Partying, partying, yeah...?

                You’re always warned that growing up isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. They tell you about paying bills and holding jobs, but they never talk about the truly important stuff. What do you do when all your friends start settling down and having kids? Or how about running into creeps when you’re out and about? Let’s see if anyone can even find a job in their field, much less maintain it. Don’t even get me started on maintaining a relationship! There are plenty of things other than bills to remind you that you’re getting old.

First off, let’s start with your friends. Not the deadbeat ones that you love to bring as guests to places, but the ones you’ve known forever that know all your worst shenanigans. Obviously, they’re your friends. You can’t just write them off and call it good. It sucks. You aren’t the same people anymore. Maybe you still have the same friends, but you should never count on that to bring you closer. Your partying may be important to you(which is the only opinion that matters right now), but they have lives now. That could mean kids, or a partner they have to check in with before they go anywhere. They need to check their budget to make sure an outing is a secure move. All this checking things and finding sitters…man, high school was nice! What do you do about it? Obviously, we aren’t completely terrible people. You let them do their checking in and go out when you can. Maybe go see a movie or out to dinner, something they can bring the family along with. Or you could stay in. Have a board game night, those are still totally cool.

                You’ve run into a weird guy at the bar. You expressed your disinterest, but he keeps advancing. You’ve been polite, but it’s not helping. Well, that was your first mistake. Chances are this guy’s wasted. If you’re really rude and he gets belligerent, trust me, the bartender will blame the guy. Usually what actually happens is they get offended and storm off until they’ve forgotten you were being a bitch. Then they’re back and it’s the same routine. It was annoying when I first started barring(can “bar” be a verb?), but now I end up making a game out of it and seeing how many different ways I can blow the same guy off.

                While you should never quit looking for a job you enjoy, it’s okay to take one you aren’t interested in the meantime. I know we look at “flipping burgers” like it’s beneath us, but really is it worse than being unemployed and living with your parents? You can do both. You don’t have to be a lump on society’s couch while searching for your dream job. It may take some time, but it’ll be a more fun stretch if you have cash you can blow on silly things. Once you do find that amazing job you’ve been searching for, don’t cut ties poorly with the lame job. What happens when your dream job doesn’t pay the bills? It’s nice to have a backup to return to if you fall on your face.

                If you’re reading my blog, I do hope you’re a partier. Maintaining a relationship can be hard. I know I love getting free drinks, but it’s hard when that pesky significant other is around. I love him, but he seriously messes up my groove at the bar. If he’s with me, I have less fun. If I leave him behind, I must be cheating. There’s no winning. This comes out to another, “Let’s just stay in,” type of scenario. I swear board games are actually cool! Well, at least when they aren’t Monopoly and take three goddamn hours to play.

                All in all, being a grown-up and making your own decisions is awesome! You drink when you want, and you have friends over when you want. Really, you can do anything you want. It just helps when you know what your friends are wanting as well. For now, I’m demanding you have a board game night. Board games are cool!