New Friend | Fri 11/11

I woke up and tried to get that wellness screening scheduled, but I couldn't figure out a way to get the voucher to my personal email to print it. Eventually I gave up and tried chilling and napping, but Eric caught me to go to lunch right as I was settling in. He brought a classmate, Jing, and we had a great time chatting over burgers.

We talked about hobbies (Jing likes reading, mostly classics), cities to live in (she doesn't like Texas, and we all want to live in Philadelphia), hobbies (she likes getting into the weeds to learn about different things), and exercise (she wants her kids to play obscure sports as a backup plan to get into good universities). We also talked about genes and later height, pivoting to how it affects dating success, which then turned to me confirming that I'm in the market and considering downloading apps. Also despite saying that she doesn't usually enjoy talking or 1:1's, I felt like we all had a good time chatting for like 3 hours before moving.

They came from studying together, which was apparently rare by itself since Jing doesn't leave the house much, but I wanted to work with them to be more productive than at home and they agreed. We studied at White Rhino, but the walk there from our parking spots had me feeling the season: some falling brown leaves, cloudy sky and damp ground, cold hands and layers on, probably closer to being able to see your own breath.

I guess Eric and Jing were talking about me on the drive from lunch because they asked me what type of girls I like specifically because they want to try finding someone for me. I couldn't think of much since the data set is pretty small, but it turned into a fun discussion about how much we think it's okay to not share hobbies or do them together for the sake of the other. This was an unexpected conversation, but I had a lot of fun discussing and think they did too. Jing even mentioned how she won't talk to people if she doesn't feel like it after we already spoke for hours, which I took as a good sign that we get along.

Around 5:30 PM we called it and I went back home to eat dinner and get ready for volleyball. I didn't have time to batch cook like I wanted to, but I whipped something up before taping my hand and leaving to get Caiti. The drive felt fast since we got to catch each other up on the past week and recent events, which was good to reflect on and empathize with each other over.

Volleyball was a good time, but the group was different again. It seems like a few people who've come in the past brought their friend groups, which was a toss-up between everyone being established players or complete newbies. I didn't play especially well (hits and passes need work), but my serves were more consistent, my seeing to myself was surprisingly smooth, and my team was having a good time.

After playing Caiti wanted to get ice cream, and I invited Andrew and Kristi, who were both down. We got to talk about website designs we like (Andrew showed us his shop's Instagram and website), a logo he wants to have done, and holiday plans all while getting toasty in Kristi's car. On the drive back Caiti talked about a film she saw which brought up the classic debate of how and when we can separate art from the artist, which was fun to consider.

Just now I sprinted back to my car to get eggs from Kroger minutes before they closed because I realized I need them for the cake I'll make for Randy's Friendsgiving since I only had hard boiled ones. It was strange seeing people walk on the street trying to go to clubs only to go to Kroger nearby in house clothes. Now as I type this my words are becoming gibberish. I should sleep.