"Ok."

"Alright."

"uhuh."

"Whatever."

"lol!"

":)"

What do all these words have in common? From where I'm standing, they are the last things you will ever hear or say in an instant messaging conversation. Seriously, there are conversations where as much as you try to keep it interesting, sometimes you're just bombarded with people that will reply with line upon line of "lol!!".

Naturally at this point, I'd be inclined to close the window and never speak to them again. There is only a finite amount of patience and a limited amount of time I can waste, even when trying to socialize with people.

The problem of course is do you even bother saying hi in the first place if you don't really have anything to talk about? Many a times, I would message someone with the intention of idle chatter only to be stopped after asking them how they are. Not exactly the kind of thing I'd like in a conversation. More so when I happen to have a lot of people on my contact list. What's the point of having them all there when I can't even hold a conversation that lasted more than 5 lines? Why did I ever have them there in the first place?

Oh wait I forgot. To build personal relationships with people.

Still, sometimes it can't be helped. As much as I would love to have a conversation I can't tear away from. Those often come once in a blue moon and only if that blue moon was eclipsed by the moon made of green cheese. As sad as it may be, instant messaging for me at least, is the only contact I have with a world beyond my grasp. Like finding friends worth building a relationship with, sometimes you really have to sift through a contact list fill of dead conversations to find them. Doesn't mean I like it any less. It just means I have more reason to put up with it on the way to what I want.

Why anyone can't continue a conversation with "Well, I'm trying to figure out a way to get a lightbulb out of my friend's ass, but other than that, it's all good." is beyond me. It certainly does make the conversation a whole lot more interesting. At least it's guaranteed to hold the conversation for a little while longer.

And that at the end of it is always what matters.