So you say a few words. You make a gesture. You remember an important date. Small price to pay for what you get in return; for what you get in return, it's a steal.

-aaron sorkin, d/b/a issac jaffe

I lived my romantic life by these words before I heard them, but I knew I'd found a great way of remembering them when I heard them - even though they didn't refer to a romantic relationship, but one between 2 friends. I wish I was better at this outside my romantic life, but it is one of the many things that is simply wired better in my brain when it comes to that special kind of relationship.

Nonetheless, I believe it to be true in all relationships, and have found the dividends of such efforts can be measured in multiples, even when such reassurance or symbolic gesture is not needed or solicited.

Simple things like that can turn out to be something someone always remembers, and their absence at the right moment can be something they never forget.

Even in the indifferent middle, it's a small price to pay for what you get in return, and more often than not, you'll find someone else will be willing to pony it up if you're not.

In other news, happy birthday finn.

[the rest is all vanity]