Ray is a friend that I have had since I came to the UK. When I first came here, he was working on my team at Vodafone. We hit it off, and the first six months, working together, were fantastic. It was wonderful working with someone that I like and respect as much as I do Ray.
I was forced to cancel the contract that he was on, which wasn't great, and there was some drama about a subsequent project, which ended with my boss trying to take advantage of Ray. I made sure that didn't happen, but we didn't work together for quite awhile.
We did, however, stay in touch, and meet up to talk or have the odd beer, and continue to be friends. He is involved with us on a business basis again, but I don't have so much to do with that, since it is more 'strategic', which I don't have much to do with anymore.
But we are still friends. He knew I was feeling down, and tried to get me out of myself for the evening, which I really appreciate. To be honest, he has his own stuff to deal with, so it was quite generous to be thinking about mine.
I really enjoy the chance to just talk to him. We had a great dinner tonight at the Black Swan in Ockham, Surrey. He is a kind of mentor, and talking with him helps me clarify where I am. He has helped me negotiate life in the UK, and working in a big company on many occasions. I feel lucky to have a friend like him.
Besides some shitty stuff happening, he also has some really exciting things happening, and is starting a new company, vPod, which I am sure will do great. Hearing him talk about this, also, was good. It gives me a really good feeling to see someone I know doing something so exciting. Something that I have been involved in, at least to a small degree.
