Nothing in life is as important to me than my friends. I would gladly give up everything if not doing so meant that I'd lose my friends. In the past my friends have always been there for me no matter what and that is something I won't give up on.
That's why it hurts me when someone who I thought was a friend stops being there or just won't take any effort to be a friend.
So this week I lost a friend. It's really too bad because this is a person that I really got on well with. Same wavelength and everything. But after weeks of broken promises I just couldn't see the point of expending any more effort. I'll tilt at windmills along with the best of 'em but there comes a point when it's time to move on. For this person that point is now. Too bad.
But I do keep meeting fun and exciting people to explore with, so I'm not lacking for company :-)
Today I had breakfast with Steph and John. Had a really good time (and I'm absolutely stuffed).
Tomorrow I'm having coffee (or dinner) with someone new in my life. We'll see if that turns into a friendship or perhaps something more.
Monday Michael moves in. It'll be odd living with someone again. It's been 4 years since I last had a housemate.
Time to go do a little remodeling. Good weekend all.
Sipping 5%.
Mulling maudlin thoughts.
Getting slowing hammered.
Why is life such a roller-coaster?
I feel like I've fallen off the crest of a high-G turn and am tumbling down to the ground.
Time to pick up the pieces.
No regrets. No mercy. No Remorse.
My friends Matt & Betsy stopped by today.
That's actually quite an understatement since it's a 10 hour drive to get here. I haven't seen them for a couple of years.
It was really cool to sit down and chat. It's really amazing, after 2-3 years since the last time we can sit down and it is like no time has passed at all.
I guess that is what having friends is all about. Thank you all.
Most people I know would call me a decent guy. My friends would call me faithful and realiable.
I don't ask much from my friends. I've never called someone at 2 am with a problem. I've never shown up on someones door to stay uninvited. I've never broken a promise to a friend. At the same time I'm very generous with my time and my house is their house. Any and all of my friends have an open invitation to come over for dinner or stay the night, or simple hang out for a while.
One of the few things I do expect from a friend is a minimum of consideration when it comes to breaking a commitment. I understand that plans change and emergencies happen. But (baring a medical emergency or the like) I expect a call, SMS, or e-mail letting me know that they aren't going to make it. For one thing I won't worry about the person being hurt or otherwise incapacitated. For another it lets me know that I can go do something else instead of hanging around.
The tough part comes when I have to decide if I want to keep someone in my life who doesn't live up to these expectations.
Food for thought for a Wednesday night.
Well, we got lucky with the weather.
Somehow we managed to dodge through the storms on Saturday and it was bright and sunny most of the afternoon. BBQ was a success and about 15 folks showed up.
We actually had a really good time and for an extra bonus, it only took me an hour to clean up on Sunday :-)
For those that are interested the recipes for the bbq are as follows:
1) Pork Chops. Get some pork center cuts from a real butcher (in the US the ones from the supermarket are ok, just be sure to do a special order). Get them 0.5 inches (1.2 cm) thick. Make 2-3 slices almost through the meat. Pit a sliver of garlic in the slice. Sprinkle some black pepper on the meat and cover with dijon mustard. Put on the grill when the coals are medium hot and cooling down. Flip every 3-4 minutes until cooked through and serve. Tasty.
2) Salmon. Get a full salmon fillet. About 2 hours before cooking, coat the fish with olive oil and put into a disposable aluminum pan to marinate (Alternatively you can make a aluminum envelope). Add capers (and the juice), pine nuts, some sprigs of fresh dill, and a pack of butter in chunks. Cut the fillet into manageable slices that you would be comfortable flipping on the grill. I make mine about 1.5 inches (3.2 cm) thick. Cover with alumunum foil. Then put on the grill to slowly broil/boil. Every 5 minutes or so turn the fish. If you use the envelope technique be very carefull not to burn the fish. It is best to use a very small pile of coals and wait until the burn way down.
3) Veggies. Get some squash, zuchini, cherry tomatos, and mushrooms. Chop up into bite size pieces (except for the tomatos, those are ok as is). Put into an oven ready envelope. Add a stick of butter and about 100 ml of water. Sprinkle with pepper. Put on the grill and let steam.
Ok, enough for tonight.
Yeah, I know I used that subject line already. Well ....
I don't care! I'm having a party on Saturday and I'm really hoping that it won't rain. I just checked the forcast and its calling for rain in the afternoon. Looks like I'll have to come up with alternate cooking strategies. Shoudln't be too big of a problem. It's pork chops, salmon, and veggies. I'm sure that I'll cope ok ... or simply bbq in the rain ;-)
I don't know where the time is going these days. I leave work and get home and then suddenly it's 10pm! I hope that this will become less of a problem in the near future as I finish unpacking and get all my furnature assembled.
I spoke with my new colleague from Switzerland today about renting out my spare room. He seemed interested. We'll see what he thinks of the place on Saturday.
And a friend of mine resigned from work today. It wasn't unexpected. They are moving onto a non-lab position doing product management. I think she'll be a lot happier there.
Off to sleep. Maybe a little pre-bedtime reading. Hasta.
Yesterday I picked up the keys to my house. I was so out of it people must have thought I was a loon. I managed to miss two turns when I was driving around. A few minutes after the missed turn I realized I didn't recognize the scenery and have to hunt for a u-turn spot. Lovely ;-)
But the day finally ended. I started to move in. Got my computer there, my locally attained cook stuff, bought a TV and DVD player.
My friend Anshul came over last night and we had beer and pizza. No furnature. No napkins. Nothing, but it was cool.
This morning I'm meeting the movers at 9am. It'll be good to sleep on my own bed again.