Why is it that when I have all the time in the world for a social life, everyone is busy and now that I am busy, my phone rings off the hook?

Now I know this seems to contradict last week’s statement of “I like people,” but it really has nothing to do with like or dislike.

The problem is: I have been working 40 hours a week at minimum, which doesn’t include weekends (the news isn’t exactly 9-5). Therefore, when I have some time to myself I find that I appreciate the peace and quiet of my bedroom much more these days.

Of course, that quiet time is also when I remember I have two loads of laundry to do, phone calls to the vet and the bank to make, and oh yeah, I should probably eat sometime today.

So as I pull myself out of bed to begin making a list of responsibilities, well that’s when my phone goes berserk. I answer the first couple calls and try and explain that I have some daily chores to catch up on. This sometimes works well, more often than not I get a guilt trip.

The next phone call I decide to just ignore, but I’ve forgotten about the numerous other forms of communication at their disposal. As a result of my ignoring the call, I often get a text message that reads something like: “So you can answer Person 1’s call but not mine? Thought we were friends, bro ... LOL.”

Well I can tell by the apparently exuberant laughing that I have not offended this person too much, but it also leaves me with a strange sense of guilt. I don’t like screening my calls. Part of me is always thinking: “It might be important!”