Antisocial...or Savvy?

There's a fine line between being just friendly enough and being too friendly. As some of us learned in college, a simple "Hey, I recognize you from differential equations class" directed toward the wrong type of person can effectively ruin your life. So now, in the real world, it's hard to figure out how far to go with people you see on a day-to-day basis. Of course there's also the obvious pro of potentially meeting a kindred spirit and all that other "love thy neighbor" stuff, but here are the main pros and cons of getting too close, IMO.

Neighbors

Pro: a door to knock on if your wine opener breaks right when you are dying for a drink (although it's a wonder how a wrench and pliers - which every girl should have - will help in this sitch)

Con: not being able to just smile and run by when you're rushing out in your PJ's with a messy bun and slept-in mascara to grab the latest Netflix from the mailbox

Coworkers*

Pro: free advice on how to fix your temperamental garbage disposal

Con: having to listen to mind-numbing conversations about plumbing, fishing, and how them new-fangled things like Facebook suck

Gym Goers

Pro: someone to grab the right dumbbells for you when you're inevitably late for sculpting class

Con: being saddled with an assumed workout buddy who either slows you down while whining about life or brags about how she's "dieting" and therefore just had potato chips for lunch

Maybe in each of these cases you're damned if you do and damned if you don't. Ah, such is life.

*Bear in mind that 90% of my coworkers are male scientists who have kids my age.