Some people are just awful, and won't change no matter what you do. Sometimes this isn't their fault exactly as they are battling with deeply ingrained issues

My anecdote on this is one friend and I were really, really close for a lot of reasons. Similar interests, similar opinions on things, similar challenges we were struggling with. But we each had our own issues that made everything not perfect. I could point to some of hers that bothered me and could list some of my own that probably bothered her. We grew distant for about a year.

But all those compatabilities still existed, and we rekindled the friendship. But now we keep a little distance, and it seems to work well. Neither of us annoy the other because we avoid those situations.

It's just one data point, but I do think it's possible to restore past ties, being careful to avoid the things that bothered us in the first place. Because I agree: those things don't change. But we can change how or even if we have to deal with those things.

Did you touch on electrical infrastructure? That's my area and always find opinions, views and discussions fascinating.