catharsis.

Since last post, I took an unexpected little bloggy break. I realize it was an icky post on which to end, but I really just needed to spend more time fixing the problem instead of dwelling on it. I do want to say thank you to everyone who responded because I've been a little lax on replying to comments and basically my response to each one is the same: thank you so much and big squishy virtual hugs!

Last Friday I spent the afternoon with two of my best friends from college, Katie and Melissa. It was so incredibly therapeutic in ways I didn't even expect. I had been looking forward to talking out all my problems and getting different perspectives on them, but didn't realize how happy I would be to see them and talk to them again.

Summer 2006, on our way to see Wicked on Broadway.

In college I had a rough start, but somehow made friends anyway. Katie was one of those friends and we bonded so quickly that we moved in together (each of us was having problems with our assigned roommates, so we switched within the first two weeks of school). Our room was all the way at the end of the hall, secluded in the corner among the rowdier residents of our floor. We put up curtains and had a non-school-issued carpet, along with a unique room set-up. There were many nights spent talking about our lives and being surprised at the parallels, specifically the fact that we both attended all-girls high schools and felt socially inept because of it. It made freshman year so much more bearable to room with someone who didn't want to party and drink, but instead wanted to watch Disney movies and talk about childhood memories. And, you know, somebody who wanted to read the dictionary with me.

Okay, so we don't actually read the dictionary. This was part of Katie's campaign for class president in freshman year, because clearly, reading the dictionary makes you awesome.

Then there was Melissa, and oh my God, I have never clicked with a friend faster. Nobody else even comes close to understanding my crazy, happy-go-lucky, let's-watch-Food-Network-and-call-Sandra-Lee-a-lush, Disney-crazed self as well as she does.That uber quirky side of me is often lost on people - I just take it to a level that most people aren't willing to go to, but Melissa somehow is. I met her through Katie, who had classes with her, when Melissa tagged along on a floormate outing to see Harry Potter 3. In sophomore year we roomed together and it was the most fun I ever had in college. It may not have been the most productive year, but we had a helluva good time.

Our first meeting. Love Friendship at first sight snarky movie commentary.

I'm sure this is true of everyone, but I make friends with people who share certain qualities with me. With Katie and Melissa, the range of topics we cover goes from discussing our life crises to what we think of the Jon and Kate fiasco. I find that we're all very open and eager to talk about things because we are looking for someone to validate our feelings and gently offer solutions. And that's exactly what I've been needing lately.