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Ask Ed & Red

Ed The Sock And His Gal Red
In every issue of FAZE MAGAZINE,
our readers bare their souls to
Ed & Red, Canada's high priest and priestess of morality, etiquette and, especially, common sense. Here are Ed & Red's unfettered and heartfelt replies.

Send your own questions to ed@faze.ca and hopefully Ed & Red will be able to answer you in an upcoming issue of FAZE.

ISSUE #49 Q & A

Faze Reader:
I have A FRIEND WHO BAILS ON ME whenever we make plans to hang out. She doesn’t think she’s doing anything wrong, but I hate it when she calls to cancel at the last minute. How do I get her to see that it annoys me, without being mean and starting a fight?
RED:
I hate cancelling on people. I always feel so bad! The least dramatic way to work out a “cancellation policy” is to talk about it at a calm time. That means not right when she cancels on you. I know that’s hard to do, but people are more likely to listen to you when they’re not on the spot. And you asked how to avoid a fight.
Your friend probably has problems with time management, and there’s nothing you can do about that. What you can do is manage your own expectations. Plan group stuff instead of one-on-one time, so your plans don’t get wrecked when she ‹ akes. Just make her less important to your plans to have fun, so you can focus on the positives! Good luck!
ED:
Blah blah blah. Why do you care if it might start a  ght when she clearly doesn’t? Stand her up a few times and see how she likes it. Then again, maybe you should  nd out why she bails on you. She might be dealing with bigger things at home. This might be a good time to discover the world doesn’t revolve around you, kiddo.


Faze Reader:
My friend broke up with his girlfriend a few months ago, and I’VE ALWAYS HAD THE BIGGEST CRUSH ON HER. I feel like we could really get along if we dated because we share a lot of the same interests, but he’s still hung up on her. Should I take a chance and ask her out? Or keep our friendship intact?
RED:
You’re setting yourself up for a huge amount of stress playing this game. The world makes romantic relationships seem like the greatest things in the world, but in your case, you know it’s going to be a problem for your friend, so…why are you looking for permission to do something you know is wrong? Oh. Right. Hormones.
We see this “hooking up with your best friend’s ex” situation all the time on TV, but in the real world, it’s different: it’s way less glamorous, way more stressful and there’s no director to yell “cut” at the end of the scene. You know better, so act on that, not what the media tells you.
RED:
There’s a saying, “bros before…” something that rhymes with “bros.” Doesn’t matter, I don’t live my life by rhymes. Calculate the odds: your relationship with your friend is a reality, the relationship with the girl is a possibility. If you want to roll the dice, go ahead, but remember, in Vegas the house always wins.


Faze Reader:
My family is moving across the country next month, and my biggest fear is switching schools and making new friends. I WON’T KNOW ANYONE AT MY NEW SCHOOL, and I really don’t want to sit alone on the first day! Do you have any suggestions on how to make new friends halfway through the school year?
RED:
Growing up, I changed schools a lot, so I feel you. The great thing about being the new kid is that people judge you for who you are now, not who you were two years ago, so you’re not that kid who ate dirt in the fifth grade.
Figuring out how to join new groups is a fantastic thing to learn, so look at this as an opportunity. The best way to avoid social isolation is to be assertive. “Hi! I’m new!” is the easiest introduction. Some people think it’s a totally loser thing to ask to sit with people, but have you ever asked why? There really isn’t an answer. One last bit of advice: if you catch yourself doing things just to fit in, stop. You want people to know you, not someone fake.
ED:
Are you kidding? What a great opportunity. Halfway through the year the others kids are bored of each other and will be looking for someone new to get bored of, and you fit the bill. Plus, you can be picky; you don’t have to hang out with the same old jerks just because you always hung out with them in the years before they became jerks. Don’t seem needy, and, trust me, they will ‹ flock to you, wondering why you don’t seem needy.


Look out for Ed's compilation CD!
Featuring "songs that don't suck"
(With tracks from Sum 41, Swollen Members, Gob, Bif Naked, LiveOnRelease and more)




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