I’ve been alone for 2 hours now. It really sucks. I sent knickers off to Japan with her family on a package holiday. I go to Europe Tuesday. I’m enjoying my own company for the next 2 days and not happy about it.
How do you dudes who live alone do it? You must be better company for yourself than I am.
My roomie is talking loudly on Skype right now so I can’t engage in any of these wonderful suggestions: listen to music, read a book, watch a movie, or why not play some video games?
I spend a lot of time alone, as guangtou works weird hours.
I have to fill up my time, otherwise I’ll go crazy and hate Taiwan. So I learn Chinese, go to work, go to the gym, do the housework, movies, see friends…I try to minimise the time that I’m at home by myself.
I think that distracting myself from the fact that I’m alone is the only way to prevent being lonely.
Get oil.
Yeah…and a Twister mat.
Just enjoy your time with “the other woman.” You’re never alone if you have a bottle of grog by your side.
I spend 99% of my weekend time alone. :tic:
Another “subtle” hint from Namahottie. Calling all single guys, please come in! 
[quote=“almas john”]
Another “subtle” hint from Namahottie. Calling all single guys, please come in! [/quote]
I thought this was the ‘subtle’ hint
having spent a fair bit of time alone here in Taiwan, I have athe following suggestions:
you forgot a good 
magazine
Well, the internet has been invented.
PM me for details.
[quote=“Ironman”]I’ve been alone for 2 hours now. It really sucks. I sent knickers off to Japan with her family on a package holiday. I go to Europe Tuesday. I’m enjoying my own company for the next 2 days and not happy about it.
How do you dudes who live alone do it? You must be better company for yourself than I am.[/quote]
I was forced to enjoy my own company for many years. Reading good novels is one way to enjoy the time alone. There’s always playing tic tac toe alone as well as solitaire.
Or you could do a slow workout and waste a few hours that. You never know when you’ll need to the extra strength. Or you could study the lines of your hands. Try counting them all.
Best is to buy a cadavar and practice your laymans medical investigations.
Perhaps you could conduct a meditation session and send yourself into one of those trances that when you wake up from them months have passed by. Putting yourself into a catatonic state also helps from time to time.
As for me I just play chess.
Good topic and question Ironman. I am reading this thread with interest as well. I am relatively new to my own village, and spend most of my time Mon-Fri at work or going/coming to/from it. Anyway . . . I digress . . . still have yet to meet many locals . . . and so weekends are kind of lonely right now . . .
Some things I do:
Library - find a good book or 3
Walk on the trail by the river
Gardening in the yard
CLean the house (yuck)
Retail therapy - bought a weed wacker, and pruning sheers the other day
Long country drive - explore the surrounding area
Phone a friend (of course they don’t live HERE!)
DVD/movies
What I’d like to do:
Meet some friends for high tea at Beans in the Belfry (an old church that enterprising entrepeneurs have converted into a restaurant/cafe, they also host live local music
Go to Wolf Trap (US Park/amphitheater that allows food/wine/beer to be brought in) to see a concert with friend(s) this summer
Check out some antique(junktique) stores in the area, more retail therapy
Camping/river rafting trip on the Shenandoah River/Potomac River/New River-like the outdoors, but going alone not such a great idea (can just imagine having to saw off my arm with a dull pocket knife like that guy did a few years back - went out into the wilderness alone to hike)
See a play or go to a music festival in D.C.
Go on a road trip and take all back roads
Just not that much fun doing all that shit alone, ya know?
Bodo
I spend a fair amount of time alone, as my fiancee goes off on tour often. I’ve got a five week stretch of seeing her once a week starting tomorrow.
I do all the other things that the other guys have mentioned, but I also do things I want to do alone. Look at the time as a gift not as a sentence and you’ll enjoy it more. When the family gets back you’ll be even more relaxed and happy to see each other.
[quote=“Bodo”]Good topic and question Ironman. I am reading this thread with interest as well. I am relatively new to my own village, and spend most of my time Mon-Fri at work or going/coming to/from it. Anyway . . . I digress . . . still have yet to meet many locals . . . and so weekends are kind of lonely right now . . .
Some things I do:
Library - find a good book or 3
Walk on the trail by the river
Gardening in the yard
CLean the house (yuck)
Retail therapy - bought a weed wacker, and pruning sheers the other day
Long country drive - explore the surrounding area
Phone a friend (of course they don’t live HERE!)
DVD/movies
What I’d like to do:
Meet some friends for high tea at Beans in the Belfry (an old church that enterprising entrepeneurs have converted into a restaurant/cafe, they also host live local music
Go to Wolf Trap (US Park/amphitheater that allows food/wine/beer to be brought in) to see a concert with friend(s) this summer
Check out some antique(junktique) stores in the area, more retail therapy
Camping/river rafting trip on the Shenandoah River/Potomac River/New River-like the outdoors, but going alone not such a great idea (can just imagine having to saw off my arm with a dull pocket knife like that guy did a few years back - went out into the wilderness alone to hike)
See a play or go to a music festival in D.C.
Go on a road trip and take all back roads
Just not that much fun doing all that shit alone, ya know?
Bodo[/quote]
I’d come and visit if I could. We could do the rafting, road trip and high tea. Sounds cool.
I’m actually getting alone time in England next week. 3 days touring on my own on a motorcycle with backpack and tent then I meet my cousin at Cambridge and then on to a 3 day guided motorcycle tour. I’m a bit daunted with my professor cousin and I’ve told him not to expect too much from me. Long as I get to look around the university it should all work out.
The last 3 days are guaranteed company. The rest is lucky dip or “randoms” as my daughter told me on the phone yesterday. I never knew you could surf the internet and find “randoms” to talk to. I figured you’d avoid the randoms. Serial killer posting above here could be a “random”. Should we invite them for high tea?
Anyway my Taiwan house is lonesome. Knickers emailed from Japan and is having fun. I work in an upstairs office and she’s usually fussing about somewhere and it feels good just to know she’s there somewhere or coming back sometime soon.
Just one day to go! So, you’re ok, right? What have you been doing then?
I guess there’s not much you can do to change who you are. I’m an only child. Although it’s true that only children sometimes grow up to crave people, big families, etc., I think more often than that, we’re happy loners. I enjoy my own company, especially if I’m in a good mood and happy.
Get one of those department store manequins and have her (or him) sit on the sofa in front of the tv.
Or get a dog.
If you came up (or is it down? or to the side?) to Taipei more often would be nice, for all of us… Bambi misses you 
I’m an only child as well, and have mostly lived alone since I was 14 or so, with the exceptions of brief periods with roomates (yuck!) and a few months under my father’s roof when I was under hard times.
I have to say, I am my own best company.
While I don’t feel particularly lonely, I do notice that I sometimes spend too much time alone without realizing it. This isn’t good in terms of the whole healthy social interaction thing, i guess.
It’s funny about what tash said about about only people growing up to desire large families and people. I’ve got it in my head that a good woman and 16 children would be cool. I’ve actually been looking into joining groups (like the hiking or cycling groups) and helping out with some of the causes that I hear about here. It’s tougher for me than it sounds, but I’m pushing myself. I’m naturally not a joiner-inner. One of these days…
I’d like to get a pet, but I worry constantly that I would not be providing enough care to said pet. And I have allergies.
That said, I do keep myself busy with my hobbies and interests. I have more things to do than I have time for.
It’s funny, I don’t feel lonely, but I do realize the effects of spending too much time with myself. Hmmm.
This is how I would reccommend anyone who lives alone to do it:
Get an XBOX 360
Adopt a dog
Read lots of Terry Prattchet
[quote=“CanisLupusFamiliaris”]This is how I would reccommend anyone who lives alone to do it:
Get an XBOX 360
Adopt a dog
Read lots of Terry Prattchet[/quote]
Actually this sounds like the recipe for people who WANT to spend a lot of time alone.
How about walking to the nearest Basket Ball court and picking up a game, going to a bar and talking to other patrons (or the barmaid), shopping, cooking/eating and-or a trip to the gym/pool?