November 14, 1995

 

Friends are friends, but buddies are forever
Jet Girl thanks Tank Girl for pen

by Dia Richardson

Friendships; now they take a lot
of work. Personally, I’ve always found
my best relationships, be they sexual,
platonic or otherwise, to be based on
compassion, respect and
communication, not necessarily in that
order.

I’ve got quite a few friends.
Actually, I’ve got a lot of acquaintances
and a few true friends. You know, the
kind you Call first whether it be to crow
with delight or sob in despair. We’ve all
had those days, some of us more than
others.

What does it take to be a true
friend? I know the friends I have had
for years and years have put up with
some crap from me at times. Most of
them have also managed to have their
fair share of ups and downs,
emergencies and heart breaks. I guess a
prerequisite to being a good friend is
sticking around when things are bleak
so that you’re still around to appreciate
the good times, whenever they come
back.

Okay, to come to the aid of a
friend in trouble puts you out at times,
but it’s usually worth it. This summer I
was out having a fun day but I couldn’t
get one of my friends off my mind. In
fact, it was starting to bother me that I

couldn’t get him off my mind. I figured
I'd stop by and see how he was doing
because it was only about a 30 km drive.
To make a long story shorter, I got him
to emergency in time. They said I
probably saved his life.

I felt really good driving home
that night, that is until the cop pulled me

 

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over for speeding. I think I still came
out ahead.
Being a friend rather than an

acquaintance means sharing a bit of your ~

soul with another, even if that means
admitting that we aren’t always perfect.
It can be scary opening up to someone
for the first time. For some of us it’s

Ask Opie

  

eens

BY
F

praia

harder than others, it all depends how
trusting you are and how many times you
have been hurt before.

Having friends does have it’s
advantages. They can offer you a
shoulder to cry on, a drive home or a
couch when you’re drunk, and they can
be there to celebrate and laugh with.

   

They can also have their disadvantages,
(such as friends that phone when you
are on a roll and deadline is near).

Friends can also be especially
good for amusement value. Somebody
is always doing something strange or
“different.”

There is a handful of people that
I would call my best friends. Though I
have given up on the concept of a “best
friend.” It’s just too much pressure to
put on any one person. I have varied
interests, as a result I have a variety of
friends.

There are long distance friends
who you think about and miss even
when you don’t get around to calling or
writing. Then out of the blue they show
up on your door step and it’s like they
never left. As a buddy of mine would
put it, “friends are friends, and pals are
pals, but buddies are forever.”

We meet so many new people
every year. How can we tell who will
be that special friend? Sometimes it’s
easy and you hit it off immediately with
someone you’ve just met. It can be like
you’ve known them for years. Other
times it’s hate at first sight but first
impressions can be deceiving. And
sometimes you just have to take a
chance.

For inspiration I would like to

thank: Stuart, Lisa, Barb, Sandra, Hans,

Wendy and Tank Girl.

Through the miracle of ancient modern technology, we at the Other Press
are delighted to have mind-linked. with the greatest yogi of our age. All the

_ way from his home at the top of some remote mountain (Tibetan),we present

the Golden Guru. The Super Seer. The Amazing...Opie.

Dear Opie;

Is there any meaning to life? I mean do
we have a mission here on earth? Is there
a creator? Is there a grand design to all
of this, or is this journey just an arbitrary
one without true direction or purpose?
Do you have answers?

seeking
truth

Dear seeking;
Those are good questions, very good
questions. Yes, I have the answers.
Dear Opie;
My boyfriend and I have been seeing
each other for about four months, and
lately I have been noticing many things
about his behavior that bother me. I
could have been blinded by love: almost
from the moment we met, his loyalty and
affection quickly won him a place in my
heart, and he soon became my best
friend. Now, however, I find my eyes
opening to his less desirable traits. He
does things like snarling at strangers who
walk by, and scratches and licks himself
at the most inappropriate times, and in
the most inappropriate places. It is very
embarassing. Not to mention his table
manners, they are atrocious! He will
stare at me while I eat my dessert even
after he has finished all of his, and whine
until I give him mine as well... he gnaws
away at bones from the neighbour’s
garbage... I have even caught him
drinking from the toilet! What had
started as the ideal romance is quickly
degenerating. Should I stick it out, or
confront him, or what? Do you think he
might change for me, or am I just being
too critical?

trouble in

paradise

Dear trouble;

It sounds like your relationship has really
gone to the dogs. Maybe you should
shepherd him out of your life if he no
longer has that same foxy charm.

Dear Opie;

I am a 13 years old boy. Lately I have
been undergoing many changes. My
voice cracks and sounds funny, my face
is breaking out in pimples, I’m getting
sort of hairy, and I have been feeling
strange urges that I have never felt
before.

Should this worry me?

Am I normal?

Am I transforming into an alien or a
wierd monster or something?

Dazed and
confused
Dear Dazed;
Yes.
No.
Maybe.

Dear Opie;

This is a really difficult letter to write,
but I have been having some trouble
(ahem)... ‘performing’ lately. At first I
will feel prepared, but at the ... ummm
necessary point, I kind of can’t exactly
(gasp)... partake. I never used to have
any trouble, but ... (gulp) boy, this is

really embarrassing, uhhh.... let’s just
forget I brought the whole thing up.

noodle
Dear noodle;

Okay. I will forget you brought the whole
“thing” up.

Dear Opie;

My wife and I have had been together
for five years now. We had a loving and
stable relationship over the first four
years of marriage, but over the last year,
a certain spark seems to have left our
relationship. We no longer seem to be
as attracted to each other as we once
were, and instead of “being romantic”
regularly (at least once or twice a week)
as we used to, lately we have only been
“close” about once every four to five
months. What should I do?

Lost that lovin’ feelin’

Dear Lost;

Well, doesn’t that just beat all. Here I
am living a‘life of complete isolation
atop a snowy peak and you come to me
with a complaint like that. You enjoy
yourself every four to five months!? It
sounds to me like you are getting plenty
buster! If I had someone-to keep me
warm every four to five years I’d be one
happy guru. Boy, I’d give almost
anything to have ‘problems’ like yours!.
I guess some people will use just about
any excuse to whine and complain.

Please deposit all questions for
the Grand Master Yogi Opie
into the Other Press mail slot -
room 1020. We will enter intoa
trance and forward your
requests for his wisdom
immediately, maybe even
sooner if the transcendental
and atmospheric conditions
are favourable. |

Yours truly,
Opie