I Had a Friend

I like the title. It sounds so Martin Luther King-ish. I had a dream. In fact I wrote a blog about that too. My dreams, I mean.

I have a friend named Pria.

She said she preferred my wife's blog.

That is OK. That is not a crime. I can handle that. I guess after 15 years of marriage, I have gotten used to the fact that everyone who knows us both like her more. Do you notice I did not say almost everyone? Yup, sadly without an exception no one likes me even a smidgen more than her, not even I myself. If they can like her more they can like her writing more too.

See it is like this, I was not always this nice or generous, I used to be needy, really needy. I don't mean the ordinary garden variety needy like needing affection, attention, or reassurance. It was not enough that people liked me, they had to like me more than my wife. But as you know we do not always get what we want.

The more I wanted people to like me more than my wife, the more they liked her more.

Say what!! Let me repeat that slowly.

The more I wanted people to like me more than my wife, the more they liked her more.

Kinda convoluted huh.

Worse, not only did people like my wife more, pretty soon they only liked her. I mean, they did not like me less. They did not like me. PERIOD

Now imagine how that made a needy person like me feel. Sad; and I did not like that.

Trust me it is no fun going to parties and having and people hissing behind your back. At times I have seen people move away casually on seeing me approach. You know, I am sorry I did not see you casually. Other times promising conversations would come to a halt when I joined it. Initially I thought I had some personal problem such as Bromhydrosis or Halitosis. After acquainting myself with suitable hygiene products it became clear it was just me they did not like. So I was forced to reform. I stopped being a really, really, needy person and just became mildly insecure. I have now improved. I am a better person. In fact people now tolerate me for the sake of my wife.

Coming back to Pria; she said she liked my wife's blog and like I said that is OK. I mean it hurts a little bit. How I wish she had stopped there. As I told you earlier, I am a better person. I do not mind if people like my wife's blog.

She said my style was ... I can't say it. OK, take a deep breath. Get a grip. She said my style was Pedantic.

I looked up the meaning and then came the double whammy. You know what the dictionary says?

... marked by a narrow, often tiresome focus on or display of learning and especially its trivial aspects; an academic insistence on precision; a bookish vocabulary;...

That hurts. Call my blog

1. Ununderstandable - Some of the earlier subjects were a bit dry. (This, that, and the other)
   
2. Not original - I can accept this. In fact I myself bemoan this fact here and here. Sadly how can a blog titled Cliched Thoughts ever be original.
   
3. Not funny - All I can say is; I try.

Anything but pedantic.

So in summary, after what she said about my style of writing, it is more like

I had a friend named Pria

PS: Please do not correct me that MLK said, I have a dream. I know.