Shopping For Friends

I can put my friends into particular boxes. For instance:
* School friends - I have a group of friends from my time at LGS, going back to 1984. I am told this is quite unusual but I feel rather lucky to have a group of friends that are so much part of me they are practically family.
* Maybox friends - There is a rather special bunch of people out there who will have fond memories of wearing stripey blue and white shirts and pink bow ties. Admittedly, it is a small and select group. But these people do exist. The best job in the world.
* 'Teacher' friends - This group covers friends from college, teaching at the Lea and the wonderful St B's. Teachers need other teachers to be their friends, purely to share their funny children stories that no-one else finds funny.

I now have a new group.
* New friends - One of the few downsides of having such wonderful school friends is that you can become quite lazy in making new friends. No-one can live up to the friendships I already have, so why bother. However, I would like to highlight four new friends, three of whom I've seen today. All of them have come into my life over the last four years, which most of you will know has had it's fair share of highs and lows. Finding other people in your position, who really understand, is priceless. The other benefit of this group is that they don't know me well enough to know all of my bad habits. Nor can they drag out embarrassing school photos. Or remind you about blue eyeliner. Or spicy tomato wheat crunchies.
And I also got a whole bag of chocolates and sweets (flakes, wine gums, milk buttons, crunchies - all of that sort of stuff) from one of my lovely new friends. Not sure how much will be left by Friday but we will do our best.

I now have the challenge of finding some new friends in the Big Apple. Sara likened this to shopping for new friends. Choosing the best bits of everyone. I am nervous but looking forward to this new challenge. I just hope I don't become desperate and develop stalker tendencies, as I'm sure that's not a good look for anyone...