Hey everyone, since my computer and phone have been acting up lately, I’m probably going to be around the forum a bit less often. Because of that, I'm putting Larry Lewis and restlesstiger49 in charge of helping out any of our newer members.
So, here we are. Friday night, 7:30 PM, and I'm just sitting here waiting for another ten or fifteen minutes at New York City Grand Central. It’s basically a monument at this point.
So, let’s aim for Friday, November 14th. I’ll put it on the calendar as our hangout day. Maybe we could grab some coffee around 6 or 7 PM? And if enough people are feeling up for it, we can head out and wander around the city for a bit.
Hey, just a heads-up for those of you heading out for the first time! We’re going to be hanging out near the monument. I think we'll be pretty easy to spot since we'll probably be looking around every few minutes anyway, so you shouldn't have any trouble finding us.
Paul Thompson3 said:In certain circles—specifically within certain crews—being kind or compassionate is viewed as a straight-up weakness. Just look at photos of impoverished neighborhoods and the faces of the people living there; you’ll often see small children still smiling, while the older ones have already traded that for a hardened, grim expression. Some people just refuse to be seen as soft, so they bury any real emotion. For instance, if you end up behind bars, it’s definitely not in your best interest to let people think you're some "nice guy"—you'd much rather be seen as cold and ruthless. It’s all just a form of manipulation, really—either to get what you want or to make sure nothing happens to you that you didn't ask for.
Ha, yeah, something like that.
I feel like this mindset is somewhat forced upon us. You have situations where some people are working themselves to death, while others can't even find a part-time gig. Those working non-stop constantly complain about having zero free time, whereas those with too much downtime sometimes just get bored out of their minds.
Finding that balance is tough. Honestly, it's almost become weird lately when you see someone who is genuinely happy, like seeing a sincere smile on someone riding the subway. It's like people start thinking, "Wait, is this person some kind of clown?"
When you watch music videos from the 80s and 90s, there was way more joy in them. All those goofy hairstyles and the sheer creativity... maybe that's why people seemed a lot happier back then.
Gary Perez5 said:I don't know, maybe everyone's got their own reasons, God only knows... but lately, the whole "keep it all inside" thing has been really getting on my nerves. This constant guardedness, refusing to show any emotion, being afraid to actually speak up or share what they're thinking...
Personally? I'd much rather take the risk and be open. Honestly, I find it easier to open up to people I've just met than to keep everything bottled up inside. Why bother?
I still remember one New Year's Eve when I was all by myself. What a disaster. I didn't even cry; I just felt this heavy, awkward emptiness. It felt so much better once I finally reached out to someone, regardless of whether they thought I was some loser who got dumped by his "friends" right before the holidays.
Lately, I feel like I've been way too serious. I catch myself constantly trying to read between the lines and guess what others are thinking, even emotionally. Maybe that's why I need a drink every now and then? Once I have a little something, my problems don't seem quite so heavy.
So, I wanted to throw some thoughts out there regarding the main topic here.
Also, I’d love to hear your take on why alcohol seems to unlock such deep emotional layers for so many people? Do you think that constantly bottling up our feelings eventually leads to total burnout and a loss of focus?
How do we explain this current era where hiding how we actually feel seems almost encouraged? Does seeing people who are overly emotional or brutally honest inspire you, or do you find those habits a bit much?
Anyway, those are just some jumping-off points for the discussion. Maybe in this online space, we can actually talk more freely about stuff like this—topics that rarely get any airtime in the mainstream media. Do you ever dive into these kinds of deep conversations with your friends or people you know?
Haha, you already know how it goes—some of the ladies on these forums can be a total mystery.
I was up near Appalachia yesterday, and I ended up crashing around midnight. The chat was dead anyway, so why bother? But hey, here I am, wide awake from ten this morning until six tonight. Just a total fog over here today.
I feel like I’ve heard that phrase tossed around more times than I can count. Honestly? I’ve always felt like it lacks real weight. Usually, it isn't even a choice between those two—it's just one or the other.
There have been plenty of times where I’ve spent way too much time overthinking things or dragging my feet. Some people might look at that and call it running away. But even during those stretches, I was fighting other battles, putting in the work, and staying invested. It wasn't an escape; it was just a different kind of struggle.
If it looks like I'm standing still sometimes, maybe that's just because old habits are incredibly hard to break. You can't just flip a switch and become a totally different person overnight, right?
Tuesday, at Grand Central Terminal by the monument. Weather looks like it might be around 4:00 PM, but hey, we'll see what happens by tomorrow evening, right?
Well, hey there, restlesstiger49! Come on in, won't you? You used to show up to these hangouts way more often. I’m really hoping we can get back to those good old debates again.