Friday, November 6, 2009

Friendships

Friend A:
Professional statistician and USMC reservist. Called to active duty on pointless 'homeland security' detail following 9/11. After about 1.5 yrs of this nonsense, he was sent to Kuwait and participated in Operation Iraqi Freedom. E-5 when called to duty; E-7 when he returned from Iraq.
He's close to the most conservative person I know - both personally and politically.
We manage to conduct civil political discussions on occasion.

... oh, yeah: he just got notice that he'll be going to Afghanistan as part of Obama's surge!

Friend B: Includes the following on his Facebook page:
Now this makes me proud. Utne Reader declares Montgomery Co, MD number one on its list of "10 Most Enlightened Suburbs" and, in the first sentence, lists as a reason, the fact that "it is home to probably the leftiest 'burb anywhere (Takoma Park)" --- as in "Edward Kimmel, 58, of Takoma Park, MD" (quoting my description from the Wash Post pict. after the tea party.)
Eat your heart out, Berkley.
I stayed with Ed on my September visit to DC.

Somehow I manage to maintain friendship with both these fellows, with no apparent cognitive dissonance. I think they'd enjoy a beer together - tho' they'd likely agree on nothing!

During Friend A's post-9/11 deployment, I vowed to write him 1 letter/week for the duration of his deployment. (I made this vow in recollection of how wonderful mail-call could be - when you got mail!) I almost met my commitment, missing perhaps 3 weeks... and we continued to correspond via snailmail for a year or so after his return to civilian life.

'twas this experience that converted me to a snailmail guy. I now try to maintain correspondence with half a dozen folks. It's fun, and provides the illusion that I am participating in a time-honored civilized tradition!

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