Names: Scott & Ruth Hayes
When and where: Thursday, December 31st, 2015 at Parlor, Newport
Beverage: beer (Scott & Ruth), fizzy water (me)
Last time we met in person: We went out for dinner during my last visit to the UK in April 2015.
Friends on Facebook: since September 2007.
Friends in real life: photographic evidence seems to suggest that Scott and I have been friends since about 1991, and Ruth and I have just decided, after much deliberation, that we first met in 2003.

I first met Scott when he was renting a room in the same house as my old friend Glenn, who I’d known since we were at school. As they were the only people I knew at the time to have satellite TV, I started going round to watch Headbangers’ Ball on MTV with them every Sunday evening, and share a giant pizza which we’d order from the aptly named Fatso’s. We’d go out to clubs and gigs together all the time for a number of years, but gradually drifted apart as our circumstances changed and I moved away, first to Cornwall then to the USA. Eventually Scott got back in touch with me via FriendsReunited, we caught up on a long transatlantic phone call, and arranged to meet up on our next visit to the UK. He and Chris hit it off, and we’ve been good friends again ever since. We were introduced to Ruth not too long after they got together, and since then they’ve visited us here regularly, and I see them every time I go back to the UK.

It was satellite TV that first brought us together, so it’s quite fitting that we now stream our UK TV direct from the receiver in their bedroom. Thanks to Scott and Ruth, I’m able to keep up with Coronation Street and all our favorite shows from the UK. We also rely on Scott for all our IT problems. Even though we live thousands of miles apart, we probably see them more than any of our other friends, because of our regular video chats.

Scott and Ruth came over to spend Christmas in Chicago, and arranged a little side trip to see us before heading to Boston for a few days, before ultimately flying home. We don’t usually go out on new year’s eve but we made a special effort this time! First we had dinner at Tokyo House with them, Bud, Ted and Susan. We then had a little time to kill, so just nipped across the street to Parlor for a quick drink before the 11:00pm Bit Players show at the Firehouse Theater. The party was in full swing at Parlor, with a very noisy hip hop act taking place in the next room. We basically just tried to decipher what it was they were rapping about (“Did he say his name is Betty?”) and talked about how old we feel!