Friday, November 04, 2005

work stress and a run-in with an ex-roommate

So, I was over at my ex-roommate's mom's place - putting plastic on her windows. She'd been wanting me to do it and though I usually call first, this time I just stopped by after my post halloween hair-cut.

I had the double-stick tape in place and was trying to get the plastic unfolded when my ex-roommate pulled up to deliver some fish to his mom from the resturant where he works. We talked for a bit and he helped a little with the plastic, but it was....

It was the kind of awkward of two people who were friends, but haven't seen each other in ten years and realize that they don't have anything in common anymore.

I could tell the converstation was struggling, so I asked "How are your boys doing?" - which should have been a fountain of topics for most parents.

His reply was "Oh, you know how they are."

Except that I didn't - I haven't seen them in a year and I was asking. I realized then that it was over - if he wasn't willing to share even the most simple of topics, we couldn't really communicate.

I was still working on getting the plastic in place when he announced he was leaving. He said his good-byes - leaving me to finish put the plastic over his mom's windows. I finished up my work fairly quickly - I've done this several years in a row - and headed out too.

I think I need to distance myself from his mom and his grandmother a bit more - until he makes an effort to seek me out again, I don't think I want to run into him. It was just too awkward.

In other news...man, work has really sucked this week. And it was a short week for me at that. I've been swamped pretty much all the time and I keep getting these big projects with impossible deadlines. I guess it's job security, but man - I've been hopping. And I found myself clenching my teeth in a meeting. Not good.

But, hey, it's Friday. And I've got no major plans for the weekend. Maybe I'll clean out my closets and do a little woodcarving.

For now, though, it's back to work...

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