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he doesn't know a single damn thing and he's been trying for weeks

Town Hall #14: Frends

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I've accumulated accidental friends over the years. At some point we got stuck together, and now we feel comfortable together, and so we complicitly waste each others' time.

But recently I met a handful of people I admire deeply. Suddenly some of my accidental friends feel like obligations.

I don't know what to do with this feeling. I don't want to be a clout-chasing sociopath, nor do I want to be telling the same stories to the same people ad infinitum.

Take a look through your recent text conversations. Who do you chat with regularly? Do they inspire you? Are you weighing them down? Are you truly compatible or merely comfortable? What does a healthy friendship look like?

These aren't rhetorical questions -- email me with your personal experiences.

You can't force friendships, but you can totally study them.

New Writings

Parenting:

GPT:

Food:

Living:

Software development:

Other:

New Interviews

Recommendations

You can scour my entire history of book reviews, album ratings, and active podcasts. You may also want to read about my rating system.

Books

review ★★★★☆ Storm Front :: Jim Butcher
review ★★★★★ Men, Machines, and Modern Times :: Elting E. Morison
review ★★★☆☆ Breath :: James Nestor
review ★★☆☆☆ The Nature of Oaks :: Douglas W. Tallamy
review ★★☆☆☆ Writing Down the Bones :: Natalie Goldberg
review ★★☆☆☆ The Moon is a Harsh Mistress :: Robert A. Heinlein
review ★★★★★ The Timeless Way of Building :: Christopher Alexander
review ★★★☆☆ Accelerando :: Charles Stross
review ★★★☆☆ Permutation City :: Greg Egan
review ★★★☆☆ On Having No Head :: Douglas Edison Harding
review ★★★★☆ When Things Fall Apart :: Pema Chödrön
review ★★★☆☆ A Walk in the Woods :: Bill Bryson
review ★★★☆☆ Emotionally Immature Parents :: Lindsay Gibson
review ★☆☆☆☆ If You Could See The Sun :: Ann Liang
review ★★☆☆☆ Extra Virginity :: Tom Mueller
review ★★★★★ Player Piano :: Kurt Vonnegut
review ★★★★☆ Restoration Agriculture :: Mark Shepard
review ★★★☆☆ No Logo :: Naomi Klein
review ★★☆☆☆ The Shadow of What Was Lost :: James Islington
review ★★☆☆☆ Orbiting the Giant Hairball :: Gordon MacKenzie
review ★★☆☆☆ So You've Been Publicly Shamed :: Jon Ronson
review ★★★☆☆ The Left Hand of Darkness :: Ursula K. Le Guin
review ★★★★★ The Omnivore's Dilemma :: Michael Pollan
review ★★★★☆ The Design of Everyday Things :: Don Norman
review ★★★★☆ The Inner Game of Tennis :: W. Timothy Gallwey
review ★☆☆☆☆ Triumph of Seeds :: Thor Hanson
review ★★☆☆☆ Bird by Bird :: Anne Lamott
review ★★★★★ The Diamond Age :: Neal Stephenson
review ★★☆☆☆ Zen in the Art of Writing :: Ray Bradbury
review ★☆☆☆☆ How to Read Nonfiction Like a Professor :: Thomas C. Foster

Music

★★★★★ London Symphony Orchestra :: Reich: The Four Sections
★★★★☆ Širom :: The Liquified Throne of Simplicity
★★★★☆ Ólafur Arnalds :: re:member
★★★★☆ bye2 :: Teeth Restoration
★★★★☆ Silversun Pickups :: Carnavas
★★★★☆ Sam Gellaitry :: Escapism - EP
★★★★☆ Phoebe Bridgers :: That Funny Feeling - Single
★★★★☆ Jay Som :: Anak Ko
★★★★☆ Flume :: Palaces
★★★★☆ Cyndi Lauper :: She's So Unusual
★★★★☆ City and Colour :: Sometimes
★★★★☆ Animals As Leaders :: The Madness Of Many
★★★☆☆ black balloons :: escape FM
★★★☆☆ Yung Bae :: Ba3
★★★☆☆ YMCK :: Family Dancing
★★★☆☆ The Flower Kings :: Banks of Eden
★★★☆☆ STOMACH BOOK :: Stomach Book
★★★☆☆ SOPHIE :: Oil of Every Pearl's Un - Insides
★★★☆☆ Origami Angel :: Doing the Most - EP
★★★☆☆ Octave Cat :: Octave Cat
★★★☆☆ Nadus :: Broke City - EP
★★★☆☆ Minus the Bear :: Menos el Oso
★★★☆☆ King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard :: Flying Microtonal Banana
★★★☆☆ Kikuo :: Kikuo Miku
★★★☆☆ Gospel :: The Loser
★★★☆☆ Astronoid :: Radiant Bloom
★★☆☆☆ Österreich :: Dearly Departed - EP
★★☆☆☆ Winston Surfshirt :: Apple Crumble
★★☆☆☆ The Soft Machine :: The Soft Machine
★★☆☆☆ The Flower Kings :: Flowerpower
★★☆☆☆ The Fearless Flyers :: The Fearless Flyers III - EP
★★☆☆☆ Sleeping With Sirens :: Let's Cheers to This
★★☆☆☆ Shinichiro Yokota :: Shinichiro Yokota Presents Do It Again and Again
★★☆☆☆ Petrie :: Slurs
★★☆☆☆ Panda Bear :: Mr Noah - EP
★★☆☆☆ Nedaj :: Alone - Single
★★☆☆☆ Matthew Halsall :: Salute to the Sun
★★☆☆☆ Kurt Travis :: Everything Is Beautiful
★★☆☆☆ Kai Whiston :: No World As Good As Mine
★★☆☆☆ Infinity Shred :: Ep002 (Recovery)
★★☆☆☆ Huey Lewis & The News :: Sports
★★☆☆☆ Hospital Bracelet :: South Loop Summer
★★☆☆☆ Foxygen :: …And Star Power
★★☆☆☆ Flume :: Flume
★★☆☆☆ EASYFUN :: ELECTRIC - EP
★★☆☆☆ Dragonette :: Fixin to Thrill
★★☆☆☆ Darwin Deez :: Darwin Deez
★★☆☆☆ CHANCE デラソウル :: Shine On
★★☆☆☆ Braid :: Frame & Canvas
★★☆☆☆ Astronoid :: Astronoid
★★☆☆☆ Apparatjik :: We Are Here
★☆☆☆☆ Stratovarius :: Destiny
★☆☆☆☆ Sorsari :: Patterns EP
★☆☆☆☆ Sermon :: Of Golden Verse
★☆☆☆☆ PeanutsKun :: Tele Club
★☆☆☆☆ PeanutsKun :: Air Drop Boy
★☆☆☆☆ Meteociel :: Panteros666
★☆☆☆☆ Lee Moon Sae :: 골든 15
★☆☆☆☆ Foo Fighters :: The Colour and the Shape
★☆☆☆☆ Duelyst II: Original Soundtrack (Alpha Version)
★☆☆☆☆ Coheed and Cambria :: Year Of The Black Rainbow
★☆☆☆☆ CAPSULE :: PLAYER
★☆☆☆☆ Base Ball Bear :: (What Is The) Love & Pop?