When I read about BigCat and CurlyPops becoming good friends, I almost leaked a tear of envy. BigCat kindly wrote to me offering to be my real-life friend (isn't that sweet), but I know she doesn't live anywhere near me.
As some of you know, just over a year ago we moved from Sydney, up the coast to a rural-ish area, away from all my friends and family. And although it's gorgeous here, finding new peeps to hang with (yo!) hasn't been easy at all. We tried going to lots of things to meet new people, and we did, and they're all lovely, but they're also all over 55 years old. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but after a while you just want to talk about something other than caravans. You know?
It doesn't help that both Mr You and I are fairly quiet (not super shy, but not forward) people, and we both work from home.
We know there are cool folk here. I've seen them (and only just resisted grabbing hold of them). I've even tried to oh-so-casually dash to the supermarket checkout to be next to them in line, should we happen to hit it off over the price of eggs. It's never happened. I mean you can have a casual 20 second conversation with someone, but turning that into swapping phone numbers and making plans to meet up for coffee, without seeming like a really really scary freak, isn't easy. Heh.
After exhausting all the obvious avenues (including a really good gig where sadly there were more people on stage than in the audience), I've started stalking the airwaves.
I've been doing locality searches online to find people nearby...
- Found 1 on Flickr, but he was an older guy into spoken word poetry nights
- Found about 3 on Etsy... still stalking them
- 2 on last.fm, but I'm not really into teenage boys (hence my plea for friends the other day... which worked out so well, thank-you to all my new music buddies!) Mind you none of them live in the same country, damn it! Don't you want to move here? It's nice.
- Looked on meetup
- I've even almost considered joining facebook just in an attempt to find groups.
Nothing.
So if you think I'm okay so far, why not move here? :D
(extra points will be given to those with skateboarding menfolk)
Signed,
Desperately Seeking Somefriends
Friday, October 10, 2008
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20 comments:
You know, I'd be your friend - for shizzle..
We have the same problems. We live in a very leafy, beautiful area - that's largely inhabited by geriatrics. I am like some crazy person trying to make friends when I take the kids to the park, but like you, I can't just ask for the digits. It's hard isn't it?
We are contemplating a tree/sea-change, perhaps we can do Coffs.. Who knows!!
I wish you lived near me. I would definitely be your real life friend. Big Cat and I are about an hour away from each other but I'm thinking Coffs Harbour is probably a 12 hour drive!
Yep, I think you, me, Curly Pops and Potty Mouth Mama should definitely get together and hang out. How much fun would we have?
Anyway, if we can't be friends in person we just going to have to keep dating online. But I'm going to make a point of meeting you in person one day.
I'd totally be your real life friend too... sadly Philly is a slight commute so that might be a hindrance.
One suggestion of something I've tried (and didn't quite take for me so maybe you'd have better luck): Craigslist. I've actually met potential female friends out for drinks through CL. Just a thought....
Or, you could come to Philly!
... or you could come to Rochester-- we have an awesome artist population.
And I have skateboarding menfolk! Sadly, I can not currently move to where you are, even though it looks absolutely beautiful. I do, however, like to pretend we live directly next door to one another in blogland. :)
Sorry... I'm too far away... But i do have skateboarding menfolk too... although he's not skating much lately... :)
<3 If you move to the Pacific Northwest Crafy mecca look me up...
I once lived in Boise, Idaho and felt mostly horribly alone.
I have a non-skateboarding male life partner, but my brother (a 23 year old scruffy guitar player who rents out my basement) skateboards!
ahem...
by the by,
portland > rochester.
((ducks for cover))
omg! my town got dogged! oh well. i don't doubt portland is freaking awesome if it lives up to the hype(just in case you are thinking of moving, flossy). but i love love love rochester ny.
also, i would never throw anything!
...unless, i knew no one would see. ;)
Well down here in bumblefruck your welcome anytime lovey. I wish i could say somthing to help but i have people all around me and finding people who are cut from the same cloth are still hard to weed out. Chin up young whipper snapper xxx
I have friends who want to move to Coffs Harbour someday, I'm not sure if they ever will. They have been talking about it for a very long time! We have the same problems making new friends, especially when we were living in Perth. People tend to hang out with the people they grew up with and wotnot. It's hard for shy-ish people like us! The funny thing is we were living in Perth for 6 years, but I made lots of new friends in the last year before we moved back to Sydney!
hey id be your real life friend...we didnt live far from each other but you went and moved!
you know its even hard in the big city to make friends...people too busy, rushing around, making excuses...it can get lonely here too! im also a little shy, very reserved..so that never helps - i get nervous to start off with but after a while im OK!
My geography has abandoned me a little, today - how close is Coffs to Murwhillumbah (oh the spelling, it gets me every time)? Because I can tell you of nice people that-a-way...
You know, it's interesting that you wrote this post today...because the other night I had a dream that I was still living at home (yet Love was there too) and my Dad told us we were moving to Australia. THe first day we were there, I excitedly told my Mom that I had to email you to see where you live so I could go visit. Weird huh?
SIGH! the miles are too many... but good folk like you will find lasting friendships soon. i just KNOW IT.
xoxoxox
susan
p.s. the gallery is filled with finnish lap harpers and poets ogggling your work....
It's hard everywhere. Us artsy computer home-bodies are lonely everywhere.
Well, if the election over here doesn't go well, we may have to move to another country. :)
I'm only 3-ish hours away in Byron - that's kind of close...
I would love to be friends :)
Mellimoomoo: I'll come find you at the markets one day ;)
Regina: As much as I'd love you to come and live here. I hope the election goes well even more!
Susan: thanks :)
Equipoise: You can come and stay with us anytime, even in your dreams :)
Bex: It looks to be about 4hrs away. Thanks though :)
Anastasia: I know, I can't believe I went and left without meeting up for coffee first. Doh!
Anna: Tell your friends to come... now! hehehe, just kidding. We had actually been talking about it for about 3 years before we ended up moving here. These things take time.
Thanks Nomes.
Hybrid Hopes and Erin, both places sound as equally as nice to me... now I'm backing away quietly and letting you wrestle it out between you. ;)
Esti: Yes, we are all a long way from each other. How good is the internet though!!!!
Stacy: Graigslist isn't very popular here.. yet. Maybe one day. Thanks for the tip though.
CurlyPops and BigCat: ahh, you guys :) Thanks. It's probably about a 16hr drive I'd say. I'll pop round for a cuppa one day ;)
Potty Mouth Mama: COME!!!!! COME NOW!!!!!! ...or once your rubbish night of wonders runs out of goodies.
I just found your blog via pottymouthmamma and I just convo'd you on etsy, chunkychooky is my little shop...9 note free plug there - sorry shameless i just listed last week) and I live right near you!!!! I work in Coffs-I live in Bellingen ( which I could highly recommend to anyone wanting a treechange- we moved from syd 8 years ago) I am quite normal , and very forward so you can sit back and let me stalk you for a while... and I love meeting new people esp. really clever and talented ones like you...
It's been quite a while since I've dropped by - sorry!
If I was close by, I'm sure we'd be friends, but sorry, I'll be moving to Brisbane next year.
I hope you find some wonderful new people soon!
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