Social Talk. Text 108.

The one with aim for whole life.

Uncle Martin's life story is quite interesting, but nobody in Longster's family seemed to know it, despite the fact that they think they know him well.

Having got a bachelors degree in chemistry, he started to think whether he wanted to study further or not. There were not so many places where he could work those days, Vietnam war had changed everything.

It was popular to serve in the army for two years, and get paid for the rest of your live. Although not many from those who signed knew that two years in Vietnam it's like twenty years as a civil. For those kids it supposed to be fun, playing a war, but Martin was not so dumb, he knew that if he had joined the army, he would have to be highly persistent in his goals, to be one day a Colonel.

That was his dream back then, but a dream is almost a foe to reality, and when he was a half way before reaching his dream, it suddenly went wrong. Being captain only a day he led his troops to a mission, then was loud boom, and he woke up in a hospital wing.

It was the end of his ambitions and his plans for military career. He expected to be given a promotion, but instead he got a shrapnel in his head. You might guess who I am, but I can insure you that I know him well, because we were in the same squad since enlisting into the army, and by the way we were in that hospital at the same time too.

Now he has a nice factory and living in a wonderful family of his nephew, but sometimes, I think, he is wondering why he was so inconsiderate about his abilities and knowledge, and wasted them in the army, instead of his own family. I guess he has the answer to that, but it will be better if you don't ask him.

Social Talk. Text 107.

The one with arguing.

Finding a way out in arguing could be hard if your opponent is your relative. Especially if it's your spouse. Having started a quarrel with spouse you doom yourself to a long and severe dialogue, because you really know each other, therefore can use a bunch of arguments that no one else knows. Not to have such situation, you must choose proper words and know exactly how to act. That's why I bring you a list of recommendations based on my own experience.

Diana's problem solving list. Short version.

Around nineteen years ago my parents were arguing whether to break up or not, and suddenly they come up with idea of having a baby. In other words - me. I know it sounds weird, but I never wanted them to change their mind that day.

Another good example happened when I was five. Parents were unable to decide which school I should enlist. It was a huge argue, but when it seemed to have been impossible to stop them, my mother said that she loved us too much to continue arguing, and she proposed my father to choose a school instead. In the end they were asking me which one I liked the most, and completely forgot to argue.

Last big quarrel I remember, was about Stephanie's drinking habit. Finally dad got used to avoid her by staging huge battles with uncle Martin's soldiers, in the garage.

Of course there were some minor quarrels after that, but I never heard them yelling ever again, and I guess the reason we became a real family, is that we wanted to be one, we never stoped loving each other.

Social Talk. Text 106.

The one with letter from Stanley.

... (in the end of the letter)

Having thought about my future occupation made me think of money like of something irrelevant, and I'll try to explain why.

I was aiming Peace Corps since I was ten, after I first saw it on TV. I knew that I would need not only my will, but also a hefty bag of diverse knowledge to be in it. Having this in mind, I enrolled every evening class I could find, and since my mother was divorced, and my bigger brother Matt just entered University, my classes were supposed to be free of charge.

In four years I've managed to finish nineteen classes, such as hiking in Tundra, bandaging for newbie, first aid without first aid kit, especially hard one - making fire under rain, and a dozen of others. Now I know, that without them I would quit my post less than in a year, but, to be honest, now I know a better way of helping people.

A young man from headquarters, name Ashton, visited our camp in Peru last week. I recognised him at once, cause I saw him in the hall of some large corporation, which we were asking for donation. An expensive suit, a leather suitcase, a golden watch, all this was gone now, but what he got instead, is just a odd smirk of a guy who thinks he knows what he's doing. He quit his job, and thinks he did a noble thing. I wish he still had it, maybe he could have helped us get a donation. My dreams never come true, at least I've got what I wanted. Wish me luck.

Your brother Stanley.

P.S. Can you send me some cheese. Haven't eaten it for ages.

Social Talk. Text 105.

The one with bald date.

Have you ever had a blind date? Probably you would say no, cause blind dating is a tricky thing, and most of the people avoid it because of obscurity it has. I guess you have to know at least something about person you'll be dating, or you can find yourself in a situation, when you would want to be strolling alone, instead of having such date.

If having a blind date, taught you a lesson, you might try to use modern technologies, in another word social network, to meet your sole mate. Those, who used to live in social networks, upload hundreds of photos each month, hence to know this person like his friends do, you are not even obliged to be introduced.

The above mentioned is good only for breaking eye contact, but if you want to find yourself a partner, you must see each other in person. Without it you'd never know that he is bald because of allergy on human hair, or that she is taller than you by a head. What would you do in such situation? I guess you'd just pretend asking time, and then run away.

There are plenty of ways to meet a person you want, but to make such meeting successful, you should be not only confident, but you also must be yourself. You'll succeed only if you take off any mask you used to wear.

no social talks for a while..

Last week we had "newcomers", two Americans from World Race. That's why we didn't have to write social talks for the time they were present at the classes, cause spending one third of a class to check our "socials" could have been a waste of time.

Social Talk. Text 104.

The one with lonely geek.

Loneliness itself is not what we should be afraid of, cause being lonely actually doesn't mean anything. One day you are lonely, next day you might have a dozen of friends. What we really should be afraid of, and what is more important, what we should understand is the reason of our loneliness.

If you are good at studying, you might have only one nerd friend and be completely happy about it, but it can be totally different situation if being a geek makes you unhappy. In this case, I guess, you are trying to unite two almost incompatible features in one man. You cannot be brainy and have high social activity at the same time. Of course I mean usual kind of activities like parties, movies and hiking with non geeks.

It's a real problem for highly intelligent, but not so good looking boy to find a girl he wants. Often it's not because they are on different sides of a road called life, but because the boy is looking on a wrong side. I guess it may be the problem of all unhappy people, they just don't know what they are looking for, hence they are trying to follow the path of the majority.

Such situation is not the a rare one, even though it's a little bit controversial. I mean how can you be smart and alone at the same time? Although this is world we living in, and to be happy you must be not only smart, but try to be a wise person as well.