work friends are weird friends....

            Because I moved back in with my parents, I had to transfer stores. (I work at The Home Depot) I started at my new depot Oct. 18th, so I've been there for about 3 weeks so far. I am perfectly fine being in unfamiliar situations. I'm very outgoing, I have no problem starting conversations and I'm completely comfortable attempting to connect with new people. But, work friends are a certain kind of friends.... What I mean by that is while having a good friendship with someone at work is great, it doesn't mean that they are going to want to hang out outside of work. The work place is a forced atmosphere, where you don't get to choose the people who surround you. You can either sink or swim. Thats why while working with the person you can be the best of the best friends (swimming), but outside of work, you might as well be strangers... or you can choose to be the loner at work and not talk to anyone and ultimately end up hating your job and not making any work related allies (sinking).  
        The reason I bring this up is that the five years I've spent away from home has caused me to not have any friends at home anymore. There are the few that I can't seem to get rid of.... you know who you are, but maybe the reason I have time to write this blog is because there isn't anyone I hangout with on a regular basis. Back at school.... I know almost everyone, and there is ALWAYS someone who wants to accompany you on a late night Walmart trip or even run to the bar for a drink, or two.....or like ten, or any number of activities that take up time. Work seems like a good outlet to meet new people and maybe even form new friendships, especially since most people's lives mostly consist of their jobs and the occasional happy hour that follows. While at my old depot I was fortunate to gain some AMAZING friends and have the time of my life with a few of them, the new depot seems different. 
    As the work days go on, I find myself creating inside jokes with a few of them, knowing how to make them smile or laugh, and even ways to really piss them off, but where does that take me? One of the boys I work with was really nice and invited me to eat lunch with a couple of the guys on my second day there. I made the move today and wrote him a silly little note (right in front of him) with my phone number that said "can we be friends? check yes or no", he jokingly replied, "oh... I'll think about it..." But was it a joke? Or just a kind way of saying, "eh... I like you at work, but thats where our relationship ends."  Who knows, I hope that its the prior rather than the latter, because who doesn't love to get the gang together to go for a drink, or two (.... or ten) after a hard days of work, just to bitch about the other co-workers who weren't invited and the like.


to be continued...