I recently hung out with a friend and he taught me some card games that he’s played when growing up. Here are some of those games and a brief description about them

1. Liar game
   • Similar to “BS”, players get dealt cards and they place cards face down. The first player starts off with a specific number of cards of a particular suit. The other players have to play cards of that same suit. At any point, the player who last played cards can be accused of lying. If the accusation is true, then the liar picks up the deck of cards and the accuser starts the next round. If the accusation is false, the accuser picks up the deck of cards and the truth teller starts the next round. The goal is to be the first player to run out of cards
     • Example round:
       • Player 1: 2 diamonds
       • Player 2: 1 diamond
       • Player 3: 20 diamonds
       • Player 1: Points at Player 3 and says “Liar”
   • One variation you can play is playing cards of a specific number instead of a specific suit
2. Slap game
   • The goal of the game is to run out of all your cards. Each player gets a deck of cards. The players take turns playing cards face up. If the previously played card is the same suit as the current card or if the previously played card is the same number as the current card, then you can slap the pile. The player who slaps the pile last takes the pile of cards. If the pile is slapped by mistake, the player who made the mistake takes the pile of cards.
3. Count to 9 game
   • Similar to blackjack. This game treats Aces, Jacks, Queens, and Kings as 0. You use the ones digit of the card to try to add up to 9. You get dealt 2 cards face down and can only get a single additional card.
4. Psycho game
   • This is a card game for 3+ players. Each player gets a card and puts it on their forehead. Each player can see the cards the opponents have, but not their own. Through talking with the other players, you have to decide whether you believe your card is the largest in value. If you do not believe you have the highest card value, you can trade your card into the deck for a replacement. You can only replace your card once. The winner is the player with the largest card value.
5. Big 2 variant game
   • I don’t think I fully have the rules for this game. The largest card is the 2. The strength of the suits go from Clubs, Spades, Diamonds, Hearts (I think). I’m not sure if 5 card poker hands are allowed. The goal of the game is to get rid of all of your cards. To start a game, the 3 of clubs goes first. You can play singles, doubles, a 3 card straight, or a triple. When I played with my friend, we didn’t play any other set of cards, but I suspect that there are more options available. If you are playing singles, you can play a 3 card hand to beat the single. Then the opponent will have to beat your 3 card hand. 3 card straights are weaker than triples.

I recently made a goal to walk outside everyday for at least a few minutes. I’ve been spending a lot of time in the apartment and I think with the seasons changing as well, I don’t think I’m in the greatest spot emotionally and mentally. So, I thought that getting some fresh air and stepping away from the computer would be helpful.

I moved a few times in my life. I moved when I started college, I moved when I started my first full time job, and I moved when I got a new job. One of the common questions I get from people that I haven’t talked to in a while is “How do you like living in [location name]?” There are several trains of thought that go through my mind when I try to respond.

One is that this person doesn’t know me very well because I think that I can live in most places perfectly fine, especially since I don’t do much. I can’t really say this to them because that’s somewhat rude and they made an effort to socialize with me.

Second thought is that this person is interested in the setting surrounding my apartment. I say something relating to the public transportation or the weather or how accessible the food is or whether it is nice to walk around, etc.

Third thought is that this person is interested in the apartment that I’m living in, so I should tell them about the layout and amenities of my apartment.

Fourth thought is that this person is engaging in small talk and is not interested in my answer, so I should say something brief and change the topic.

Fifth thought is that this person is genuinely interested in learning more about this location. In this scenario, I try to think of this person’s interests and describe how this location offers or lacks opportunities to pursue those interests. I rarely answer this way.

With these thoughts running through my head and the person staring at me, I alternate picking between thoughts two, three, and four and hope that this response is good enough.

But then, do I enjoy each place I’ve lived the same amount? No. I’ve spent varying lengths of time in each place so I’ve become attached to some places more than others. Do I have a favorite place I’ve lived? No. I don’t have a favorite *anything*. If I’ve ever told you I have a favorite something, then I’m either lying to you or I’m using that word loosely to seem more relatable. Are you even living life at this point? That’s a good question. I am wandering through time waiting for things to happen and hoping that I do not bother or offend anyone. Definitely wouldn’t make for a great biography, but hey, I’m just a normal guy doing normal things – nothing to see over here.

1. You have to greet the person when you see them

I think that this advice is generally valid for interacting with people – not necessarily for the relationship context. I received this advice when I was in middle school and it seems to have held up throughout the years. I thought I would get more pieces of advice from my friend, but this was all I got during that time.

2. You have to be interesting

I was at work when I overheard a story one of my coworkers was telling another coworker about her dating experience. This advice wasn’t exactly what she said, but it was the basic gist. To my knowledge, the background was that there was a guy my coworker met through a dating app and they seemed to get along decently since he was willing to make her food, clean her apartment, take care of her dog, etc. but she ended things since she didn’t find him very interesting.

3. You should be yourself

This is a very common piece of advice in media and it is most likely valid. I don’t remember who I heard this from, but I’m sure that this advice worked for them. Personally, this type of advice leads me down two trains of thought. One is that I do not really know who I am so “being myself” doesn’t really mean much – like I get that I shouldn’t try to act like someone else, but what if that is a part of my personality that I haven’t displayed that often. Two is that I’ve been myself for my whole life. Has that helped me in my dating and relationship history? Remains to be seen – there is a lack of evidence since I have not dated anyone before.

4. You should put on your dating profile that you are six feet tall.

I understand that guys do put that they are six feet tall on their profile, but those people are most likely a bit closer to six foot. I feel like starting off with a white lie is not a great way to start anything. Also, I don’t think I have a personality or confidence of a six foot person – not that I think that my personality or confidence would change if I were six foot. It’s more like that’s just not who I am.

5. You should show that you are passionate about something

I feel that this is similar to the advice about being interesting. Unfortunately, I do not think that I am passionate about anything, at least not enough to talk at length about it. One of my biggest hobbies is to read manga and even amongst my manga reader friends, I forget so many of the details of the characters or the plot to the point where I sometimes forget why I brought up the conversation to begin with.

6. You should go out and do activities you are interested in and meet people that way

This seems to be a generally valid piece of advice in order to socialize with people since you are doing something you are comfortable with and are likely to find like-minded people. More recently, I haven’t had the motivation to do this. Also, when I do activities like exercise or volunteer, I don’t really have an urge to socialize with people. Even in social settings, I don’t really care to strike a conversation with strangers. I think that this fact is the most likely detractor that is setting me back – but that’s just who I am.

7. It would help if you had a mansion and 10 million dollars

I am definitely attempting to accumulate more money, but I am quite far from this. If this is what it took to be in a relationship, then I’ve seen more millionaires in my life than I can count. I agree that having access to money can be beneficial in multiple aspects in life, but this is not easily attainable by me and I’ll have to revisit this piece of advice much further down the line.

Feel free to comment with more pieces of advice