OMG, I'm like Schmidt!

Do I watch too much TV and read too much into sitcoms maybe?

Do I overanalyse stuff too much....

Yes and yes!

Anyhoo, I just finished catching up on the latest episode of New Girl.  Love that show.  I love all the characters, really.  So, if you haven't seen the latest episode, there are new young neighbors, and Jess and Schmidt try to hang with them.  They end up loving Jess and hating Schmidt.  But Schmidt wants them to like him and tries too hard.

Ok.  I don't usually try too hard to get people to like me.  But, I know what it's like to be older and not have the younger kids want to hang out with me.  That's what I feel like at work.  I am even older than my chef!  So, all the cool servers always ask the other cooks what they are doing and if they want to go for drinks later, but they never really ask me.

Ok, a long time ago when we first started doing brunch, that crew asked me once or twice, and I said I couldn't because I had to pick up my dog and spend quality time with him.

But, it's kind of weird to be one of the people who don't get invited to go out.

I did get invited to go to a party on a Sunday night, but I was so dead tired, and the FP was watching the Steeler game, that there was no way we were going.

But, I just have to find a new way to make friends.  I can't always only have friends that I work with.  That gets fucked up anyway, when you want to do something and everyone wants to take off for it.

So, whatever.  I've always been an introverted nerd.

It's just that, I'm not used to being invisible anymore.

Old Friends

I miss my friends.  My old friends.  I have to tell you the truth.  I like making new friends.  I hate the inbetween phase after you've met and you establish that you like each other when you are getting to know each other.  I like already knowing what people are like.  I like being comfortable.  I like friends like I like my pants, comfortable, gives you breathing room, not too clingy and elastic.

I got to talk to a good old friend tonight.  A friend from junior high.  One of my best friends from childhood.  She has been going through rough times.  It was good to talk to her.  Hopefully I will get to talk to her more often in the future.

I'm ready to make new old friends.  And I'm ready to get more in touch with old friends.  I'm not good at nurturing relationships.  I kind of let them go to the wayside for so long, that it is awkward to contact them.  But, there's always facebook and text messaging and emails....

Speaking of old friends, my friend didn't give me hope for the future that the cats and the dog will ever get caught snoozing together.  Maybe they will never get along any better than like cats and dogs.  I guess the best we can hope for is no physical contact.  Which for Rudy is a feat.  He's so challenging lately.  But I'll reel him in, well, with the help of our trainer - if I ever get around to scheduling another appointment with her.  I think he's big enough where you can still tell he's a puppy, but it probably looks ridiculous as I try to drag him around and he resists.  Everyone looks at us in a laughing way.  The two of us look ridiculous.  I just hope that some day, it will just look like natural, and we will just look like two old friends, taking a walk down the street.

old friends

So, I think there are friends of convenience, and there are friends who take a piece of your soul.  That might not sound right to you, but this is how I see it.

Working in the service industry, I've had friends who were very close to me, because we worked together and drank together.  And then when we stopped working together, we stopped drinking together.

Then there are friends who are always friends, and no matter the circumstance of meeting, or how often you keep in contact, they will always be dear to you.  And when you see each other after long periods of absence, it's like... old friends.

So, this weekend, we went to a very special event.  We went to our good friends' wedding.  These are friends who we met early on in San Diego.  And while we had our ups and downs, and in the end we didn't see each other as much anymore, they will always be dear to my heart.  They were an integral part of our experience in San Diego, and so many memories include them.

The sad thing about weddings, is that the betrothed couple bring together so many friends and family, that it's really difficult to spend enough time with everyone.  I realize this, so just spending the little time with them during the wedding was enough.  And it was also great hanging out with their families and friends.  It weird that everyone was so appreciative of our attendance.  We pretty much felt it was mandatory.  I mean, we assured them so many times that we were definitely going.  I'm sure they didn't necessarily believe us, but would have understood if we hadn't have gone.

I mean, they live in BFE!  They live in a very quaint little tourist town.  It's called Traverse City and it's in Michigan on one of the bays.  It's really cute.  But it's 4 and a half hours outside of Detroit.  So, while we unfortunately may never return to Traverse City, this was the big event that compelled us to travel all the way to Traverse City.

I'm so glad that we got a chance to go there.  We got to see the place that the bride grew up in, the home that she loves.  It's such a foreign concept to me - for a child to love her childhood town so much to want to move back there, or to want to live so close to her parents.  I mean it's very sweet.  Am I jealous of that closeness?  Sure, I must be.  But it's nice to see.

So, congrats to the married couple.  I can't say enough how much you guys mean to me, and how lovely it was to see you walk down the aisle together!