I get by with a little help from my friends

Prez has this super-hero thing backwards. By night she's a mild mannered homebody who likes nothing more than curling up with a good book. But by day she transforms into a woman who is working on saving the world from cancer. Lately, Prez has been spending a great deal of time in Brazil spreading her good work there. This means it's been a looooooong time since I've seen her and we haven't really been able to get together due to the fact that when I'm in town she's out of the country and when she's in town I'm usually up with Thatmom.

About 2 weeks ago we figured out we were both going to be in town this week and we penned the occasion on our calendars (pen so it absolutely could not be changed). Spending last night with Prez reminded me how long it's been since I've had social contact with my friends and how desparately I was in need of it.

I showed up and Prez had a glass of wine in my hand almost instantly. By the time her boyfriend, Zorba, arrived home we had already finished a bottle. Prez knows me. Usually the two of us cook together, but I was more than happy to let Prez cover this one, so we caught up as she fixed us couscous with mustard basil chicken. "You do like couscous?" she asked as she confided that Zorba hates it and therefore she hardly ever gets the chance to make it. Good thing I adore couscous.

I love being with Prez because we definitely take turns monopolizing the conversation. We began with the "Thatgirl show" where I caught her up with all the ups and downs my life is made up of right now. Then I got to hear about her frustrations with Zorba and her time in Brazil. We took turns filling each other in on our families - one of Prez's sisters is the same age as Thatbrother and even went to the same college as him. We traded tales about mutual friends and gossiped about whether we'd be invited to a certain someone's wedding. Neither of us is counting on it, but it does ruin the Vegas trip Prez can't plan because it might coincide with a wedding event.

We made plans for each other's birthdays that we knew neither of us would attend. I do love that our friendship is at that level where we've accepted each other's schedules. I've been missing out on a lot of parties lately. Prez is tempted to celebrate her birthday at her parent's house which is not too far from Thatmom, but because it's on a weekend, I still wouldn't be able to make it. If she has it in San Diego I'm out for the exact same reason. On her birthday itself she's planning on going to Disneyland "because it's free," which means no drinks after work. I'm going to have to content myself with celebrating with her sometime that week. My birthday is going to pose much of the same problem, except for the fact that right around that time she'll be heading back to Brazil. I miss spending time with Prez and I wish we could do it more often. We set up a couple of double dates that we also will probably never make and I was on my way, feeling better than I had in a long time.