�Damned Yankees� or �Miss me blind� This past weekend was surprisingly fun. Even though Steve was coming in from New York and we were going to watch three Yankee games, I thought it would be a bit of letdown from lounging around in luxurious hotels and riding on Sea-Doos. In fact, this past weekend was actually far better. I got to spend time with one of my oldest and dearest friends, met a really interesting person, and furthered my friendships with people that I know here. Any time I get to know people better beats the superficial niceties of four-star hotels or funky vehicles. Like his previous visit, I got to reminisce with Steve about our college days, see how we�ve changed, and see how we�ll always be the same. It was cool spending time with Brandy and getting to know her a bit better. For a young person she really seems to have her stuff together and I admire how focused she appears to be--especially compared to my scatter-brained existence. Tony totally rocks and is one of the best people I�ve met in years. Brandy�s friend Debbie was visiting from Cleveland (some foreign land). She�s pretty fascinating. She can teach art to delinquents, make deformed cranes from place mats, and deftly operate many a power tool. My entire weekend revolved around these four and they made it wonderful--so much so that it more than made up for the Yankees being swept by the A�s. Raina�s been in China since the fifth. I knew I�d miss her, but I didn�t think I�d miss her so much. It�s weird. I don�t get to see her often since she�s a few hundred miles away, but it means a lot to know she�s there when I need her. For some reason I�m entirely comfortable being myself around her. There�s no need for my assortment of bluster, filters, and nonsense with Raina. It�s not like I share every detail of my life with her�but if I needed to, I think she�d be there to listen without judging me. I guess what I�m ultimately trying to say in an inefficient and roundabout way is that if anything wacky happens, I don�t like that I�m unable to share it with her since she�s away. So get back soon ya punk!