April 28, 2017 - News Post

Once upon a time, I used to be friends with some guy named Michael Buonauro. He and I would hang out, eat food, go on road trips, and make comics.

(Note: This was back when webcomics were good. Not the crap we have today like Don't Hit Save)

We kept this trend up all throughout college, sometimes dragging friends along on our adventures. It wasn't until our third or fourth year of friendship that it was pointed out to us: we had a very specific pattern for every single conversation.

Michael would ramble on and on about himself. This was typically a boring story that would last several minutes. The moment he paused to take a breath, I would launch into a completely unrelated and equally boring story about myself. When I stopped to shovel food into my mouth, he would jump in and pick up exactly where he left off. This continued back and forth until we had both exhausted our libraries of personal tales, and everyone would go home.

The order in which we spoke changed randomly, but if you were in the car or at a table with us, you can be certain that you would not have an opportunity to speak the entire time.

It was a good system, and it was wonderful training!

This is how many of us treat social media to this day. How many times have I said, "Your wedding photos, baby pics, and sister's funeral all seem great... is it my turn to speak yet?" More than I can count.

I've become a little better at acknowledging the people around me, even carrying on a real conversation, but I didn't get into drawing, writing, and coding because I enjoy talking to others.

One of these years, I'll start putting a little more effort into social media. In the meantime, keep posting your stuff. I'll read it, but know in your heart that I'll be thinking about my next tweet the entire time.

-Jeff