# unreliable friends flakes and other walking letdowns "to whom it concerns" - ooh i like that - a word to the mildly unwise (who obviously need reminding) on the free sharing of common courtesies some people will simply *not* wait around like a panting dog while others go out on the town on fancy business meals with ir real pals. to think otherwise is to be seriously mistaken like fools they waited for your call tonight from 7 till 2:15am. nothing. they tried leaving a message but no response - just a voice telling them both your phones were off. they might as well have been urinating into the void of ir own stale wind (no change there then - but still) they were clearly told yesterday they'd get a call today at 8pm - but no. apparently it's ok for *others* to feel anxious when there's nobody on the other end of the line. but whenever they get frustrated at being let down desperately worried about someone they care about - suddenly everyone has deaf ears like sometimes it's all about the application of instant spray-on implausible deniability; nobody knows or remembers anything - tired apologies get tossed around like so much wedding confetti some simply hold people to ir word. if a researcher says they're going to do something if they have to crawl through (insert name of your old home town here) and back in order to do it and they fail - hey they tried. they have the default respect of science. (not that we're people of any respect or worth - but player one if we tell you we're going to phone you tomorrow night you'd better believe we'll do our utmost to make that call) it's not as though life's not already too long and boring enough without having to wait around like a for repeatedly irresponsible disingenuous wayward slackers to do the right thing on time for once if they don't even bother in the minor task under ir charge and just lamely dribble out a bunch of thin excuses however ir words fall out of ir mouths like so much tarnished low denomination coinage. and in our keen eyes of piercing intelligence and unwavering vision there's little worse or more worthy of precise exacting contempt than wanton unreliables who flap in the social breeze as and when it suits them nobody needs fair weather friends easy to moan and whimper when *ir* needs aren't met - but have little in the way of detectable style or backbone when it counts - especially in the little things. a single quick phone call to lonely fellow souls for instance how convenient to forget to call simply because *they* had to wait ages for a fancy meal! but of course it doesn't occur to them to call in the meantime - to charge ir damn phone the night before. that would be too much like hard work but why are we such hard work? why is it even a matter of effort just to pick up the phone and call for 5 minutes say hi? why does asking anything of anyone nowadays - a polite request for human contact - seem some kind of monumental demand forget skype for now. they'll check ir email twice tomorrow: once in early afternoon when we wake up and then in the evening - and that's it. if certain concerned friends want to leave an email or even a phone message that's ir choice. we don't even want to speak to anyone right now **update patch** wait until ir by-now well practised plastic flood of passive-aggressive crocodile tears subside // republic of bob