Say you have a phone number for someone but you haven’t called them in a while, or ever, so you’re not 100% sure that it is the correct number for them. You decide to send a text message to the number, “Hi! Is this Jane?” Maybe it is Jane, maybe it’s not, either way if Jane doesn’t have your number how is she going to feel about responding to this anonymous person questioning her identity? Not comfortable with it, that’s how. By all means, say your own name in the message! It’s common courtesy. To not give your own name is like calling someone on the phone and your first words after their hello being, “who is this?” You called me! Tell me who you are first, then I might answer your question.

Yesterday I made a trip downtown to meet with Dustin Bryson and talk about writing for PCityLIVE. PCityLIVE is a site that just launched this week, it combines a social network with an online magazine. I would compare it to Virb° before I would compare it to myspace, but still with more magazine to it.

I think it’s going to be really awesome. Dustin told me about his ideas for the site and some things they’re doing. He talked about how we can see someone all the time and think they’re a pretty cool person and that we’d like to build a friendship with them but we don’t take the step to approach them and get to know them better. PCitylive hopes to help build relationships in our community, let us get to know people with the help of the internet.

While Panama City is still a fairly small city, I think most residents would agree with me in saying we don’t have the sense of community that many larger cities do have. PCitylive should at least be a step in the right direction, a step that will foster that community feel and experience.

I’ve been stressing out a lot lately, as in more than usual. I’m just really worried about going off to school, getting an apartment, furniture, a job, that sort of stuff. I’ve lived away from home before, but there was always someone else who was responsible for the basic necessities, now I’ll be responsible for those things myself. Not to say I’ll be completely on my own though, I will have a roommate, which is some relief, and in the “pro” list of going to USF over UF.

My mom doesn’t want me to take my bedroom furniture, which at first I was upset about (even though I didn’t say anything), I mean it’s my furniture. Now that I think about it though, it’s best to leave my nice furniture here and not have to take the risk of it getting messed up. It’s the furniture that I want to have when I make a more permanent move, so I’ll get some other furniture to go with me over the next 2 years.

The 2 years is another thing that gets to me. 2 more years of school, I just feel old, and I feel like most people that for a 4 year degree are done by my age. It’s just another one of those things where 10 years ago I thought I would be at a completely different stage of life now. I think back just 3 years ago and remember telling a co-worker how I really just wanted to be a housewife and a mom. I still wouldn’t turn that life down, but I would do it with some freelance writing work on the side; I couldn’t give up writing.

If you call someone and leave a message how long do you usually wait for them to call you back? There are probably many variables that would go into this, such as who the person is to you (friend, acquaintance, family, co-worker), and what you’re calling about. So say you call someone you’ve never called before, but have hung out with once or twice and what you’re calling about isn’t really a pressing matter (maybe you’re asking them out). Here’s some advice, when they haven’t called back after 2 days, it’s okay to call again. It’s not okay to call again after 2 days and then every day after that.
Maybe they have a good reason for not calling back, like the text they sent you that said they were sick (maybe you don’t have texting?). I don’t even think it should matter their reason, it gets to the point where calling repeatedly is just creepy and weird. Sure, maybe you’re excited and eager about having a new friend, but chill, too much is just too much. If you hadn’t called so many times they would have called you back by now. I’m They’re not even checking my their voice mail any more.

I want to go mountain biking or hiking or something. I wish I knew people who actually liked to do things. People are so lazy.