The Durek.

I have been fairly vocal about some of the frustrations that life has thrown my way of late and some of these frustrating situations I have remained tight lipped about. There just aren't too many people in my life (that I come in contact with on a daily basis) with which I allow myself to be completely forthright but I woke up this morning with a sincere desire to put the shallow day to day mutterings aside and to hurl chunks of whatever is brewing inside me at someone who could listen without judging. I thought it was something that would just have to be set aside but God gave me a great gift today in the form of a phone call from the Durek. He was randomly in Columbus today and we were able to hook up for lunch. There was much griping, insulting, yelling, frustration, wondering, doubting, "faithing" (?)... We both asked many questions to which we have no answers... and yet, even in the midst of having no answers, the shared experience seemed to diminish the dark cloud that had been hovering. God encouraged me through honest friendship today. I need more of that and I need it more often.

Durek was not the only one that I got to talk with today. I also taught Wes how to borrow missed episodes of Smallville from the internet, caught up with Kinser on the important sociological issues that surround X3, and finally hung out in Ben Forgrave's living room after dropping off the banana bread that my wife baked for the Forgraves. Friendships are precious and I personally don't spend enough time appreciating them. I look forward to time I can spend by myself doing whatever I want when I should actually use my free time to invest more in those around me. I'll start working on that when the aforementioned free time rears its head again.

Completely off topic:

I have to make a small confession of which I am not proud: I'm a fan of Grey's Anatomy. My wife has gotten me to watch it and I'm hooked. Last night's episode was a cliffhanger that lead to a TWO HOUR finale tonight. 24 is on and so is CSI Miami. The TIVOs are confused and the previously mothballed VCR has made in appearance in order to snag all three of these shows at once. I love sweeps... but in a week, all this fun TV will be over and I'll have to start branching out into "real" life again. Don't blame for my escapism. Every time I look at my pregnant wife and realize that the human she has been constructing is about to emerge from quarters that are becoming too cramped I feel like jumping for joy and passing out at the same time. Escaping into the twisted yet comfortably familiar world of Jack Bauer is arguably necessary.