Friends

This is not a flower. I have now broken my extended run, but it is a beautiful plant. I also had wonderful fun photographing flowers. I learned a lot from it, including aspects of flowers I really like. 

I had an interesting NPR article on my Facebook feed about friends. It was interesting like the last one I ranted about but covered new things:
- when we are children we make friends organically, so we get wired into thinking that is how it is supposed to happen. Yeah, welcome to adulthood.
- when we are lonely we begin negative self-talk and actually persuade ourselves that no one would want to meet us anyway
- men and their homophobia really mess up their chances of making friends because they are afraid they'll be perceived as hitting on another guy

Then I got to chat with my friend who is in China. I met her when I was semi-living in Pennsylvania (I went home on weekends). I decided I needed one friend there and went about selecting exactly one (I'm very choosy). Later she moved, and then moved again, and then moved to China, and set about making new friends in each location. She is an introvert so I pointed out how amazing she is. 

Of course, I also bragged about how amazing I am, with the most interesting, strongest, best-looking friends. (No longer any with pick-up trucks though.)

Having an immediate plant withdrawal I then spent hours researching Japanese Maples. You can't have everything, you have to figure out your priorities:
- wicked sense of humor
- laughs at my jokes
- similar value system
Wait, these are trees. 
- small in stature and narrow so they'll fit and not cause too much additional shade
- vase-shaped
- ground clearance so I can stand under it

Friend Kate helped me figure out my priorities and helped keep me from bringing home the first sexy redhead I saw who, no matter how good looking, would grow too big to fit. Kasigi yama. 

And then there is my friend Clara who, at my nudging, threw a party tonight to make friends with her new neighbors. I told her to invite people she was already friends with so she knew she'd have someone to talk to, and all the neighbors. Then, between the tree store and her house I had to charge my car, and couldn't find the charger the car directed me too, and had to make it to the next one with 1% battery to spare, and then decided I'd had enough and not to go to the party. Actually, it was also too bloody cold to stand around and socialize outside. (In case you ever need to know, sometimes the electric car charging is inside a shopping center parking lot.)