Some people just say far too much, and fail to notice that I don’t really care.

Originally written 28-September 2008

It’s good that I’m good at ending relationships. Maybe I should count that as one of my special skills.

I really didn’t need that particular person in my life. I was getting nothing out of it — it was primarily one-sided, benefiting only him. He contacted me on his time, making me listen to his whining; but if/when I needed a friend, he wasn’t available. That’s utter bullshit. If there’s anything I’m big on, it’s fairness. It’s not fair that I’m getting the short end of the stick. I felt it’s better to cut off the parasite before it contaminated me even further.

I know that flaking out and ignoring messages is ‘commonplace’ on such sites like Craigslist and Freecycle, where there’s no way to police people’s behavior and to deter bad manners.

At the same time though, it’s extremely frustrating to me, when I’m just trying to get things done and then I have to deal with person on the other side of the transaction who isn’t willing to do the same.

Some tips that I’ve found helpful:
1) When replying to an ad, provide as much information as possible. Let the original poster know that you’re interested, but also provide times when you’re available to meet and close the deal. If you’re feeling especially brave, provide your phone number or other contact information as well.
2) Reply promptly once you receive confirmation.
3) Actually show up. Other people have lives too and it’s such poor taste to stand somebody up, whether they be friend or stranger.

This is going to come off as very preachy, but it really bothered me yesterday when I would see/hear people say that they’re going to “give up soda/bread/red meat” or “exercise more” for Lent. The time for resolutions was roughly two months ago. I think you totally missed the point.