Weekends Anonymous: My self-help group

In keeping with the entrepreneurial thrust of my recent posts, I’d also like to start a group for people with an affliction I know all too well:

Weekend Anonymous would work to help people like me who find too many weekends are spent anonymously.

Huh?

Let me explain. I, like many Americans (though they probably have a hard time admitting it), have a social life comparable to Howard Hughes in his latter days (but for the lack of long finger nails, the lack of bathing, the hair and the germ compulsion).

Sad thing is, but for fits and starts every so often, I’ve pretty much been like this for as long as I remember - which is to say, I live like a lot of the people I see in my parents’ not-so-active senior community.

This prepares me well for the solitude of my golden years. Still, deep down I know I need to get out more.

See, most Fridays, I know the routine: hit the gym a couple times, buy some food, play basketball Sunday mornings, surf the Internet, do laundry, pay bills, watch TV. Lather, rinse repeat.

It’s not that I don’t like to do things. It’s just that after a time I got tired of going places by myself (which means no one to bounce jokes off of, and, in the case of dining, unless its fast food, makes you feel like a guy on a perpetual business trip).
Part of it is I am a guy and find it hard to call people. Part of it is I am not sure my likes are the same as anyone else's in the circle of friends I do have but for the things I do go to with them. Plus, many of them are married, which already gives them things to do (at least until the kids move out of the house).

Part of it is it is hard to make new friends (as in I’m not necessarily the type to find them online in Sim City).

Anyway, Weekend Anonymous would be for people with the same affliction.

A first step, of course, is to actively find things to do on the weekend (and 3 day ones are the toughest, naturally).

Baby steps, just like in What About Bob? may be required.

As encouragement to those of you with the same problem as mine, I’ve kept a mental log since the start of the year which I will share to show.

New Year’s weekend: see King Kong; go to friends’ house in Chicago on Jan. 2 to watch football

Following weekend: go out drinking on Friday night with writer pal in from out of state at a South Side bar shaped like a castle; Saturday, take parents to Lithuanian restaurant in Bridgeport; Sunday, play basketball.

Weekend after that: go to Bears tailgating party on lakefront (for story for work) and get paid to have fun and write about it.

Weekend of Jan. 22: shovel out from 12-inches of snow to go watch cute synchronized skating team for writing story; play basketball Sunday.

Final January weekend: On Friday floating holiday, go to lunch at one of those places featured on WTTW show, Check, Please! with a buddy in Chicago; play basketball Sunday morning.

As you can see, it’s going to take work, especially after the Super Bowl next weekend, which is really the last get-together opportunity until mid March.

I could start writing a novel, which would hardly solve the problem, but at least it would be time with imaginary friends. If it turns out well enough, maybe I won’t even call it fiction.

Gotta go. The Blood Bank just called, looking for donations. Seriously.