How much would Bruce Lee pay for a cup cake?

Cheddar Chex mix is awesome.

I will be frank, I am a certain way and that’s the way I roll. I am friends with people who are like me and I have little tolerance for people who do not measure up to the standards I expect. I will start with low level connections but those low level connections are not less important those connections just have lower expectations or different expectations. This is my treatise to friendship.

First topic: online friends, I’m not going out for a beer or lunch every month with these people, although I wish I could meet all of my online friends. My expectations are low because I believe I am not a part of their physical biographical location/life. So my expectations of what I mean to them and how my life impacts their lives is low. I care about my online friends because I interact with them and I care for all decent and well-mannered human beings. The rules for these people are as follows (primarily all my online friends are on XBL or 2old2play):

1. I expect them to respond often to my invites, if I am ignored repeatedly I will eventually boot them off my friends list.
2. I expect respectful communication and acknowledgement

These are very simple rules. I have been very successful in cultivating lasting friendships in the 2old2play Halo clan for the simple fact that people abide by the above rules. I was unsuccessful to integrate into other clans because the above rules were not met.

The second topic are lifelong friends who do not live near me or short term friends that live in my city or relatively nearby.

1. I expect a call or a visit when they are in town with ample time for planning and the occasional post on Facebook but nothing more than that.
2. I expect respectful communication and acknowledgement
3. I expect an understanding of who I am and how I live my life

My emphasis on visits is at least 2 days’ notice, showing an understanding of my time and schedule.

The final level is for lifelong or close friends.

1. I expect two way communications. I expect invites to do things, just as I expect when I invite someone to do an activity that they make time to do that activity and don’t cancel or that they are not late to said activity.
2. I expect frequent communication and I expect a response within a few days rather than a week or a few months.
3. I also expect a complete understanding of how I am and how I roll. I’ve been this way all my life and I’m not going to change. I understand other people and even if we have been friends for much of our life, if I don’t get who you are I am not going to make time for you anymore.

I’m sure I seem like a high maintenance person, but I am not. I am just sick of having to accept people who are aloof, obtuse, jerky or arrogant. I have also learned that often when I invite people to do things that are very personal for me I have expectations for them to behave in a certain way and when they don’t it bugs me to no end.  That is why I now don’t invite people to places that are very personal for me.

Personal interaction is interesting, stressful and fascinating. This is just my analysis. The final rule above all else is the ultimate respect for another being human or non-human. I don’t like gossip, judging, racial slurs, or any slurs for gender or sexual orientation because I find it disrespectful. To go on, I don’t like any disrespectful language at all.

Hey, it’s just how I roll.