans!).

So let's settle the score:

What have I done for my friends lately?

Well let's see:

1.) I went through the trouble of delivering Christmas gifts for their whole families WITHOUT getting anything in return.

2.) I drove one friend and his twin brother to a lunch gathering.

3.) For another friend, I went through the trouble of re-delivering a Christmas gift I gave to him to share with his family only to forget to take it with him (We were both at someone else's home at the time).

Let's just put it this way: I put others before myself. I'm a humble person and I usually don't expect anything in return. But is it too much to ask NOT to be the one left out?! Is it too much to ask to spend quality time with good friends?!?! Good friends that are soon gonna go separate way?!?!?! I'm on the clock here myself! I'm gonna be going to a totally different country to serve a mission on behalf of the LDS church in February! Is it too much to ask people to find the time to hang out while there's still time?! Being the person that's currently NOT going to school, I've got all the time I need!

If you haven't figured it out yet, I'm saying that the friendship between me and a few people are on thin ice. I can understand family matters and such. And yes, before you say it, 'Families come first'. But you won't believe some of the excuses I've heard...

The definition of a hypocrite is an individual who practices hypocrisy, which in turn is the claim or pretense of holding beliefs, feelings, standards, qualities, opinions or virtues that one does not actually possess.

The definition of a backstabber is a traitor or hypocrite, such as a co-worker or friend assumed trustworthy but who figuratively attacks when one's back is turned.

On the topic of backstabbery, allow to share a story of hypocrisy, a little bit of betrayal, backstabbery, and just one of the most stupidest excuses I've ever heard:

This took place 3 years ago, about 4 months after moving into Salem, Oregon. So I was invited to hang out with a friend downtown at a game & hobby store called Borderland Games. At the time, I did not have a driver's license so I had to get dropped off by my parents. I was waiting and waiting until lunch time came. I headed to the downtown mall across the street to get some lunch at the food court and then went back and waited some more. Two more hours go by and I just gave up. I went to the city bus station and went home, feeling down in the dumps.

My friend came up to me hours or days (I can't remember exact details) later to apologize to me. And his excuse was that his father wouldn't let him come downtown. Now here's the dumbest excuse of all time: His dad wouldn't let him call me to let me know that he couldn't make it. I mean how can it get any stupider than that!?!?!?!?! Did it ever occur to my friend that MY time was wasted?

Not a good way to start cultivating a brand new friendship.

So you know what I did? For year and a half or so, I called this "friend" of mine a backstabber even though what he did to me wasn't a true textbook example of a backstabber... And I always enjoyed his response:

"Hey! Hey! I said I was sorry!"

I'm not the kind of person to hold a grudge, but his stupid excuse was too good (bad) to pass up to "pay him back". But we remain good friends to this day. And this is the last time I'll ever bring this story up (especially if my friend ever reads this blog).

So right now, I'm rotting away in "So-lame" (Salem), Oregon until my mission departure date. All I ask for is quality time with my closest friends until we all go our separate ways for good...

Thanks for reading and like always, your words are always welcome in the comments section.

I'll see you readers and bloggers on New Years!