A Question...

Can men and women really be friends? Maybe there's more to that question than just that, I mean, I guess what I'm really asking, is can you be friends with a member of the opposite sex or, really, the same sex (it is 2011 and the definition of sexuality is blurring or at least so I'm told) without wanting to (old school), take it to the next level? Obviously, this is not my question; it's an age old question, but it's one worth pondering, at least on this side of the pond. See, I have many "guy" friends, always did and I mainly attribute that to the fact that I grew up with 2 brothers and not just any 2 brothers, but with MY brothers. There were always guys around and because I played sports, there were always guys around and because I worked in restaurants, there were always guys around. It's only natural to want to develop "relationships" with the people in your daily life, regardless of your gender or theirs. But, one wonders, when you become "friends" does that mean that everything else is off the table? Or, are you off the table because you are just friends? Then again, everyone swears that in order to have a lasting relationship, like a marriage, you have to be "friends" with the other person at some point. The heat will wear off, the sex will lessen and the quality might not be there, the bills will pile up, yada, yada, yada and, again so I'm told, the only way to move past that is to have a solid base like the one at Mammoth mountain before they start making the snow... there has to be a foundation before anything else can develop...
Read any women's magazine and you quickly learn that men are attracted to you instantly or they aren't. They want to fuck you or they don't, BUT, there is that indescribable quality or qualities that lead many men to want to date you: sense of humor, incredibly smart, savvy, rich, poised, beautiful in a "unique" way, different... men like different apparently in a friendship but maybe not in the bedroom (not sure I believe that, but there are different definitions of what constitutes different). And really though, I'm not just talking about sex here because you can't stay in bed 24/7 and I KNOW because... I have friends who've tried. Gotcha, you thought I was going to say I've tried, but my modesty forbids me from imparting too many details here. So, friendship between people who might otherwise be, um, how shall we say... horizontal? Or vertical if there's a counter or the aforementioned table. Whatever... I thought there might be a point in there somewhere.
I guess maybe the question really isn't a question as much as it is an observation. I enjoy the company of my male friends because they offer a much more varied perspective on things than my female friends; their point of view is so often in direct opposition to mine that it helps me to understand the other side. And, sometimes you just need someone to laugh at you or to tell you to shut the fuck up. Well, maybe not in exactly those terms, but in terms that involve little to no drama or hurt feelings or times of the month. I mean guys will just tell you, You're being a bitch right now, back off or Yeah, that sounds good and what they really mean is, you're being a bitch or that sounds good. There are no secret encoded messages in the dialogue there. Now I'm generalizing, as always and for those of you who throw up your hands and say, she's only talking about her friends and her life, well, didn't I warn you, in day one, blog one? I don't care what you think and if you don't care what I think then stop reading...
To partially answer my own question, I have male friends who I have never considered "in that way." Oh who am I kidding, who I have no interest in sleeping with, and there are reasons why I haven't considered them and surprisingly, very few have to do with the notion that we are just "friends." I mean, attractive men are attractive men, but, much like the first time you see someone and you feel your palms sweat, you don't necessarily want to develop a "relationship" with that person, at least not until you get to know them. And, romance movies aside, people fall in love or want to be with someone who they love deeply, who they respect and who meets more of their criteria than "buns of steel." I actually heard a guy say that once, enough said...
Men are fantastic and the quality ones just get better with age which is wholly unfair, but true. I remember as an 18 year (yes I can remember back that far smartasses) wanting to go out with guys who were 25, 28, 30, not other 18 year olds. I just wanted to be friends with those guys. But they got their turn; now those 18 year olds are in their prime and I'm, um, well, bullshit, I'm in my prime too, but, alas, married...
So, friendships between men and women, possible? Definitely. Worthwhile? Definitely. Leading to something else? Well...maybe. I crack myself up sometimes.