Tag Archives: friends

The Doppelganger

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There is a boy next door the boys have befriended. I was thrilled to find a family lived close to us, as I think it’s an important rite of childhood to run amok with the local youth of the neighborhood.

Both boys were eager for their first play date. “Can we go play with Pacman now?” This was only exacerbated by Pacman’s propensity to roll up to the edge of our driveway on his PowerWheel motorcycle and honk his horn. Continue reading

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Attack of the Great Black Beast

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It was the picture perfect sunny Saturday morning. GrammaJ was in town; Search had already demonstrated his propensity for scootering and it was time to show off the big boy bikes.

I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to steal a shower.

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Dating in the ‘Burbs

Playdate

Dating is usually pretty stressful. And at this age, things can be even more complicated. There are many pieces to the puzzle – many components to sort before success.

  • How do you let someone know you’re interested in spending more time together?
  • How do you get to know someone’s family?
  • How do you tell if someone wants to play with you again?

But play dates are a staple of suburban childhood these days. Continue reading

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The Dinosaur and the Watermelon (Based on a True Story)

Dinosaur Watermelon

Once upon a time there was a dinosaur.

He said RAWR. Others laughed when he rawred. Sometimes they would rawr back, which would make the dinosaur rawr louder.

Everyone would laugh. There would be more rawring. Louder rawring.

So much rawring can make a dinosaur hungry. (Dinosaurs can get very cranky if their blood sugar gets low, you know.)

But this story is about a smart dinosaur. Continue reading

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AlliOSNews Does Not Live in a Pineapple Under the Sea

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Did you know I actually work with Clinton from AlliOSNews in my real life? Yup. But he lives in the U.K. I live in Silicon Valley (the motherland (Steveland?) of the Infinite Apple Loop cult). And a couple weeks ago, Clinton visited us yankees during a business trip to our company’s corporate headquarters.

To properly integrate him back into stateside culture, we took Clinton to a baseball game, and later in the week – we dined at the hotspot of overindulgence largesse, The Cheesecake Factory. (Bazinga!) Continue reading

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Generational Friendships

Never a Dull Second

In late December 2011, an old high school girlfriend and I started mentioning that since we were both SoCal transplants in the NorCal Bay Area, we should totally get our kids together for a playdate.

Megan, of Never a Dull Second, is now proud BoyMom to two of the cutest little dudes you’ll ever meet – a 3.5-year-old and 5-month-old. But way back in the day, we were livin the dream in an orange and blue high school dress code down in the San Fernando Valley. (I looked for a high school photo of the two of us to post here, but alas all the pictures of 90s early teenage thespian angst are at my parents house. You’re welcome, Megan.) Continue reading

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The Lovely Miss Chicken

Because what world isn’t better when you have a rooster in glittery drag smiling back upon you? The Lovelies sent me Miss Chicken!

1998: Slightly uncertain teenagers, Auntie Beeca and I meet as roomates. Maureen co-opts our room as the honorary third roommate (tutoring calculus). Ivy lives next door. Our little Hawaiian, Julia, rounds out our 11th floor penthouse dorm. Beeca’s mom (Mom2) dubs us “The Lovelies.”

2003: A beautiful bouquet of flowers arrives at my office. And a small shipping box – containing Miss Chicken, a sparkling bedazzled drag rooster in fabulous purple leopard print heels. Continue reading

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The Bell Curve of Development (or Mitch’s Bitches)

I got home late for dinner. “Hang on a sec – you’re impugning one of the bitches…” Uncle Mark was saying as I plopped into my seat.

Hey – I’m not one to judge. Who’s a bitch?

“My bitches,” said my 16-year-old cousin Mitch. Continue reading

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Roomie Christmas

Twelve years. It’s been 12 years.

2000: You'd never know we're 12 years older. We look exactly the same right?

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Magic Number

Six weeks ago one of my college girlfriends called me. She was 22 weeks pregnant and had just been placed on emergency bedrest. She was terrified. Yesterday, she happily announced she had hit 28 weeks. The third trimester – it does exist! (I’m going to laugh when she ends up getting induced at 41 weeks. “Oh no, Mom. You successfully put the fear of the world in me. I’m staying put. No plastic incubator box for me, no sir!”)

I smiled when I realized the date. I was in the midst of planning a baby shower for my friend who is 32 weeks pregnant. She and her baby boy are doing well despite several pre-term stints in the L&D unit thanks to a klutzy step off a curb and a rather unfortunate bout with a food-borne illness (and the resulting intimate encounter with the United Airlines barf bag).

Another girlfriend, who I’ve known since I was 12, is pregnant with her second little one. (There must be something in the water.) She emailed me yesterday morning (the very same “Happy Third Trimester to my college girlfriend” morning). She is 27w5 days today. If she were in my shoes, her little pumpkin would already be a day old.

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