This weekend I had my buddy Pete over and he was helping me do a bunch of stuff. We sat down at the end of the day shooting the shit and he says "we have known each other for 45 years" I thought about this and remembered once when we were 5 yrs old and my Dad got a flat tire in the middle of winter comming back from the circus in Boston, we were late getting back and yup that was a long time ago.
Through the years we have not gone more than a month not talking to each other except when I was in Europe. Why call then?
Anyways he was the best man at my first wedding and we have seen at least 20-30 of the people we both grow up with pass and move on into the great unknown. So after yapping I have really begun to realize how blessed I must be to still have a pal since my early chilhood. So I was wondering if anyone else has had a pal as long as me. Fuck.....he has lasted longer than most marriages. And 3-4 dogs

i've met the legendary Pete the mountain man. he is a cool guy!

you're lucky to have a lifelong friend like that.

i am not in touch with any friends from childhood, that IS a blessing.

The down side of moving around so much is that I have no "lifelong" friends, and in fact the concept is one I struggle with. I can barely remember the names of people I went to various schools with, and I expect they have long since forgotten me. Of the few I remember, I have no idea where they are or even if they are living. One such case, a kid I knew in tenth grade, I looked him up unsuccessfully until I ran across a mutual running buddy who told me he'd been killed a couple years after I left town 25 years ago. Now that I've been in one place a couple decades my friends here have their own childhood friends that they get together with, but it still kind of weirds me out that a person can just run into someone they grew up with, while shopping or going to the store. I just have no frame of reference for it.

On reflection I think it does real damage to my forming longterm friendships now, because I never cultivated the ability to retain people in my memory for longer than a year or so, and now when I actually CAN run into people years later I don't remember them and it pisses them off...

I remember the night of the circus and my Dad carried ole Pete into his house, he had fallen asleep and it was late but I remember as I looked out the window how proud I was of my Dad. Pete never had a father because his was a french drunk and Petes mother kicked him out. He was told he died but he lived a few towns over. Pete or PI (thats what we called him) latched on to my family and loved my Dad. He went everywhere with us. Kinda like an extra brother.
He never meet him and refused to see him on his deathbed, I still bitch at him about that.

(04-17-2012, 07:45 PM)Donovan Wrote: The down side of moving around so much is that I have no "lifelong" friends, and in fact the concept is one I struggle with. I can barely remember the names of people I went to various schools with, and I expect they have long since forgotten me. Of the few I remember, I have no idea where they are or even if they are living. One such case, a kid I knew in tenth grade, I looked him up unsuccessfully until I ran across a mutual running buddy who told me he'd been killed a couple years after I left town 25 years ago. Now that I've been in one place a couple decades my friends here have their own childhood friends that they get together with, but it still kind of weirds me out that a person can just run into someone they grew up with, while shopping or going to the store. I just have no frame of reference for it.

On reflection I think it does real damage to my forming longterm friendships now, because I never cultivated the ability to retain people in my memory for longer than a year or so, and now when I actually CAN run into people years later I don't remember them and it pisses them off...

Thats rather insightful, it helps me understand people better.

Maggot, does Pete know about Mock?

I don't have a life long friendship with anyone, after college I moved away from where I was born & raised. Whenever I go back home I see old friends I've known since I was very young but it is nothing on the scale of what you have with Pete.

I have known my best friend Steve for 33 years. He's a huge guy, always has been - looks intimidating, but he's actually very sweet. We would braid our hair to look like Ted Nugent in 7^th and 8^th grade and then hit the skateboard park. He was good, I was just brave - the scars attest to my mediocrity. He and his guy friends would call me and sing to Cheap Trick Live at Budokan when he was hanging with the dudes. I used to babysit for a boy that lived 2 houses down from him on Saturdays; he'd come over and we'd all ride the bean bag chair down the stairs (til we busted it open). Steve is like my brother and hated any boys who liked me; told my mom about the older ones (mom LOVES Steve, but could have cared less). He moved away in 10^th grade and we always kept in but touch by phone, visits, letters...

We've both lived in San Francisco for over 15 years. He still doesn't usually like the guys that I see at first, but he doesn't tell my mom on me anymore and he ends up embracing them. His good friend from his late high school/drugs days (when we lived 500 miles apart) is the very coolest. He lives in SF too. The three of us have been hangin' together for over a decade and a half; eating, drinking, laughing, razzing, barbecuing, getting into trouble, and just fucking around. Love them both immeasurably. I talk/text with them a few times a week, but only get to see them once every couple of months due to work schedules and general laziness on all our parts. Always a great time when we do get together.

I consider myself blessed too, Maggot. I'm rather a loner most of the time as an adult; glad I met Steve when I was a kid - keeps me grounded and inspires me to stay involved in the city and hang out with people from time to time.

I wouldn't call them lifelong friends because we lost contact for years but Facebook and a reunion recently connected me with my 4 or 5 closest friends in middle school. It was great to see them but now they keep planning get together after get together and while I enjoy their company it's become a little over the top for me.

Heres a story he told me that I thought was funny:
He was going out with a girl for about 9 years they were a good couple and the whole thing fell apart when the baby they had together died during birth. But anyway.
He went up to her one day and says today is your day, lets do whatever you want . so she undecided says I dont know. He says lets go up to the lake and ride the boat and have dinner, she said great lets go! They do this and on the way back she ssys " lets do some window shopping" he says ok its your day lets do it.
They end up at some second hand appliance place and they don't need anything but what the hell, in they go.
Looking around she sees a sign that says "Helen Waite is our credit manager if you want credit go to Helen Waite" So wendy (thats her name) goes up to the owner and says I would like to see Helen. The guy looks at Pete Pete looks at the guy and the face palm thing happens. The guy in the store was cool and says 'well Helen is on vaca and will be back next week" Ok she says and her and Pete split.
On the way back poor Pete could not hold it in anymore and explained who Helen Waite was. He says she got so pissed that she wanted to run the car into the guys storefront.
Pete says " after taking her on a trip and giving her her day I thought I was in like flynn for a piece of ass" nope.

My friend Dawn and I have been friends since the second grade...38 years. We were just out Friday night. She knows EVERY little detail of my life...the good, the bad and the ugly. We've also never been in a fight or even an argument. Love her to death...wouldn't know what I would do without her!!

(04-17-2012, 08:01 PM)HairOfTheDog Wrote: I have known my best friend Steve for 33 years. He's a huge guy, always has been - looks intimidating, but he's actually very sweet. We would braid our hair to look like Ted Nugent in 7^th and 8^th grade and then hit the skateboard park. He was good, I was just brave - the scars attest to my mediocrity. He and his guy friends would call me and sing to Cheap Trick Live at Budokan when he was hanging with the dudes. I used to babysit for a boy that lived 2 houses down from him on Saturdays; he'd come over and we'd all ride the bean bag chair down the stairs (til we busted it open). Steve is like my brother and hated any boys who liked me; told my mom about the older ones (mom LOVES Steve, but could have cared less). He moved away in 10^th grade and we always kept in but touch by phone, visits, letters...

We've both lived in San Francisco for over 15 years. He still doesn't usually like the guys that I see at first, but he doesn't tell my mom on me anymore and he ends up embracing them. His good friend from his late high school/drugs days (when we lived 500 miles apart) is the very coolest. He lives in SF too. The three of us have been hangin' together for over a decade and a half; eating, drinking, laughing, razzing, barbecuing, getting into trouble, and just fucking around. Love them both immeasurably. I talk/text with them a few times a week, but only get to see them once every couple of months due to work schedules and general laziness on all our parts. Always a great time when we do get together.

I consider myself blessed too, Maggot. I'm rather a loner most of the time as an adult; glad I met Steve when I was a kid - keeps me grounded and involved in the city and hanging out with people.

Great story Thanks for making me feel normal.

(04-17-2012, 08:07 PM)FAHQTOO Wrote: My friend Dawn and I have been friends since the second grade...38 years. We were just out Friday night. She knows EVERY little detail of my life...the good, the bad and the ugly. We've also never been in a fight or even an argument. Love her to death...wouldn't know what I would do without her!!

That is perfect! Same here I could mention anything and he would remember it. I'm not alone!

(04-17-2012, 08:04 PM)username Wrote: I wouldn't call them lifelong friends because we lost contact for years but Facebook and a reunion recently connected me with my 4 or 5 closest friends in middle school. It was great to see them but now they keep planning get together after get together and while I enjoy their company it's become a little over the top for me.

I think if they are not part of your life for an extended period of time, they change and morph, but if you had seen them more often things may have been different.

(04-17-2012, 08:13 PM)Maggot Wrote:

(04-17-2012, 08:07 PM)FAHQTOO Wrote: My friend Dawn and I have been friends since the second grade...38 years. We were just out Friday night. She knows EVERY little detail of my life...the good, the bad and the ugly. We've also never been in a fight or even an argument. Love her to death...wouldn't know what I would do without her!!

That is perfect! Same here I could mention anything and he would remember it. I'm not alone!

Cool! Steve is the talker in our friendship, very social guy. I know every detail of his life; he knows just enough about mine.

My friend Sandi that I met about 20 years ago at work knows some things that I wouldn't tell Steve, but lots just stays in the vault. Good friends listen when you want to spill it all and don't push for more when you're mum. Now, my sisters on the other hand, total pushers!

(04-17-2012, 08:13 PM)Maggot Wrote:

(04-17-2012, 08:07 PM)FAHQTOO Wrote: My friend Dawn and I have been friends since the second grade...38 years. We were just out Friday night. She knows EVERY little detail of my life...the good, the bad and the ugly. We've also never been in a fight or even an argument. Love her to death...wouldn't know what I would do without her!!

That is perfect! Same here I could mention anything and he would remember it. I'm not alone!

No, you're not alone...
Nothing better than a life-long friend.
Did I mention we are complete opposites...we really have nothing in common...

(04-17-2012, 07:59 PM)Duchess Wrote:

Maggot, does Pete know about Mock?

I don't have a life long friendship with anyone, after college I moved away from where I was born & raised. Whenever I go back home I see old friends I've known since I was very young but it is nothing on the scale of what you have with Pete.

Yeah he does but he wants one of my old computers to get online and he does not even have cable.

My best friend since 7^th grade Dottie is still a major part of my life as is 4 of my girlfriends since college. Dottie and i went on to be roommates in college. She was gorgeous and one of the most popular chicks on campus so I got her leftover guys...I couldn't imagine life without them. The 4 chicks i,ve kmown since college and i go to yard sales every sat we can and people laugh at us sometimes the way we talk to each other. "jjeezzuzz HURRY UP there's another one down the street!". With old friends we don't have to be so polite. whatever hiccups arise we know we will still always be there for each other. We've been thru infidelities, 2 abortions, divorces, pain in the ass kids, 1 serious illness, success, poverty, an addiction, you name it. They are treasures.

I read that Michael Jackson, Elvis, etc were often nuts cause with so much $$ everyone around them was on their payroll they wouldn't ever be honest with them. There have been a few times they've told me I was 'way off base' or 'don't leave this marriage or job blah blah' They have been in many ways a compass / anchor. Sometimes if I'm down on myself I'll think "damn these cool as shit chicks have hung with me for all these years. ....I must be okay'

hairofthedog. Do you mind me asking if your BFF Steve is gay? I was just wondering ....if he isn't he might have been in love with you for all these years...just thinking'....

I have a friend that I went to Kindergarten with, when she lived around the corner from me. We see each other all the time.

(04-18-2012, 07:38 AM)pspence Wrote: hairofthedog. Do you mind me asking if your BFF Steve is gay? I was just wondering ....if he isn't he might have been in love with you for all these years...just thinking'....

Nah, pspense, he's straight. We love each other, but no romantic love there. Our other friend, Kurt, and I did date off and on for a couple of years, but it's been strictly platonic for a very long time. I introduced him to his wife 7 years ago; they got married in Vegas last June. Crappy little chapel, but a really great Elvis impersonator sung after the brief vow exchanges.

Your friends sound cool. It's good to have girlfriends who can tell each other straight up if they think the other is off base or headed in the wrong direction. I've got that with my 3 sisters...