fish and houseguests...

don't always smell in 3 days...

i had the most lovely weekend with a dear friend (a.) whom i haven't seen since the 4th grade. we used to dance to musicals - annie, the sound of music, west side story - in my louisiana living room for hours, climb gingko trees, and giggle over breakfasts of blueberry pancakes.

so, in keeping with tradition, this weekend, we danced to the Hungry March Band (go see them! a 25-piece Brass March Band based in New York City influenced by n'awlins, india, eastern europe, and they have a baton twirler!) climbed the stairs to the MAC pro-store, and giggled over breakfasts of Brooklyn Bagel Company bagels and Cane River Roasters Mermaid Mantra coffee (yummy, yummy, yummy - "earthy" as a. calls it. buy it, and support small business! yuppiebucks, suckiebucks!)

it was a blissful weekend.

ya know, she coulda been an absolute freakazoid. she contacted me about a year or so ago via email (she Googled me. oh, the power of a weird name - anyone can find you.), and we've been emailing ever since, but we actually haven't laid eyes on each other in 20 years.

holy shania twain, am i that old?

yes, m, you are.

thankfully, she wasn't a freakazoid, and thankfully, she's that old too.

whew.

we were both a bit nervous. she thought i would be perfect, i thought she (a very successful MAC makeup artist and store manager) would be perfect. thank heavens, we're both so imperfectly perfect we make a splendidly imperfectly perfect pair. after the initial niceties, it was like we'd never parted ways - like we'd never stopped bouncing around on top of my brother's twin beds to madonna's like a virgin, cramming our faces with Natchitoches meat pies, or watching the (contraband) film sixteen candles repeatedly, giddy with lust for "Jake."

as a matter of fact, she might be one of the most kindhearted, generous of spirit folks i know, plus she's fabulous - a halo of fiery red hair, a buttery-rich southern accent spiked with bourbon, and capable of spending an entire saturday walking around the city in heels. so, lucky me, by association, i was fabulous too. if only for a weekend.

a prototypical southern hostess (even when she's at someone else's house) a. left me with many gifts - chocolate, loads of makeup, mix CDs, strong coffee, memories of a louisiana childhood that would have otherwise permanently slipped from my mind - i almost felt ashamed. i mean, i'm no emily post. my apartment is a mess, my sink is backed up, and she had to navigate an obstacle course of laundry piles in order to get from the living room to the kitchen. eh...i'm not so good at accepting compliments or gifts, but i'm learning. it's been a weekend of learning to accept generosity - in friendship, "sussies," and watermelon martinis.

not to get maudlin, but...

oh, what the hell...

oftentimes, if you just open your heart, your door, your hands - you'll receive gifts that are juuuuuust right, even if you think you don't deserve them. god likes to see all of us in tiaras, even if we drop our batons during the talent competition.

oh. and she said i had a small ass.

come back anytime, a.

( :