There's a point in every relationship (friend, colleague, etc) where the person will start to tell you an anecdote that you've heard before. It could mark an important time in their life, maybe it makes them feel god [Typo Alert! Actually, I quite like it.], perhaps there's a moral in there somewhere. For whatever reason, their memories have bunched up around this one experience. Regardless of whether you choose to cut them dead or just keep smiling, it marks a definite end point - after this, you're stuck with the same old stories. Friendships are often at their most interesting when you're just getting to know a person and everything they tell you is like a discovery and every story is fresh. Their actions are still unpredictable and hence, in a an unsophisticated manner, exciting. Why do people place so much emphasis on the mileage they've clocked up together anyway? Society tells us that friendships are more important if they've lasted a long time - childhood amigos, friends forever, blood brothers - but what does it really add up to? So what if you've known someone for two decades? It doesn't count for anything. They could erase you from their life tomorrow. If you don't think that's true, tell me this, do you still see all your old school friends?