Let me start by saying that I was always a big fan of shows like Friends. I think that was because I really liked the idea of a tight-knit group of friends that are always there for each other. They spend tons of time together and yet somehow manage to get along and have a great time. The group of friends is small and they don't always take kindly to outsiders trying to get in, but they're all good people. When I went away to college I had visions of what my life would be like in the dorms or in my first apartment. It was supposed to be like my own version of Friends and it was supposed to be amazing. Reality squashed that idea pretty quickly.
In the dorms during my first 2 years of college, I had a single room, but shared the bathroom with half the girls on my floor (about 60 of us or so) - not exactly the embodiment of fun, especially when only one of the five showers actually worked well! Despite the bathroom predicament, life in the dorms wasn't so bad. It was a co-ed dorm (by floor) and I ended up making several good friends in my first and second years.
When I transferred schools and got my very first apartment, it was one of those places where you have a couple roommates but you all have your own room and bathroom while sharing the common areas. Roommate matching is an interesting thing. The first year I was there I had one sweet roommate, but she never liked to go anywhere. I also had one very selfish roommate, who actually caused me to say "f*ck you!" to someone for the first time ever. Needless to say, it wasn't quite the "Friends experience" I was hoping for. My second year in the apartment was slightly better, but I still wasn't very close with either of the girls I lived with.
Law school was the closest I came to the "Friends experience." I lived by myself, but about 95% of the people that lived in my building were law students too. Some of my best friends ever lived in the same building and we were constantly hanging out. It was an amazing few years...until we all had to graduate and go our separate ways. Since law school, I haven't really found that core group of friends again. The people I do spend time with are often married, or have kids, or have other obligations, so it's an infrequent affair. But when I do get a chance to reconnect with my law school friends, I'm reminded of how lucky I was to meet such a great group of people.
I'd definitely like to be more social these days, but now there's the added issue of trying to mix two friend groups. My friends and my boyfriend's friends are very different people. We've tried to combine the two groups on a couple different occasions but it ends up being like a high school dance with the groups divided down the middle and G and I flitting from side to side trying to include everyone. It's exhausting! Now, we typically end up just hanging out with "my friends" or "his friends" instead of all together. It's not ideal, but at least it's not awkward that way. Any suggestions for combining friend groups are more than welcome!
This weekend will be a night out with "my friends" for a Halloween party. I never used to be a big fan of this holiday, but the last few years have changed my mind. This year both G and I will be going as pirates. I have a pirate costume for my dog, Oreo, too, but I don't think we'll take her along. Speaking of Oreo though, I'll finish the post with this picture...her in her costume last weekend for Dogtoberfest at Metro Park. It was a blast!!! Notice how excited she looks to be wearing the costume.
Does that make me a bad dog owner??? :)
