Friday without the Five
December 5^th, 2003
12:22 A. M.

Well, remember yesterday how I said that the Friday Five (I forgot to include the link to the site yesterday! Oops! Signed; You Know Who Dec. 6^th, 2003) would be returning today? Well, it will be returning next week ... when the folks at Friday Five post a new list. It's frustrating, I know, but reassuring to me at the same time.

I mean, here I've been worrying myself to death because I've not been posting, and the Fivers do the same thing. Well, they posted enough to say that there would be no Friday Five this week, but you get the picture. Sometimes, everyone needs a little slack time.

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Today is one of my oldest friend’s birthday. We met in sixth grade, I think it may have been back in '86 (if not a little earlier). I was the new kid in school. That was a condition I was quite used to in those days. It seemed like every time I got accustomed to being around a particular group of kids, we'd move out of the school district.
Making friends has never been much of a challenge for me. It's all a matter of opening up to whoever seems interested in listening to you, then you spend time letting them open up to you.
But, in certain situations (like being the new kid on the first day of school), you simply don't feel like opening up. Sitting in silence has never been very characteristic of me, but I didn't feel like talking to anyone that day.
At lunch, I wanted to sit by myself, but the closest I could get to that was a table that only had one person sitting at it. I sat down at that table, content to remain silent for the duration of the lunch period.
I noticed, however, that the guy I sat near was having trouble opening his mustard package.
So, I said "I can get that open for you."
He slid the mustard across the table to me, and I applied slight pressure to one end. I grabbed my fork.
Now, before I finish my description of this action, I have to say that I had done this same thing at home thousands of times without a mishap. I apply slight pressure to one end of the mustard (or ketchup packet) and jab it with a fork. As I jab it with the fork, I let off of the other end of the packet, so I don't risk an explosion.
Well, that day my timing was off, and as I was bringing the fork in, I realized that I hadn't eased off the other end of the packet.
Mustard shot half-way down the table.
"Great," I thought to myself, "First day at school, and already I'm headed for trouble."
The guy across from me said, "Man, I'm tellin'!"
"Double great," I thought, "I've just met the class tattle-tale!"
He started waving and yelling for the teacher;
"Mrs. B! Mrs. B!"
She looked up from her lunch. I put my face in my hands, certain my school year was off to a dreadful start.
He yells down to her as he's pointing at me, "He bu'ted mu'ted!"
I yanked my face out of my hands and looked up at him. I've never seen a sillier expression before in my life...just seconds before, though, everything about him had been completely serious.
I looked down the table to our teacher. She looked at my lunch companion and rolled her eyes ... and paid us no mind for the rest of the period.
This guy, by calling for the teacher's attention the way he did, probably spared me a great deal of trouble that day.
And we've been friends ever since.
Today he turns 30 ... 26 days from now, so will I.

So, Happy Birthday to T. R. S.

Keep 'em coming, and don't stop rockin'!