"This is the time when we have to say goodbye to our friends, our colleagues, the excellent crew of shuttle Atlantis that did an excellent job performing three EVAs, installing the new Russian module, having good fun, enjoying living on the station and working in space, " the ISS Expedition 23 commander Oleg Kotov told Ken Ham, who leads the Atlantis crew.

BBC: Atlantis set for 'final' return

Of course, we miss our family and friends terribly, but they have forgiven us for leaving and welcome us enthusiastically when we rent a house near them for a visit.

WSJ: Can't Decide Where to Retire?

My mother once had a jar of change stolen when I was child, and without our small network of friends we would have gone without food entirely.

NPR: Child Hunger: Nutritious Food Tough To Afford

"I have a couple of friends, and we wish that when we go to vote, we could just write in 'Josiah Bartlet' for president, " said a "West Wing" fan from South Carolina as she stood outside the White House in Washington.

CNN: A presidential sheen

What we learn from this is that some authors apparently check their Amazon ranking when friends tell them that they have bought the book, and some are deeply disappointed.

FORBES: The Amazon Book Jungle