Take my photo off the wall if it just won't sing for you

Played tons of Half-Life:Source today. Yes, I've never played the original all the way through so I'm going back. The good news is Source has better graphics and I can turn the settings all the way up, whereas when it was first release I woke up extra early and huddled in front of Mark's computer to experience what would be the best game of that year, and some claim ever. After about four hours of play, I'm at the part I was when I left off at his house. I can't believe I played four hours there.

A new query in life: Can relationships (not just between lovers) survive without tradition? Lately I've been trying to piece together a tradition that the original Gang of Four (oh, Java joke!) has, and I've come up empty. It's shameful to think about them in this light, but interlopers have changed, mixed, added to our traditions and now we have nothing. Certainly, I don't mind new people and I accept them fully, and I really like them to boot. But there's always been a desire (within me) to stay really close to the GoF, and that just doesn't happen with a larger group. It can't happen. I think about Ottawa, and how much fun it was last year. I seriously doubt we will go this year, and if we do go it will likely include Chris and Tim. Will we then get seperate rooms? Is it even tradition after only one year? It is obvious that tradition keeps relations and families together... but does not A imply not B?