Just a little love note to my best friend

It’s one in the morning and I’ve just finished working for the day. I have to get up in six hours to do it again. I’m doing good things, things I want to be doing, but I’m so tired. Tonight I’ve got a bad case of nostalgia for when I was younger and an hour lasted a significant amount of time, and there was all the time in the world to stay out late, drinking Dutch coffees at the Inkwell with my friends… None of us had anywhere else to be, anything else we should have been doing. No, I don’t want to be seventeen again, but I sure did like seventeen. No regrets. I did my teen years right. Lots of adventures to fuel the writing, and lived through all of them to tell the tale. Lived through a lot of them with a certain little girl at my side. I’m happy to report she’s still at my side, still keeping me out of most trouble.

Here’s me and Christina (she’s on the left, in case you can’t see past that insane laughter on my face to recognize me) at my parents’ kitchen table. My hair looks lopsided because it was. It was shaved around the sides and back and cut very short all around the top except for my chin-length bangs. And it was some shade of red or purple that the picture doesn’t show. Hey…it was 1990, so this looked good. Damn good. (She and I used to shave each others’ heads because it’s hard to shave the back of your own head. See, that’s true friendship, folks.) I wish one of us could remember what was so funny…

me and xina.jpg

She’s a brilliant artist, by the way. If there’s any justice in the universe (I know, I know) you’ll see her work out there in the world one day soon and you can honestly say you heard about her before anyone else.

Love you, Xina.

36 Comments on “Just a little love note to my best friend

  1. What a sweet sentiment (and a great photo), you are both lucky to have one another.

    P.S. Thanks for the comment, Washing Silver printing should commence this evening.
    Posted by: Faith

  2. Aw… friends are the best. My best bud and I always talk about how we used to just laugh for hours until our stomachs hurt. The danger of drink coming out of your nose is a thing of the past for us, which is sad. What was so funny?
    Posted by: carrie

  3. Only 1990? Oh lordy! I’m ooollllddddd!!! LOL

    In 1990 I was living in Las Vegas and going to college there, such that it was. I was dating my first boyfriend but we didn’t shave each other’s heads. We did go on a choir tour to San Francisco and had a joint concert with the Gay Men’s Chorus. Don’t you just love nostalgia?
    Posted by: Jon

  4. What a sweet sentiment (and a great photo), you are both lucky to have one another.

    P.S. Thanks for the comment, Washing Silver printing should commence this evening.
    Posted by: Faith

  5. Aw… friends are the best. My best bud and I always talk about how we used to just laugh for hours until our stomachs hurt. The danger of drink coming out of your nose is a thing of the past for us, which is sad. What was so funny?
    Posted by: carrie

  6. Only 1990? Oh lordy! I’m ooollllddddd!!! LOL

    In 1990 I was living in Las Vegas and going to college there, such that it was. I was dating my first boyfriend but we didn’t shave each other’s heads. We did go on a choir tour to San Francisco and had a joint concert with the Gay Men’s Chorus. Don’t you just love nostalgia?
    Posted by: Jon

  7. AWW! Caridoll!
    This was too sweet for me to not peek my shy head out and let you know how it made me gush and tear. You’ve made my day.
    I can’t remember what we were laughing about, but I bet it involved ultimate cuteness, a dry remark, heart bubbles and plenty of cookies afterward. Was this the night we got lost in the Twilight Zone of a NJ highway?
    MWAH! Here’s a big hug and a kiss on your Fraggle head.

    Posted by: xina

  8. This is so incredibly sweet and moving! It makes me pine away my best friend from high school who did the unthinkable and moved to stinkin’ LA years ago (in spite of the divide, we’re still just as close as when we were kids). What a lovely photograph and happy sentiment!

    Posted by: regina

  9. …and a song I havn’t heard in a long time came to mind when I saw this picture. Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians – Balloon Man 😉
    Posted by: xina

  10. That is just the most beautiful post to read. Boys come and go but girlfriends rock! When that special man comes into your life who else can you complain to about him leaving his dirty socks on the floor? Who else would listen? Girlfriends rock!
    Posted by: jacqueline

  11. Hmmmm, me just wonders: is it 4:35 a.m. or p.m.? 😉

    What a sweet tribute. You’re lucky to have each other.
    Posted by: Norma

  12. Very sweet – makes me miss my best friend even more – haven’t seen her for 12 years. I think I’ll give her a call today. thank you for reminding me how important friends are.
    Posted by: Mitzi

  13. hey, not the long branch inkwell?! that’s where i go for dutch coffee! spooktastic …
    Posted by: Jamie

  14. AWW! Caridoll!
    This was too sweet for me to not peek my shy head out and let you know how it made me gush and tear. You’ve made my day.
    I can’t remember what we were laughing about, but I bet it involved ultimate cuteness, a dry remark, heart bubbles and plenty of cookies afterward. Was this the night we got lost in the Twilight Zone of a NJ highway?
    MWAH! Here’s a big hug and a kiss on your Fraggle head.

    Posted by: xina

  15. This is so incredibly sweet and moving! It makes me pine away my best friend from high school who did the unthinkable and moved to stinkin’ LA years ago (in spite of the divide, we’re still just as close as when we were kids). What a lovely photograph and happy sentiment!

    Posted by: regina

  16. …and a song I havn’t heard in a long time came to mind when I saw this picture. Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians – Balloon Man 😉
    Posted by: xina

  17. That is just the most beautiful post to read. Boys come and go but girlfriends rock! When that special man comes into your life who else can you complain to about him leaving his dirty socks on the floor? Who else would listen? Girlfriends rock!
    Posted by: jacqueline

  18. Hmmmm, me just wonders: is it 4:35 a.m. or p.m.? 😉

    What a sweet tribute. You’re lucky to have each other.
    Posted by: Norma

  19. Very sweet – makes me miss my best friend even more – haven’t seen her for 12 years. I think I’ll give her a call today. thank you for reminding me how important friends are.
    Posted by: Mitzi

  20. hey, not the long branch inkwell?! that’s where i go for dutch coffee! spooktastic …
    Posted by: Jamie

  21. Damn. Iris already copied me.
    I need to go do something sensible now, whay with nostalgia welling up and me being the only one over here, on this side of the pond.
    Posted by: valentina

  22. You two were always giggling when together…and made us all laugh.
    You are both soooooooooooooooCUTE!!!
    Love, Mom
    Posted by: Mom

  23. OMG I used to do the shaved head with big bangs thing. CRIPES that was long ago! LOVING your post, I’m now inspired to pull out old photos for my best friend & I to laugh about. Thanks so much for sharing!
    Posted by: Christine

  24. Damn. Iris already copied me.
    I need to go do something sensible now, whay with nostalgia welling up and me being the only one over here, on this side of the pond.
    Posted by: valentina

  25. You two were always giggling when together…and made us all laugh.
    You are both soooooooooooooooCUTE!!!
    Love, Mom
    Posted by: Mom

  26. OMG I used to do the shaved head with big bangs thing. CRIPES that was long ago! LOVING your post, I’m now inspired to pull out old photos for my best friend & I to laugh about. Thanks so much for sharing!
    Posted by: Christine

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