I'm very quickly coming to learn that it's very easy to convince yourself that you deserve a night in after all the hard work you put in throughout the day. I put in 10 hours at the lab, so I deserve a beer and a couple movies right?  Well, ya, you do, but wouldn't that beer be so much better with someone else? What about that person you met briefly whose from the same area as you? Or maybe that gal who likes to go biking, too? Ask if they'd like to join.  

Last night I was totally and completely ready to spend another of my many nights in with movies and beer. I was tired, so that was okay. Right?  No it's really not. Because I had been invited to go hang out with the lab manager and a bunch of her friends. OF course, I wouldn't know anyone there. But, I knew that lab manager, and she was a sweetheart who had good taste in people, as evidenced by those friends of hers that I had met. So, why the hell not?

So, I got dressed (I was in pj's :-), went and picked up some beer, and proceeded out to her house. And, you know what? It was a blast! We had some drinks, ate some great food, shared some laughs, and made some plans to ski, bike, and paddle board in the future! They're a group of very fun, very active, very entertaining people, and I am really looking forward to the next time I get to hang out with them!

So--the moral of today's story is...be social! Meet people! Take advantage of the opportunities you have to either meet new people or hang out with acquaintances! Who knows what it will turn into! It could be the start of a great, deep, emotionally supportive friendship, OR maybe you simply found some great people to blow off some steam with on the weekend! Either way, you've introduced new people into your life, and that's never a bad thing!

Until next time, keep working hard, and playing even harder! ;-)