I have always found that the way I meet people best is through people I already know. This only becomes a problem when you move somewhere where you don't know anyone! I still know very few people here and I've been here four years. We have a few local (good) friends but fewer than I've ever had before.

And the "we" may be part of the problem, too. We spent the last ten days in Seattle, where we lived before moving here, and I realized how much we had separate friends there - or rather, the same friends that we hung out with separately or to separate degrees. I made friends in Seattle through a friend from high school, but I made friends because as much as I enjoyed my alone-time when I first got there, eventually I became desparate for someone to talk to. I began to join clubs and go on outings and volunteer as a way to make friends before I hooked back up with my high school friend. Since we've been here I find that it is so much easier not to bother when you have a built-in friend at home. And yet I think having other friends individually and together makes that friendship at home that much better.

So that's my philosophy for the day. This is not particularly helpful, but I guess you can see that I sympathize!