A special friend

As I type this sitting at my dining room table using my work laptop, I should really be in France, full from the previous evening's meal and looking forward to Christmas shopping today. For the past 7 or 8 years, Pete and I have spent the weekend before Christmas in France buying food, drink and presents. But due to the bad weather in Kent and the Channel Tunnel problems, we are at home and now running dangerously low on wine. And I have a cold coming.

We received a Christmas card from my Mum and Dad yesterday and on the front is says "To our son and his partner". My Mum has taken the time to find a suitable card and that is great, but Pete and I did laugh at the wording a bit. I'm not sure what my parents call Pete: my boyfriend, significant other, the one who corrupted our son, etc?

An in-joke that we have is that Pete is my "special friend" and that comes from an early episode of 6 Feet Under when the mother is arranging a dinner party and asks her gay son:

Ruth: David, are you bringing a... special friend to dinner?
David: Why are my friends always special?
(Pause)
Ruth: Ok then, if you're having sex with anyone, is he coming to dinner?

So what should I call my special friend Pete?!

Following on from the army coming out story last week, the news in the UK broke yesterday that Gareth Thomas is gay. For those who don't know about rugby, Gareth is a former Wales and Lions captain, i.e. he reached the top of the game. Coming out in the army and professional sport takes some balls and make my past failures look really pathetic!

Tomorrow I am off to a speed awareness course, having been caught speeding a few months ago. It looks to me like I am going to lectured for 4 hours as to why I am so evil. Great!