Overcoming

It's been an odd, and occasionally scary week, watching some of my friends and what's happened to them. Three of them have gone though traumatic events, but appear to be coming out the other end for the better. Which is always nice to see.

One friend went to Hong Kong for a job interview, got stuck there because of visa issues and was getting pretty frustrated. However, it looks like he's going to get a job out of it, so that's good. I'd have hated for him to have been stuck there for all that extra time when I know he was anxious to get back home to his wife and daughter.

Then there's Dups, who finally launched his baby this week to the whole wide world - Empire Avenue. Plus he continues to get good press about this, such as this story. I'm not sure I've ever seen a friend of mine work harder at something in my life. I certainly couldn't have done it. My current job is beating the snot out of me. I love it, but I'm going home wiped most evenings. I can only imagine what Dups has gone thought the past year getting his baby this far.

It's turning into a remarkable thing. It's almost unrecognizable from the beta he launched earlier this year. There are fan sites popping up offering advice on how to best play the game. I said in two years Dups is either going to be a millionaire or sleeping on my couch. I'm definitely leaning towards the former.

But in terms of "Oh holy fuck" moments this past week, certainly nothing beats a friend of mine who found out last weekend that her ex wanted a divorce and, because of the laws of the country she's in, was also facing a custody hearing a matter of days after getting this news. It all happened so fast she didn't even have time to get a lawyer before going to court.

I was terrified for her and I wasn't even involved in the process. The concept of having to go through all of this and risk losing your daughter...I can barely comprehend it. But because she is a rock, and a ninja and a host of other awesome words, she walked right in there, kicked some ass and walked right back out with full custody of her daughter. She's also moving to another country right now, which I think is a good move, all things considered.

When I joined the Muse, gah, 20 years ago I made friends with some people at the time I thought were pretty cool. It's only as I've gotten older and watch what they've done with their lives, and how they faced challenges and succeeded, for the most part, that I've come to appreciate how remarkable they all are as well.

One of the best things I ever did in my life was walking through that door on the second floor of the TSC...

Last Five
1. Seven nation army (live) - The White Stripes
2. Lua - Conor Oberst and Gillian Welch*
3. Thanks to no one - Colleen Power
4. The old apartment - Barenaked Ladies
5. Wedding song - Andy Stochansky