04-02-2009, 08:12 PM
Tank, when I think of people such as that I always think of a certain friend of mine... let's call him Joe.
Joe is a really fun guy to have around. He is always smiling, he is entertaining, always willing to chat... basically a fun guy to have at parties. However, he has a definite problem with "priority management".
This little ditty starts about a two years ago. Joe basically had everything an early-twenties guy could want: he had a good job making a decent wage (more than me at the time), he was renting a room in a VERY nice house with a couple of his/my other friends, a brand new zoomy car, plenty of video games, movies, beer, cigarettes, and various other mind-altering substances to keep him happy. Then he started having money trouble.
After about six months, he started complaining about being broke. He wasn't starving, and he was making rent, but he didn't seem to have much pocket change. He casually mentioned that he was slacking off at work, and he laughed it off. He has plenty to drink and smoke, and new video games. He got a speeding ticket. He isn't worried, but he says he's making changes.
A few months later, he is still complaining about being broke. He was making rent, but his diet had basically become to EasyMac and white rice. He laughed as he told us he was being written up at work. He has plenty to drink and smoke, and more video games, and a new laptop. He just got another speeding ticket. He talks for hours on the things he is going to do to change it.
More time passes. He is borrowing from friends to make rent \, which he manages to pay back... at first (I had no problem with it... let's just say I'm an "enforcer" type. Some other friends weren't so lucky). He eats three or four times a week if nobody else feeds him. He got a written warning of dismissal at work. He has plenty to drink and smoke, and his video game collection is astounding. His tickets have gone to warrant. He's still talking, but nobody listens to him anymore.
Most recently, he has moved back in with his parents because he could not afford rent. His roomates refused to co-sign a loan with him so he could pay rent. He had dropped 40 pounds as a result of not eating, and had started to lose teeth. He was suspended for two weeks without pay and demoted at his work (not fired, for some reason) for constantly showing up late and slacking off at work, which cuts his pay nearly in half. His car was repossessed. I don't know the status of his tickets, but something tells me if he gets pulled over he's in trouble. He still smokes two packs a day, goes out to bars almost every night of the week, buys sparkly new electronics any time he sees one, and has upped his "other substance" intake, and most of his friends want nothing to do with him.
He's still talking...
Joe is a really fun guy to have around. He is always smiling, he is entertaining, always willing to chat... basically a fun guy to have at parties. However, he has a definite problem with "priority management".
This little ditty starts about a two years ago. Joe basically had everything an early-twenties guy could want: he had a good job making a decent wage (more than me at the time), he was renting a room in a VERY nice house with a couple of his/my other friends, a brand new zoomy car, plenty of video games, movies, beer, cigarettes, and various other mind-altering substances to keep him happy. Then he started having money trouble.
After about six months, he started complaining about being broke. He wasn't starving, and he was making rent, but he didn't seem to have much pocket change. He casually mentioned that he was slacking off at work, and he laughed it off. He has plenty to drink and smoke, and new video games. He got a speeding ticket. He isn't worried, but he says he's making changes.
A few months later, he is still complaining about being broke. He was making rent, but his diet had basically become to EasyMac and white rice. He laughed as he told us he was being written up at work. He has plenty to drink and smoke, and more video games, and a new laptop. He just got another speeding ticket. He talks for hours on the things he is going to do to change it.
More time passes. He is borrowing from friends to make rent \, which he manages to pay back... at first (I had no problem with it... let's just say I'm an "enforcer" type. Some other friends weren't so lucky). He eats three or four times a week if nobody else feeds him. He got a written warning of dismissal at work. He has plenty to drink and smoke, and his video game collection is astounding. His tickets have gone to warrant. He's still talking, but nobody listens to him anymore.
Most recently, he has moved back in with his parents because he could not afford rent. His roomates refused to co-sign a loan with him so he could pay rent. He had dropped 40 pounds as a result of not eating, and had started to lose teeth. He was suspended for two weeks without pay and demoted at his work (not fired, for some reason) for constantly showing up late and slacking off at work, which cuts his pay nearly in half. His car was repossessed. I don't know the status of his tickets, but something tells me if he gets pulled over he's in trouble. He still smokes two packs a day, goes out to bars almost every night of the week, buys sparkly new electronics any time he sees one, and has upped his "other substance" intake, and most of his friends want nothing to do with him.
He's still talking...