[Mockingbird]

I feel the need to rant a bit.

Sometime around August, my long time friend and co-conspirator, we'll call him Jack, lost his job and rent was coming due on his apartment. He didn't have any way to pay it and as we've been friends for a long time and we've helped each other out on several occasions, I suggested that he move in with me and we'd figure something out.

At that time, things weren't going super well for me. I had become frustrated with my last job for several reasons and walked out. I had about 200 dollars in my wallet, half a tank of gas and no real prospect of earning anything else any time soon.

Regardless, out of necessity, we struggled along and at the end of August I found a wonderful job. Jack had still not found a job but since he worked in a fairly specialized field and since he's also a workaholic, I told him to take a break and chill out. I let him know that as long as we could get by on my salary, there was no real rush to find a job.

September was difficult. Paying for my bills and his car payment to keep everything current plus food and expenses was getting pretty tough, but it was just edging on a month and a half at this point and I remembered my promise -- while my quality of life had decreased markedly, (i.e, neither my girlfriend or I can make pancakes naked while he sits on the couch) I decided it was no big deal and went on.

This month, he found a job and things got a lot better. But over the last few months things have been getting a little tense. I tend to be ... ah, well, I'm not a super clean person, but Jack is pretty dirty. While we both make good money (and about the same wage) I work a lot less than he does. As such, I try to keep up with more than my share of the housework. That's okay. But lately, he isn't helping at all. There have been a few other strange incidents where he acts a little oddly, for example sometimes we'll be talking about something and he'll blurt out some bit about, 'Well, you sleep on a bed, at least' or something similar. Then, tonight, I went over to a small gathering of a few friends and my girlfriend informs me that he had been venting to a friend of hers about 'how I acted better than him'.

Now. I have two modes of operation. In one mode, which is my general setting, I rationally lay things out on the table as I see them and try to deliberate a solution to the problem and make sure everyone is happy. I did this about a week ago when I asked about his odd behavior and asked him if there was anything wrong. He said things were fine and sort of clammed up about it. Granted, he's been diagnosed with PAPD (passive aggressive personality disorder) so he doesn't usually deal with face to face conversations very well.

My other mode of operation is eliminating whatever is pissing me off in a flurry of a billion fists. If whoever I'm talking to doesn't understand a nice, rational approach, then they will understand sudden and unprovoked violence. This is a natural law.


Sorry this is so long winded, but here is my problem. Jack is a good friend, but he seems to be having some sort of problem with me and he isn't telling me about it, even after trying to confront it. In addition, he seems to be talking about me behind my back and biting the hand that has fed him for the past two months. I really want to solve this with everyone happy. In general, we have a pretty good time around the apartment, I've even tried to set him up with some of my girlfriend's friends. I don't know what else I should do, here.

Do I have any other recourse other than telling him to get the fuck out? Please say yes and tell me how, folks. I don't want to hurt his feelings, but I don't want to be treated poorly, either.