2 hours...that's it?

the lemon ricotta pancake is attempting to smile at linda's 2+ hours with me

that's a reference to the amount of time i typically spend "catching up" with someone. now that i'm in grad school and am, for much of the time, removed from pre-mit friends and family, i end up doing quite my fair share of shuttling back and forth between cities and saying "hi's" and "bye's" on the way. i catch brief glimpses of people, encapsulated in a 1.5 to 2 hr. block of time that afterwards makes me think, "glad i got to catch up with that person."

but did we really? it's sad to think 2 hours can make up for the months or even years when you hadn't seen that person at all.

my visits to nyc make that ring particularly true, and my friends can attest to it. i often pack my schedule and end up hopping from one group of people to the next, which not only has become pretty tiring for me, but also makes me feel bad that i can't at least spend more than the requisite 2 hours with someone and chill out in a more relaxed manner.

what i've concluded is that 2 hours is usually enough time (unless the person is a huge talker) to get over the basics of the big milestones or things that have gone on in each other's lives: where you're living now, what you're doing (job/school), relationship status, etc. but then it takes the time beyond those initial 90-120 minutes to figure out how you're really doing, beyond the items that can be easily filled out in a form or online survey. i guess that's the time that starts to really count towards being plugged into each other's lives again, in a more daily sort of way.

but i guess you have to start small and start somewhere.

disclaimer: i love my friends and hope they don't think of themselves as 2 hour- or any number to me, but as genuine people to keep in touch w/ even when i can't see them face to face :) and i treasure any time we spend together, whether it be 2 minutes or 2 years. (cheesy but true)

_ general mood: in anticipation
_ currently (still) reading: the know-it-all by a.j. jacobs
_ finished reading: three cups of tea by greg mortensen
_ just acquired (from dianna): the great divorce by c.s. lewis