Today's rambling: Day o' surprises
Written on Saturday, Jun. 28, 2003 at 3:00 a.m.
while feeling a bit

I thought today had brought a nice surprise around 11 o'clock this morning. If only I'd known what the EVENING held in store for me!

Around 11, Mom woke me up after getting home from work and asked if I'd ordered something. Thinking that my video had somehow gotten here overnight, I panicked a teeny bit (even if this video IS going to teach me a skill, I didn't want her to know I'd paid for it!). But the box was really big, and so I knew it couldn't have been a simple video. When I said no, she read off a name, and I was like, "It's from Amanda!!!"

Amanda had told me a couple weeks ago that she'd found something 'perfect' for me, and so as much as I knew I should wait, I opened her two presents. And they were both Monty Python!!! The first was a calendar (which is pinned proudly to my wall), and the second was an action figure of Sir Galahad, hee hee...That one is going to be seated on my desk shelf once I get back to Clarion. ;) I wrote her a big enthusiastic email, but man, those were both SO cool! *giggles*

Tonight, after wrestling with the Thomas Kinkade puzzle that Tiff had bought for me back at Christmas time, I signed online and was just randomly looking around at websites. Suddenly, an IM popped up on my screen and I recognized the name immediately, even though I haven't seen it in a couple of years.

I don't know if I've really written about Melissa M. in my diary before, but when I first moved to this area (and then for YEARS after that), she and I were best friends. I mean, we were all but completely inseparable. When I moved to Massachusetts, she went up with me and stayed for the first week or two...and yeah, we got in a really wretched fight while there, but I still considered her to be like my sister. That year in MA separated us a lot, because she started finding different interests and meeting new people and such, and I wasn't altogether happy with the person that evolved from that year. So we started to separate, and finally by the time I graduated I didn't even really see or talk to her anymore. Every so often, she'd IM me or knock on my door or call me or whatever, and we'd have a fun catch-up session but that was it.

Mom and I had started to wonder about her recently, especially as she was due to graduate high school last June. But I'd kinda figured that it was one of those childhood friendship things and I'd never hear from her again. So imagine my surprise when she IMed me tonight using a screen name that she hasn't used in years! She'd forgotten the password, but due to some hacker, all her passwords were reset and so she could sign on. And it was even weirder because I'm never usually online at that time (while I'm at home). If you believe in that sort of thing, it was almost like Fate! :-P

Even more ironically, one of her boyfriend's friends lives in this same apartment complex, but on a different street. Actually, it's the street one up from mine, but there are little branching streets that go off of that one. Still, she's been visiting all the time, and here I've been in my little apartment, thinking she's been over at her own house! She thought I'd moved to another state, lol! At any rate, I was so thrilled to see her again, and even though she's changed completely (she's positively gorgeous now), there was still that feeling of childhood camaraderie. She promised to keep in touch...but even if she slacks off, I'll be calling her up now. ;)

My new nickname, thanks to her boyfriend, is "Mouth". XP I was a little more smartmouthy than I usually am, hehe, and so now I guess I'm gonna be stuck with that name. When Melissa dropped me off in front of my apartment, Mike was like, "See ya, Mouth." Hehe...Wow, that's the first time I've been mouthy enough to earn a nickname! ;)

I found out that my friend from high school, Gretchen, got married to the Irish guy she met on the Internet. My jaw practically dropped to the floor. I haven't talked to Gretchen in a couple of years because of the whole divorce thing (I didn't talk to anyone at that point, really, but she and I completely separated), but when I heard that she'd been married...there was this pang of regret that I'd stopped communicating with her. It feels like she's all grown up now, and she'd once said that I would be one of her bridesmaids (or however you spell that) when she got married. I'm not saying I regret not being in the wedding, but it was kind of a shock...y'know, that we're not friends anymore and whatever. I think I might send a letter over to their house, though, and see if they can forward it to her or something. I have, admittedly, missed her!

I also found out about Mr. S. But I'm not going to discuss that here, as it's quite a painful subject and I'm still kinda reeling over it. I want to think that it's just some sort of rumor, but...ugh! I just can't believe it! X_X

Anyway, I've got a pizza out in the kitchen that's just calling my name, and so I think I might go munch on it. Tonight was SOOO much fun, and I'm glad I got over my brief bout of self-consciousness and agreed to go out with Melissa! I'm not saying this means we'll hang out ALL the time like we used to do, but it felt really good to see my old, dear friend again! ^_^