I feel I should clarify the last line in the last post

..."not everyone you spend time with is a friend. I have lots of acquaintances, few I value enough to call friends."

You know what I mean. You might label it differently, or site it within a different personal narrative, but for me there are two types of friend, "convenience friends" and those you're meant to know. The former are really friendly acquaintances, you are brought together by circumstance, you have stuff in common, you find them easy enough company, but your friendship is largely based around common ground, or regular interaction. With distance, or the removal of shared interest, you find you have nothing to talk about. You don't miss them if you don't see them, you aren't excited by the prospect of their company. The latter, people you're meant to know, are often a peculiar bunch. Disconcerting, they often come into your life at weird moments. You are often not introduced by mutual friends, rather you seek each other out because there is a draw to know each other. You want their company, you smile when you think of them. You may not speak for five years, yet your affection is not diminished, your bond unbroken. You may not seem to have anything in common, what you share is an outlook, a sense of humour, an indefinable something that transcends all that day to day shit that bonds you to your work colleagues. Compatibility is something people consider in their romantic relationships, but less so in their friends. But why spend so much time with people you merely tolerate in the absence of something better? I see my friends less often than I'd like. But each and everyone of them is freaking awesome, and considered as a friend because I actually like them, not because we know the same people or like the same things.