Ooo-oo, I'll get by with a little help from my friends...

Evenin' Sires...

OK, pissed blog alert! I've been out with some friends tonight - Joanne, Pete and Kirsty. To the pub. Which means from here on in it gets a bit messy/slushy. Joanne is best mate number one; known her since school (our friendship has lived through the time we threw 'Teeny Terrapins' at the school corridor ceiling to the time she sat on my knee at the youth club and told me she wanted to be my girlfriend... bleeeeuuuurgggh!... to the countless times we have dragged each other through major life crises in adulthood... i.e. every other week) and she is one of two people I couldn't live without. Feel closer to Jo than anyone else in my life. We are truly each others' rock. She means more to me than I think she knows - she is an amazing person who I draw a lot of strength from. She'll laugh at that, but it's true. Pete is best mate number two. Don't even know where to start with Pete. Met him at college, went to Uni together - became inseparable. And that's where I think that sentence ends. You know when you just KNOW you will NEVER be without someone? Well that's me and Pete. He is my best friend and someone who I could trust with my life. The greatest thing is, Pete got married a few years ago. There's a song by Soul Asylum - can't remember if it's called 'We Three' or 'The Three of Us' (you get the message). Anyways, it's about a guy whose best friend meets a girl and he just phases his bessie mate out, which I guess happens a lot. Now, I'm milking my best man's speech here but... when Pete got hitched, I didn't lose a best friend - I gained a new one. I mean that now more than ever. Kirsty - you da BE-ATCH, girl! That means, I'm rather fond of her.

Anyhoo, pissed or no, tonight I feel a really deep stab of pain for my friends. I sat in the pub tonight and it really punched home, how much I will miss you all - not just Pete, Joanne and Kirsty (who remind me every 20 seconds how selfish I am for leaving them) but for all my amazing friends - you know who you are. You have always been THE most important factor in my life. You have been there for me when I needed you most and I love you all dearly for it.

Now - form an orderly queue. The most loyal / agile and dirty in a fist-fight will have the best crack at my personal belongings...

Mwah!

John

PS) It seems to have escaped most people's notice (except yours, Miss.Creant - thank you) but you can actually post comments to this Blog. I'm not so bothered now, but after a ten day trek in darkest Peru with n'ery a hot shower nor a copy of 'heat' magazine in sight, a wee message from home wouldn't go amiss...