Making Time for Friends/Making Friends for Time:

This past weekend, I went and met up with some of my friends from University whom I don’t often get to see these days.  There was a group of us and it was like we’d never been apart – we laughed a lot, reminisced a lot, and generally added a new page to the story of our friendship.  It was good!  It’s always quite surreal to remember that for three whole years we were living in each others’ pockets and yet now, all these years later – we are spread far and wide,as we have been for four years now, and seldom able to get together as a group.  We are “just a scattering of lights across the globe”, as one such friend mawkishly predicted after many glasses of wine on the evening of our Graduation ceremony, back in 2008.

In 2012, I am glad to have these people in my lives still, even if all we do is make jokes at one another’s expense.  It seems that these days, it’s very easy for people to completely drift apart from one another.  People change.  Their circumstances and locations change.  Their personalities change.  And that includes ourselves – we are changing too, in all of these exact same ways.  It’s inevitable that, as our personal situations change, the time we have available to meet up with our nearest and dearest will fluctuate.  At University, I was living on the same campus as these people and seeing them every single day.  And night.  Lancaster University campus was the size of a walnut shell.  It was impossible not to see a number of friends to stop and talk to on just one short walk to the shops.  These days – with everybody living in different places and doing different things – we can go days, weeks, even months without contact.  It’s a massive contrast to how it used to be, but if the friendship is strong enough, these tests of time are no problem.  However, there will be other times in which people change so much that friendships slowly dissolve, albeit unintentionally.  People gradually forget people sometimes and that’s sad.  That’s something I try very hard not to do.

I’m not one of those people who is constantly typing away to people on the phone or over Facebook.  I don’t always think it’s necessary – I don’t believe that friendships should require constant contact in order to stay alive, and if they are that high-maintenance, they’re unlikely to exist beyond the inevitable boundaries of time and distance anyway.

That said, it’s nice when you do take that time to re–connect.  To catch-up.  To pretend you’re young again and yet to also age with one another.  To reminisce and keep the memories alive.  But above all, to continue the story – we all know that life is just one long series of chapters, and that each of the chapters have their own distinguishing features, but it’s nice to keep the characters recurring and keep the story cohesive.

Always make some time – no matter how small or how infrequent – for your relationships, and in turn those same relationships will know how to survive through time.

A quick word on Jimmy Savile…

So ‘Sir’ Jimmy is not quite Jim’ll Fix It For You but Jim’ll Stick It in You…?  I can safely add my name to the list of millions who are disgusted by the recent allegations.  Who would have thought that that cheery, comedic looking chappy in the tracksuit, who raised millions for charity, could have turned out to be such a poisonous little turd.  The recent revelations may have been a shock for the likes of you or I, but his dozens of victims will have spent most of their lives with their minds burnt by such horrifically vivid memories.  These women weren’t given the option to enjoy the same kind of innocence that we could – that choice was taken away from them by a gluttonous  monster who was powerful enough to always retain his innocence, albeit the different kind.  Posthumously strip this straggly-haired, self-gratifying old ogre of his knighthood and let’s distance ourselves a bit from this ridiculous modern-day notion that those who enjoy money and fame are always some kind of iconic super-being.  There are far more admirable and respectable people out there.  They just don’t need the limelight to make their point.

Intriguing Nuggets of Other Peoples’ Conversation #2471

I was on a train over the weekend, sat near to two immaculately-dressed ladies in fur scarves who looked and spoke like the sort of people you might expect to own a rural manor-house and make home-made jams and preserves for a living.  Both seemed to be in their ’60s, and their seemingly ostentatious conversation echoed around their seats.

“I didn’t much like Meeelanie laaaast niiight,”  one of them began to divulge to the other in posh, plum-voiced tones, “her outfit was AAAppalling”.  Fur Scarf #2 agreed, “Iiii wasn’t too fond of her either…or that other one…”

“What a pair of bitchy old beings!”  I thought to myself, assuming that they were probably referring to a blissfully-unaware acquaintance from Quifflingborough Croquet Club or whatever social circles they mix in.

Fur Scarf #1 continued…
“N’yes, all in all, not what I’d consider true X-Factor materialll”

I alighted the train moments later somewhat amused but albeit with my tail between my legs.  The dialogue had served as a timely reminder of the scope for error when casting judgment too quickly.   Ho hum.

Finally, some arty shizz:  I made a new video recently using some pictures I took in an old abandoned building we accidentally stumbled across during a bikeride.  Those of a nervous disposition probably shouldn’t watch.  Video can be viewed here .  Or if you prefer – you can click on the link that’s somewhere over there —>
New cartoons on the way soon too.

Song of the Day:  Dent May – Wedding Day

Mississippi musician who writes pleasant little dream-pop ditties such as this one.  A good one to chill towards the end of a long, busy and dark Autumn day.  I’ve had this one on loop for the past couple of days.