Easter Vacation Day 2: Picking Up Where You Left Off

First part of the day:


I ride my bike, come home, lament the fact that these allergies are destroying me in every respect, get ready to go, drive to south Jersey, grab some cheap lunch and a cup of coffee at the rest stop, hit the Camden Aquarium, see fish and stuff, go to Whole Foods to grab a drink, hit Joe Canal's, then go to Vinny's. It is now 5:00.


The aquarium was ok but this is what Julia thinks of the whole "touch the fish" thing:

Second part of the day:


Who is Vinny? He's an old college buddy who lives in south Jersey with his wife Bridgette and their 3 girls. He was the best man at our wedding, and we lived together at some point towards the end of the post-college days. Our history is more or less based on beer & drugs. We don't do drugs anymore, but the way it usually goes is I get to Vinny's house, we drink beer, and then we drink more beer. 


Nat & I were discussing how to play the day. She figured since we were in the area, we should "stop by" and say hello. I know better than this. There is no stop by. It is either all-in, or don't go. She doesn't understand this. I explain to her that we'll see. 


So I show up with a bomber of Firestone & a sixer of some Founder's something or other. As expected, I'm right. This is how it goes:


1. Vinny tries the Firestone, likes it
2. He hems and haws about the first Founders, but decides he'll have another
3. But just 1 more
4. After we wipe out everything I brought, Vinny is yelling about diving into the Sam Adams he's got in the fridge
5. We are drunk, we eat pizza


This is how it goes. Every time. This is why I said to Nat - either we skip or it's all in. I think she actually expected to be there for a beer or 2. It's funny, I laugh at the notion. 


See this is really how it goes with someone you're really, truly good friends with. I haven't been to their house in 2 years, a virtual eternity in this day and age. In that time span I've probably seen Utah 100 times. But one of my best friends, exactly 0. But when you really know & love someone like this, what is time? Time is nothing, it doesn't matter. Even though we're old and shit now, we're always just going to be the same good friends that we've always been. 


You just pick up where you left off, it's just good times. It's like a running relay. For the past 2 years we've sort of just been sitting on the bench, and then it was time to get back on the track and grab the baton. We just hit the deck and sprinted like we always do. Damn good times. 


Ok, maybe we're not as fast. We used to drink 10 beers each not 5. But the point is the same. When you've got a good friendship, it doesn't matter if you don't see each other every day or week or month or even year. Life gets in the way, then 1 day you find yourself on the track again, baton in 1 hand, beer in the other. Just run, have a good time, and don't think too much about it.