Nemeses

Just over a year ago I was unwinding in phi-phi island (in truth i was already unwound after six months in Europe, but what-the-hey), sippin' down $2 fruit smoothies at the beach bar, when i stumbled across an interesting article in a book i was reading. 

It posited that "it rarely matters who is on your side; what matters is who is against you...What you need is one quality nemesis, and one archenemy. These are the two most important characters in the life of any successful human. We measure ourselves against our nemeses, and we long to destroy our archenemies. Nemeses and archenemies are the catalysts for everything."

It went on to detail that every great person has had both a nemesis and an archenemy: Larry Bird had Magic Johnson & Isiah Thomas, Bill Gates has Steve Jobs & David Boies, Jack White had Jason Stollsteimer (of the Von Bondies) & Ryan Adams, Batman had the Joker & Superman (yes, in that order!), and George W. Bush had John McCain & Bill Clinton.

At the close of the article there was a kindof table that showed you how to recognize your nemesis, and I didn't have to look far..
•At some point in the past, this person was (arguably) your best friend. ✓
•You have punched this person in the face. ✓
•If invited, you would go to this person's wedding and give him a spice rack, but you would secretly hope that his marriage ends in a bitter, public divorce. ( perhaps ✓)
•People who barely know both of you assume you are close friends; people who know both of you intimately suspect that you profoundly dislike each other. ✓
•If your archenemy tried to kill you, this person would attempt to stop him. ✓

•You have fought over a girl, and both lost. ✓

So, nemesis, Happy Birthday! (kindof)

And if you're interested, here it is: The Importance of Being Hated by Chuck Klosterman