I wouldn't say that I have a ton of interests, but I do have varied interests. I have been known to dabble in physical activities like dancing salsa or running distances, but I am just as happy to stay in and play with Legos or play poker with some friends. Really, I think it comes down to the fact that I get bored easily, so I'm usually game for trying new activities.
However, over time, I have noticed that not everyone acts this way. Some people definitely have a "thing" that they prefer to do over anything else, so they spent time doing that at the expense of other things. That's fine, and I commend those people for having figured out what they like and then sticking to it. After all, why mess around with things you don't like if there is that one thing you do like?
What makes it funny is when I interact with these people. They have their routines and their conventions for how to divvy up their time, so they try to stick me into their neat little boxes. As a result, I end up hanging out with them for very specific things, and only those specific things. It's not that it's bad, it's just funny to me how it works out.
For example, I play basketball with a few guys on the weekends. It's fun and it gets us some exercise, so everyone is happy about the arrangement. For the most part, though, we don't even see each other outside of the basketball games. We all live in the area, and it's not like we don't have a way to get a hold of each other. Still, for most of them, I am "the basketball friend." I think we have tried to do something other than play basketball once or twice, but somehow, it's always fallen apart. So, at the end of the day, I have a basketball-only crew of friends.
The funniest example of this is related to food. If you've never eaten a meal with me, I have a standing policy of trying just about anything once. I grew up eating all sorts of things that other people consider "weird," so I learned very early on to give things a shot. I may not like all of it, but at least I try it. If I don't order it again, it's because I absolutely know that I don't like it, not because I'm half-guessing that it's going to taste funny. So, I'm always up for trying new restaurants or ordering the dish on the menu that I've never had.
Given that background info, it's not unheard of for me to be somewhere on the short list when a friend of mine wants to experiment with food. In fact, after dinner the other night, my friend said to me, "we should hang out again. I'll call you the next time I want to try something new." That's nice and all, but what about if you just want to grab a meal at a plain old restaurant? I think I'm excluded from that meal, because I'm in the "eats weird food" pigeon hole (see the Wikipedia article if the reference to a pigeon hole doesn't make any sense to you). I think I'm mildly offended.
I think I'm going to have to making it very obvious that I also like watching movies or eating "regular" food, so that I at least come up as an option. I'm not trying to spend every second of every day with these people, but I've been known to eat a burger or a burrito on occasion. Pigeon holes suck sometimes (the rest of the time, they're very useful for mathematical theorems).
However, over time, I have noticed that not everyone acts this way. Some people definitely have a "thing" that they prefer to do over anything else, so they spent time doing that at the expense of other things. That's fine, and I commend those people for having figured out what they like and then sticking to it. After all, why mess around with things you don't like if there is that one thing you do like?
What makes it funny is when I interact with these people. They have their routines and their conventions for how to divvy up their time, so they try to stick me into their neat little boxes. As a result, I end up hanging out with them for very specific things, and only those specific things. It's not that it's bad, it's just funny to me how it works out.
For example, I play basketball with a few guys on the weekends. It's fun and it gets us some exercise, so everyone is happy about the arrangement. For the most part, though, we don't even see each other outside of the basketball games. We all live in the area, and it's not like we don't have a way to get a hold of each other. Still, for most of them, I am "the basketball friend." I think we have tried to do something other than play basketball once or twice, but somehow, it's always fallen apart. So, at the end of the day, I have a basketball-only crew of friends.
The funniest example of this is related to food. If you've never eaten a meal with me, I have a standing policy of trying just about anything once. I grew up eating all sorts of things that other people consider "weird," so I learned very early on to give things a shot. I may not like all of it, but at least I try it. If I don't order it again, it's because I absolutely know that I don't like it, not because I'm half-guessing that it's going to taste funny. So, I'm always up for trying new restaurants or ordering the dish on the menu that I've never had.
Given that background info, it's not unheard of for me to be somewhere on the short list when a friend of mine wants to experiment with food. In fact, after dinner the other night, my friend said to me, "we should hang out again. I'll call you the next time I want to try something new." That's nice and all, but what about if you just want to grab a meal at a plain old restaurant? I think I'm excluded from that meal, because I'm in the "eats weird food" pigeon hole (see the Wikipedia article if the reference to a pigeon hole doesn't make any sense to you). I think I'm mildly offended.
I think I'm going to have to making it very obvious that I also like watching movies or eating "regular" food, so that I at least come up as an option. I'm not trying to spend every second of every day with these people, but I've been known to eat a burger or a burrito on occasion. Pigeon holes suck sometimes (the rest of the time, they're very useful for mathematical theorems).
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