Is this you?

I've been thinking in recent days about the past three-and-a-half years and the people - male persons, in particular - that I've met online. Some have been just simply amazing men who I still talk to, laugh with, cry with and enjoy. Other men are also great guys, but perhaps we don't speak anymore like we used to, though we would if we had the chance. Some of those guys showed themselves to be flaming pricks - mentally unbalanced, jealous, possessive, demanding - just generally high drama.

I thought about Jeff, one of those I still talk to, and all that our friendship has endured over the past 3+ years, not the least of which was his tour of duty in Iraq. If it can withstand that, it can withstand anything! Then there's Jim, arguably my best friend in the world. He deserves his own post, all to himself.

I thought about Psycho Ex (aka, "He who shall remain nameless") - speaking of mentally unbalanced, jealous, possessive AND demanding - and how he's done every substance known to man and is proud of it! If it can be snorted, injected, smoked, ingested, inhaled, whatever, he has. Might explain a lot. Over against him is Jimmy, who's hung out with some of the biggest names in classic rock history - Santana, Grand Funk Railroad, among others - yet has never even smoked a cigarette. That's character, right there.

I thought about how each guy handles a fight or me in a hormonal mood swing or doing an admirable immitation of a stressed out bitch. From the low-drama set:

"I wish you'd trust that I'm NOT breaking up with you just because we're having a fight."
"OK, so you want to vent. Go ahead." (I strongly suspect this one was watching a Braves game while I was ranting.)
"I hate fighting by IM. I'll be there in 20 minutes."

Then there's the high-drama group:

"Apology NOT accepted!"
"We're through!" "No, I want you back." "We're through." "I want you back." (I broke that pattern by agreeing we were through and there'd be no going back.)

I'm being nice and not mentioning names here, but if you're reading this and you're one of the guys, chances are you can pick yourself out. The second one above in the high-drama group is the psychotic one. Actually, he wouldn't be clinically psychotic - more like clinically borderline personality disorder. Think Glenn Close's character from Fatal Attraction. Yep, he has serious bunny-boiler tendencies.

The other high-drama one is really just a grossly overweight, middle-aged, balding, perverted drama queen who has no idea what he wants. The one opportunity we had a few years ago to meet, he cancelled at the last minute because his momma needed him. In fact, he has lived his entire life in the same town. I know people do that, but most people at least go away to college or join the military for a while. He's the type who'll tell ya he loves you one minute, then two days later will be pissy because you're demonstrating... uh oh... no, it CAN'T be... that you're *gasp* human! His life is nothing but a fantasy world, and he expected the same from me. Sorry, babe, but after the fantasy's worn off, there's nothing left but the reality, which Jeff, Jim, Jimmy and a whole slew of others will tell ya is MUCH better!