Everyone has that friend. u know, the one that you feel obligated to hang out with from time to time to maintain your friendship, for one reason or another. It's not a person that you would want to live with, nor is it the first person you think to invite on a road trip. They aren't someone you have a special bond with, and they're not someone u consider your best friend that you want to stick to through thick and thin.

But they do.

For some reason, that person looks up to u. They see you as their best friend - and if they could, they would spend every waking moment with you rehashing all your old memories. They would want to talk about everything they've ever done that might interest you, and they want to discuss every single subject under the sun.

But u don't.

When u set aside time to spend with them, u go out of your way to ensure you won't be forced to spend a great deal of time with them. You make sure it's in a public setting, so there are distractions, and a chance they may see someone else they know. And of course, you wouldn't be the least bit offended if they wanted to chat with the person they know and maybe even leave your buddy to hang out with them.

But they won't.

They want to take a crazy, impulsive weekend trip with u to a remote location that requires you are limited to interaction with only each other. They will tell u everything they've done in the past ten years, down to what they ate last weekend when they were on the phone with their uncle, followed by this new cool gazette that comes out next November, which happens to be the same day as his college professor's son's birthday, u get the picture!! They want to share everything with u, and all you can think about is the sweetness of solitude. While they're telling u all about this, u have to stop torturing yourself by counting the minutes until u r back home, without them and listen.

Here's what u do: u have to resist the urge to just grunt out an occasional "uh-huh" when they take a breath before their next rant, and really listen. I've found that when u listen to their story, and throw in a contributing comment or two, they'll be less tempted to rush into their next tale, and will actually finish up the conversation (that, let's face it, is pretty much with themselves). They've gotten a response, they may or may not have refuted it, and now they have time to process it. Believe me they won't stay quiet for long. But it prevents them from just rambling on about nothing.

Now, while they're thinking about their next plan of attack, u can throw in a song you know that they like. You would think it would spur a conversation about how great that band was when he saw them with his best friend then two years ago and ran into his another funny friend that is now with this big dotcom! They'll sink into a deep appreciation for the fact that you both like the same music, and just sit back and enjoy it.

You have to keep in mind that u r friends with this person for a reason. u have a good time together, however brief the encounter must be. They're a good person, and so are you. Just because u r ready to rip your hair out at the thought of hearing one more story about their roommate's boss doesn't mean u r a terrible person. You have limits. We all do. We just have to realize that relationships aren't always easy even if they are just friendships.