quite frankly, if you need a friend to motivate you to get up off your ass to lift and reach your fitness goals, you prolly wanna rethink even getting into shape. just my two cents. its difficult to find someone who's at the same point as you in your exercise regiment unless you're just beginning, and i find bringing a friend detracts from your workout. not having a spotter for example forces my ass to be ready to lift heavy or else i wont hit the rep counts, whereas if i know i have a spotter im more likely to lean on him for the last few reps. its all psychological. people can feel free to disagree with me, but the main point still stands - if you wont go to the gym alone but you will with a friend, you gotta set your priorities straight
also, theres no such thing as toning, dont give a fuck if its a guy or girl that says it. if you're serious about getting into shape then i suggest you try and sound somewhat knowledgeable and like you did your research, as 99% of people don't and thats why they dont reach their fitness goals.
steeldragon, avoid machines as they limit your range of motion and dont even hit most of the muscles that they aim to target as a result. stick to compound lifts with the barbell.
most important thing when it comes to motivation, which also in turn results in going to the gym being fun - you have to want it bad enough. not because someone else looks good, not because you envy others, not because you wanna be on the cover of that magazine, but because you want to get in shape. the motivation and the routine will follow once you have a clearcut goal and actually wanna achieve it. ive seen people kill it in the gym and in the kitchen but blow it all on the weekends getting plastered - misalignment of goals, you didnt want it enough. consider getting into shape a full time job (especially if you're not in good shape and you want to get into good shape) - you mess up and you digress in achieving your goals. once you reach your fitness goals, you have much more room to maneuver (drink, eat out, etc), but until you're not satisfied with your goals, you should be as dedicated to this as you are to other priorities in life (if you want it badly enough, again)
if any of this was unclear, sorry drunk. and yes i can drink cause ive reached my fitness goals.