Category Archives: Friendship

The First Year Writing Seminar

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Is always evolving. This fall’s iteration. Would you sign up?

The Art and Science of Human Connection—Ron Byrnes, Education

     In this seminar we work together to improve as readers, discussants, and writers while exploring the challenges and rewards of meaningful friendships. Our readings, discussions, and writing overlap with the University’s Wild Hope Project, which asks, “What will you do with your one wild and precious life?” We will be as introspective and transparent as possible as we get to know one another’s stories and draw on history and social sciences to explore what’s most important in life. Among the questions we’ll consider: What makes life most meaningful? How do we want to balance work and individual economic aspirations with recreation and close interpersonal relationships with others? What is easy about making friends and what is hard? How can we be better friends to ourselves and others? And does social media make it easier or harder to build strong interpersonal relationships?

Sentence To Ponder

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“The ‘Golden Bachelor’ reality TV couple, who wed on national television after a romance that captivated viewers with the possibility of finding love late in life, announced on Friday they are divorcing just three months into their marriage.”

I was not among the viewers, let alone the “captivated” viewers, but this does make me wonder what else might not be real on t.v.

Phenomenon To Ponder

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Karen Kreider Yoder’s story perfectly captures 2024.

“It was a June afternoon in the Rockies just after I retired when we agreed that we must be turning into ghosts.

We had been cycling in the mountains since breaking camp before dawn, and we decided to splurge on a private room in a hostel. We checked in and headed through to the bike-storage area, walking our rig by young hostelers congregated in the common spaces.

We must have been a sight: two bedraggled 60-somethings pushing a tandem bicycle laden like a pack mule.

Except no one seemed to see us.

We crossed the living room, where 20-something hikers with ruddy faces studied their computer screens. No one looked up. We inched through the kitchen, where others were sautéing onions for a group meal. ‘Excuse us. Sorry to interrupt,’ one of us said as we squeezed through. ‘That sure smells good.’

They turned a bit, giving us space. But not a word. Not a ‘How’s it going?’ nor ‘Where’d you come from?’ nor ‘Cool rig.’ Nor eye contact.”

Help! I Can’t Read ‘Dear Prudence’.

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I enjoy reading a lot of periodicals, but quite a few not enough to pay for regular, unlimited access. Given the limits of time, even if they cost less, in many cases I’d still pass.

The Guardian takes an interesting, Wikipedia-like approach of saying, “Hey, we notice you’ve read this many articles lately, how ’bout ponying up a little you cheap son-of-a-bitch, and you know, enable our journos to feed their families.” Well, something like that.

There’s one pub, Slate.com, that I’m uncharacteristically quite conflicted about not having access to. All because of Slate’s ‘Dear Prudence’ advice column. And it’s all because of their steady diet of seriously clickbaity headlines.

I am weak, so I wanna click, click, click these.

Help! My Husband’s Appearance Has Deteriorated to a Frightening Degree.

Help! My Sister Insists I Invite Her Disastrous Husband to My Bachelor Party. Oh No.

Help! My Husband Interprets Every Little Thing as “Evidence” of an Affair.

Help! My Wife Thinks She’s Great at Socializing. Yikes.

Help! My Priest Told Me He’s Leaving His Priesthood for Me.

You are right! My life would be enriched by a steady diet of ‘Dear Prudence’ exchanges of this nature.* So I should just pay up.

Thank you for listening.

*unless the Good Wife is responsible for the first

Dear Taylor

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Dammit, I can’t take it any more. A few months ago the word on the street was Austin Reaves. Now it’s Travis Kelce.

Gerl, if you’re really interested in a long-term stable relationship, you gotta quit with the professional athletes, actors, and musicians.

Repeat after me, no public figures.

You need to find yourself a librarian who makes time for his grandmother on Sunday afternoons.

Granted, settling down with a normie may not be great for your art, but there are always trade-offs in life. If you want a family, find yourself a nice librarian and do your best to keep it on the down-low.

You’re welcome.

Ron