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Best Regards

November 28, 2011 By

I woke up on Thanksgiving Day to a text from one of my best friends. We chatted a bit (via text, since it was still too early for me to actually hold a conversation). Before signing off, knowing that she’d be going to see her parents that day, I sent a message to them. At first, I was thinking of telling her to give my best to her folks, but then I remembered something. I remembered a certain cassette tape of a certain comedy routine that we listened to way too often when we were in high school. So instead, I asked her to remember me to her parents.

It all started with a George Carlin tape my mom had called Playin’ With Your Head [Explicit] (affiliate link). My mom had it originally, but I “borrowed” it so BFF and I could listen to it. We loved it so much that we listened to it all the time. We had the entire tape memorized and ended up wearing it out.

A few years later, I was checking out a new website called Amazon that purported to have everything, and I saw that it was just released on CD. I bought two copies, because it wasn’t fair that I should have the CD and BFF didn’t. When I gave it to her, we recited it as we had always done, and her mom was laughing at us.

One of our favorite bits is part of the opening sequence, called “Love and Regards” on the CD. Here’s a quote:

…at least it’s better than just being sent someone’s “best”. Y’know, some people just send you their best.

“Give my best to Dave.”
“Your best what? Frankly Susan, if this is your best, maybe you ought to keep it to yourself.”

But even that, even that is better than just being “remembered” to somebody. God, that’s the lowest one of all, isn’t it? That’s hardly worth even telling the poor person.

“Remember me to Dave.”
“Okay.”

“Dave! You remember Susan?”
“Yes.”
“Well, that’s it.”

That’s what BFF did – she remembered me to her parents. She laughed and they were confused since they had not listened to George Carlin hundreds of times like we did.

But there’s an even more important matter at hand.

When the fuck did I get so old that I actually considered sending someone my best? Young people don’t do that – do they?

Filed Under: Friends, Funny

North to Alaska

August 19, 2011 By

As you read this, one of the very best friends I had here in Las Vegas is on her way home. She’s packed up her family and is moving back to her home state of Alaska. Though I’m going to miss her, I’m excited for the opportunities she’ll have. She’ll be close to her extended family, her little girl will grow up with cousins, aunts, uncles, grandma and great-grandma nearby, and she’ll be in a place that makes sense to her. It’s a place that is right for her.

I met her at work, and we quickly became close. She’s one of those fun, quirky people who makes her own clothes is always crafting something. She’s inspired me to spread my crafty wings and just make stuff. She also totally gets those weird little quirks that everyone has but won’t tell anyone out of fear that they won’t get it. You know those little things that might bother you for some outlandish reason but makes perfect, logical sense to you? Not only does she get it, she gets it in a way that makes you think everyone else is crazy for not getting it.

She’s also cheerful and super nice to the point that you can’t help but smile and be a little nicer to everyone around. Her cubicle was a riot of color (mostly pink and Hello Kitty) and since it was right near the door, I couldn’t help but smile when I saw something other than beige when I walked into the office in the morning. And never mind the fact that she totally rocked her job. She was the go-to person in our department for so many people in the company. Her expertise amazed me. Now that I’m taking on a lot of those duties, I have huge shoes to fill to be half as effective as she was.

I mentioned that she’s inspired me to push myself creatively. Since I’ve known her, I’ve tackled projects that I probably wouldn’t have considered a few years ago. I’ve also picked up a needle and thread. Sewing skills go way back in my family – my great-grandmother on my father’s side was a seamstress, and my Gram learned her mad sewing skillz from her mother. Gram tried to teach me, but I was never interested in doing it consistently enough to get good at it. But lately? I’ve done some small repairs on my clothes (not counting Mister’s t-shirt) and just the other night, I hemmed a pair of pants from scratch, because they were too long when I bought them. For a going away gift, I made her some barrettes and a bracelet, based on inspiration I saw on Pinterest here and here, and she absolutely loved them.

And because “unnecessarily fun” is one of the mantras she lives by, I got her these Hello Kitty ears.

As I said, I’m really going to miss her, but I’m really happy for her too. She has far more opportunities in Alaska than she (or anyone else for that matter) has in Las Vegas. But it’s not good-bye. I’ve already started saving for a visit! Someday, hopefully before I turn 40, I will visit her in Alaska.

Until then, I’ll leave you with this somewhat accurate depiction of her last day at work. Because there was cake. And yes, it had pink frosting and Hello Kitty decorations on it. What did you expect?

Filed Under: Friends

The Best Friends I’ve Never Met

March 25, 2011 By

Years ago – too long ago now – I started hanging out on an internet forum. I liked this one because it seemed to be full of people who were just like me. People who were at about the same stage in their lives and who just seemed to understand any and all weird things that I posted, no matter where in the world they were.

It’s been at least ten years, and the people on this forum have remained friends. Ten years is an eternity in internet time, but we’re still on the same forum, sharing our lives with each other. We also found other ways to connect online, and some of us have even met each other. One of the girls got married here in Vegas not long after I moved to town, so I went to her wedding. It was funny when she introduced me to her husband. “This is Kirsten, but, uh, I’m not going to tell you how I know her because it’s kinda creepy.”

We’ve seen each other through thick and thin, marriages and divorces, births and deaths. We’ve been there to celebrate the good times and support each other through the bad times. Baby and wedding showers have been planned, collections taken up when needed, and random gifts have been exchanged.

Recently, one of these friends posted a few things that got us worried. Her posts were in the past tense, apologetic, and seemed to have a finality about them. It didn’t take long for about 20 of us to get in chat to discuss the situation. Some of us had talked/chatted with her privately, and shared some concerns that came up during those discussions. Someone decided to call, but her phone was busy. After a bit more discussion (like a minute’s worth) someone called the authorities in her town (in a different country from most of us, btw). They said they’d check on her.

We also racked our brains to try to remember her husband’s name (she had deleted her FB profile that morning) and who else we knew that was in her town. Her husband and a friend were contacted. Her husband left work to go check on her. More waiting, discussion, etc. Finally, the police called back and said that she was OK and getting help. That was probably when you all heard a huge sigh of relief coming from the internet.

What I love about this group of amazing people is that they do care so much. No matter how lonely I’ve felt in my life, they were always there for me. It fills my heart with joy that we were able to come together and help save the life of someone that most, if not all of us, have never met. These are the kinds of friends worth having.

I remember years ago, in the days before I knew about the internet, I was on a plane going to visit a pen pal that I had all through high school. I was chatting with the woman across the aisle about it, and stated that I was nervous because I didn’t know my pen pal. The woman said, “Oh, but you do know her. You’ve met through your letters!” That’s what it’s like when you find friends on the internet. We may not have all met each other in person, but we probably know things about each other that our real life family and friends don’t. The most important thing is how much we care for each other and are willing to put ourselves out there when it matters, because we all matter to someone out there.

I love you all, internet friends – you know who you are. And I hope that when we’re old and gray we’re still the tight-knit group that we are today.

Filed Under: Friends, On the Internet

I’m Not Like the Rest of Them

September 9, 2010 By

Mama's Losin' It


As I was surfing the web and finding new blogs to read, I came across Mama’s Losin’ It. In addition to being a personal blog, Mama Kat has blogging tips and every week, she has a writing prompt that includes some of those linky things so you can, you know, publicize your blog. The weekly prompts include a few choices, so most people, if they are so inclined, should find something to write about. This week, in my first foray into Mama Kat’s Weekly Writing Prompts, I chose this:

A list of things you no longer have in common with your married/child bearing friends…and why you love them anyways.

A lot of my friends who are married got married in their 20s. My college boyfriend and his wife just celebrated 14 years of marriage. (Or is it 15? It was so long ago…) One of my good friends from high school has been married for… 8 years? Something like that. I’ve been married for 2. A lot of friends in the blogosphere have been married since they were younger.

But the length of our marriages isn’t the big thing that we don’t have in common. Eventually, I will have been married for a decade or more as well. There’s a bigger thing, something that I just can’t relate to.

Children.

My friends have them. My sister has them. A LOT of bloggers are mommybloggers. Their lives are filled with playgroups, school pictures, lost teeth, skinned knees, homework, juice boxes, toy stores, and all the other things that go into being a full-time parent. Those that have blogs write about their kid’s latest adventures, post lots of pictures of their adorable babies, and join mommyblogging groups.

I don’t have any children, and at this stage in my life I don’t plan on it.

I sometimes wonder what in the world I have in common with women my age, and why others in the blogosphere would read my blog if I’m not including cute kiddie pics. It’s hard to find someone in their 30s who is married without children, and hard to find that common link.

But I do love my friends. Though we’ve drifted apart in some ways, my real life friends and I are just as close as we once were, with the tiny exception of me not living near them. I try to make time to visit them when I’m in town, and I love seeing their growing families. I love seeing the updates on Facebook and their own blogs, and I love hearing about their latest milestones. I also love being able to just sit around and talk to them just like we did way back when, because even though a lot has changed in our lives, they’re still my friends.

Filed Under: Friends, Reading and Writing

Vacation Report

October 22, 2009 By

I should really try to post more often, but you know how it is when you get back from vacation… so much time spent catching up that it’s like you’re still on vacation from your day to day life! Ok, almost, but not really. Work’s been busy, it took me almost a week to catch up on all the posts in my reader, and there’s all the laundry and housekeeping that I’ve been thinking about but not actually doing. Where does the time go?

So, vacation.

Mister and I went to Massachusetts and New Hampshire to visit my family. We didn’t get as much sightseeing in this time, instead focusing on spending time with friends and family. The day we got in was my dad and stepmother’s 30th wedding anniversary, so we took them out to dinner at a nice Italian restaurant of their choosing. Delicious food, and I hope they enjoyed their celebration! We also met up with my friends Belching Biker Babe and Officer Friend (now Detective Friend!). Belching Biker Babe and I got to reminisce, and yes, old pictures came out. Hello, big hair! We also got a bit silly reciting some old George Carlin routines from the album Playin’ with Your Head, which I borrowed from my mom when I was like, 14, and never gave back because BBB and I wore it out memorizing it. Detective Friend met us for dinner in Newburyport, and we got to hear all about his promotion to detective, and about Baby #2, who is due in the spring. Amazing what happens when you move away from home!

We did spend quiet a bit of time driving around, since everything was so pretty due to the fall colors. Mister got to visit Maine for the first time evah when we drove into Kittery just for the sake of going to Maine. I stopped at one of the outlet stores in Kittery and bought a new Christmas ornament and some wild blueberry jam. Maine is known for blueberries, amongst other things, so I recommend anything made with Maine blueberries. Driving around is a much different experience in New England than it is here in Vegas. Here, you drive around town, on roads that are 3 lanes in each direction, or you get lost in master planned communities. Once you leave town, it’s at least 4 hours of barren desert until you get to the next town. In New England, there’s lots to see – pretty houses, interesting shops, lovely scenery, and nice winding roads. We drove Rt 1A up the NH coast, a scenic drive which Mister absolutely loved.

I wanted to spend some time with my Dad’s family, and the best way to do this was to have the family all gather at The House on the Hill. My dad, Gram, aunt and uncle all live within a half mile of each other, so it’s easy to get everyone together. We dined on wonderful homemade food (hard to get when you’re traveling) and got to visit with everyone. One of the biggest things I miss about being back there is gathering with The Family, so it was really nice to be with everyone.

I also got to spend time with my mom’s family. Uncle N Period and Uncle Caboose came up to visit, and Uncle Caboose made Swedish Meatballs! Yes, real Swedish Meatballs, using the recipe that my great-grandmother brought with her from Sweden. Mom also made a birthday cake for Mister since she somehow found out that he would have a birthday during our vacation. Again, it was really nice to visit with people I don’t get to see often enough.

Since it was Mister’s birthday, I stopped at Newbury Comics to browse and to find a birthday gift for Mister. I got him a retro New Wave Halloween CD, Just Can’t Get Enough: New Wave Halloween, The Misfits Box Set, and the book Weird New England, since I knew he’d like a book like that. He stayed up way too late reading it, so I guess he did like it.

Overall, it was a relaxing, refreshing vacation that wasn’t long enough. It was really great to visit with everyone, and we’re already planning our next trip back there. Maybe on the next trip we can do some more touristy stuff so I’ll really have something to write about.

Filed Under: Family, Friends, Travels