As a freelancer/telecommuter, I don't get out much. There are no office parties, and no cubicles to "prairie dog" over to talk to a colleague. I spend quite a lot of time on the phone dealing with customers, but there is no real camaraderie there. The one place I know I can always turn is the House of Fusion mailing lists -- especially cf-talk and cf-community.
Recently due to some technical issues, the lists went down for a couple of weeks. It will sound corny, but it was like a cut umbilical cord for me. More than just the hum and buzz of solving this person's issue or having a frequent mystery pantsed by a Macromedia insider or someone else in the know -- these lists allow me to keep tabs on friends in the business. CF-talk is also something like a "lifeline" for me. It's a phone-a-friend, and that friend is always at home and awake.
They say you don't really miss something until its gone. House of Fusion: I missed you. Don't go away again. We need you here for us. Thank you to Michael and Judith Dinowitz for keeping these lists going. You probably don't hear it enough, but you're really helping out many people.