Mine is Bigger than Yours

So today we joined two other couples for coffee at Mayorga. As always, our friend Victoria coordinated it, because she is the most organized one of this group.

We all met three years ago at our neighborhood picnic. Larry & I were the only ones with a child, but we've added two more boys to the group and Victoria & Darren have a little girl due in July. All three boys are each a year apart, with Mark & Marina's son being the youngest. They all do fine with each other, but the age gaps are such that none of them plays super well together.

Darren is a home fix-it guy like me. He'd rather stay home and install a toilet or put in a new tile floor. Victoria and Larry, not so much. They are would rather hire someone and go the spa; kindred spirits!

As always, Darren & I were sharing stories of home projects. He’d recently rewired the basement for a new steroe system. I shared with him about fixing up Corey’s floor. Not that it’s a competition, but Darren always outdoes me on what he can accomplish. In addition to the home projects and new child on the way, he’s also completing an MBA in the off hours.

So we were talking about my new job and the pains of traveling.
“I’m not looking forward to my next trip. They just take a lot out of me. I leave again next week,” he says.
Not having traveled for the past four years, I commiserated with the new frustration. “Me too. Three weeks into the job and I’m already heading on my first trip.”
He sighed, “Oh yeah. Where are you going? I leave for Morocco next week.”
Feeling a little less impressive, I said. “Ummm, Memphis.”

Sympathy quotient; downward spiral.