scurvy knaves

It's been a while since my last post, and I know all 2 of you are just chomping at the bit for more of my musings..  I'm going to continue on with my portraits of my friends, so this post might get a wee bit long.  Deal with it!

One of the first people I met through my roomies was Merritt.  Not only does she have an awesome name, but she's an awesome lady!  The very first time I met her, she threw her arms around me and kissed me on the cheek!  And as we parted she hugged me again and said "I Love you!" before walking away.  2 things.  First, I am a very touchy-feeley person.  I often cuddle with friends and family, because it is in my nature.  I cuddle most often with men, because, let's face it, some ladies are uncomfortable cuddling with their queer friend.  I don't like to put that discomfort on my lady friends, so if they want to cuddle they come to me.  It is much more natural and socially acceptable for a girl to be cuddling with a boy.  Even if that boy and girl are in no way "sexy cuddling."  I'll come back to the difference later.  I have NEVER, in my whole life, met someone as open and free with affection as Miss Merritt.  Even some of the friends I have had for years get a little uncomfortable when I tell them that I love them.  So I was surprised when someone I had just met said that to me and meant it.  Second.  People say "Oh I LOVE you!"  way too often nowadays.  It's become a phrase that has been so overused as to not have as much meaning as it used to.  It's a natural part of the vernacular  now, and it's second nature for people to say it, even to complete strangers.  When Merritt says it, she means it.  And you can tell.  Remind me to tell you about the thing I can do with energies..  Merritt is well read, quirky, intelligent, hilarious, creative, nurturing and spastic.  In a good way.  She's one of those characters who participates and GETS INTO whatever it is she is doing, whether it be making giant May Day puppets or dressing up for my Mad Hatter's Tea Party birthday.  She's beautiful and active and loves to try new things and then share that experience with others.  She's pretty fantastic.

Now most of the people I have met through Eric and Bonnie I have met at dinner parties or barbeques.  Scott L. is one of them.  Now Scott..  He's a hard one to describe.  Just when you think you have the guy down, he cracks one out into left field.  He is KING of the nonsensical.  For instance..  We could all be sitting outside eating delicious mercado style corn on the cob, having a serious discussion about (This is a made up example..  He does it so often it's hard to remember specific instances!) the light rail they are building in St. Paul.  Scott will interject with something completely off-topic, sometimes gross and sometimes inappropriate..  "Did you know that goat testicles..."  "So I was looking for pictures of poop on the internet..."  At first I didn't know what to make of Scott.  But it's just his very unique brand of humor.  He's an excellent cook, good for a laugh or a bit of silliness and an avid all you can eat buffet consumer.  Seriously.  This guy can eat.  He has actually been kicked out of buffets for eating too much.  I think if they ever made a competitive eating sport where first you cook it and then scarf it, Scott would be the all time champ.  If your party is getting a little stale, or your dishes aren't interesting enough, invite Scott over.  He is sure to bring his wit and possibly a jar of Chinese powdered army pork..  Mmmm  *gag*  delicious!

If anyone in the group is as technosexual as Deej is, it's Andy W.  (You will find that my nucleus of friends has  Andy, Anddi, Scott and Skot.  Cuz we're awesome.)  If I want to geek out comic book, or foreign film style, Andy is one of the guys I go to.  Even Deej has to call Andy every now and then with a tech question.  Not often, but sometimes.  He has a fancy phone, lots of gaming systems, loves dinner and movie theme nights  and has helped save the party more than once.  He's reliable and trustworthy, helpful, calm and patient.  Andy is married to Wendy.  They make a great team.  Wendy is another person who has saved the party once or twice.  If we're running low on something, or there's stuff that is needed, Andy and Wendy show up, like superheroes, with bags full of what was needed and then some!  Now where Andy can geek out for an hour and talk the night away about such-n-such a phone or some new tech advance, Wendy is a listener.  I swear, the girl could be a journalist!  Not only does she like to ask questions, and get to know people by doing so, but she is actually interested in the answers!  You will never find Wendy being a wallflower..  She will be over here, then over there, just talking to people.  Listening to stories or asking about work or school or family.  These two also have two adorable little shitzus who are my friends.  Mao Bi and Mei Mei are awesome.  They are my pals and both appreciate the puppyssage.  Especially Mao Bi.  They are good cuddlers, and also like my parties!  The whole Wang-Rufledt household is pretty amazing..

This is my Mad Hatter's Tea Party  From Left, Wendy, Me, Bonnie, Deej, Grif, Kevin and Merrit

Anddi and Andy

Scott and Eric randomly running around the grill.  And Bonnie is kicking them :)

So there are 4 more of the wonderful people I know.  I am very blessed (and, yes, I WILL keep saying this!) to have all of these people in my life.  Thank you to all of my scurvy knaves!  Those I have mentioned and those yet to be written about..  I love you all!

First Mates

Well, since people have always been a huge part of my daily existence, I'm going to roll with that theme.  Some of my biggest and best adventures have happened with friends..  Seeing as I already said that I have an amazing group of people here in "The Cities" I will tell you all how I met all of these amazing folks.  But the beginning of every story is the ending of another, so let's start there..

I had been living in Fargo with friends for almost a year after the California "incident", and I didn't feel like there was much keeping me there any more.  My relationship with Dane had ended, although we are still friends, the drama of the Fargo-Moorhead Derby Girls had caused me to quit, and my job wasn't anything to write home about.  I mulled it over for a few weeks and then I started telling people that I was moving.  I have this thing.  If I tell myself I'm going to do it, it usually doesn't happen...  But if I tell others I'm doing something, I HAVE to.  I don't want to look like a liar and a big talker.  I had my goodbyes with my roommate and her daughter, and a goodbye dinner with Dane.  I said goodbye to my "best friend" Kimmie, we exchanged gifts and promises to visit and to always have a great adventures.  So my friend Sarah came with her Jeep and a trailer and took me, and most of what was left of my worldly possessions and moved me to the cities.  Of course..  On our way out of town, we ran to Dilworth, MN (literally right next to Moorhead) so I could get the tattoo I had been trying to get for months.  So as I was closing a huge chapter of my life, I got a tattoo to commemorate the occasion.  "YAWP" is what it says.  Just one little word, but it has a huge meaning.  It's from Walt Whitman's "Song of Myself".  The lines say, "I too am untamed, I too am untranslatable.  I sound my barbaric YAWP over the roofs of the world."  I had decided after California, that I was going to live for myself for a change.  I wasn't going to let someone else run my life or dictate how I should live it.  I was going to YAWP everyday.

Before I had left, I had contacted an old high school friend, via the Facebooks.  I asked him if he knew anyone renting a room in their house.  I may have wanted to be independent financially and romantically, but I have never lived alone.  Ever.  It's always been in a dorm with 200 other girls, or with roommates or significant others in apartments.  Just thinking about living alone in a city that is, basically, new to me was a terrifying prospect.  At first, Bryan couldn't think of anyone, but one of his friends saw me post on his wall and contacted me directly.  Apparently, she had been minutes from posting the room for rent on Craig's List and saw my post.  She asked if I wanted to come see the place and gave me some details about the house, the arrangements and the like.  I told her when I was coming down, and we set a date for a meet and greet.

I proceeded to temporarily reside in the house of my friend, (who is apparently not my friend anymore?) Sarah's house with her partner and their two dogs and foster dog.  I took a couple buses to meet Eric and Bonnie at Cafe Julianna, on he prearranged date.  I was early so I had a bar (I have a pretty excellent Minnesota accent, so saying the word "bar" makes me smile!) and a tea, and shortly thereafter Bonnie and Eric walked into the cafe.  I actually can't remember what we really talked about, all I know is I was nervous and really in need of a nice place.  So we walked down the hill to the house to check it out.  Within seconds of walking in the door I saw Bonnie's cat Caixa.  I have a soft spot for animals, and immediately picked her up and put her on my shoulder (like I would with a baby) and petted her.  She was ok for a minute, but then climbed up the rest of the way and draped herself across my shoulders like a scarf, and just hung out there for the entire tour of the house.  When I picked Caixa up, Bonnie gave me a weird look, which I took to be a bad sign that I had crossed a line somewhere.  I was thinking "great...  I  grabbed her cat and now she has NO intentions of letting me live here."  Turns out, that the look was more of shock.  I guess Caixa (at the time) really didn't like people.  ANY people.  I like to think that Caixa clinched the deal for me, because I moved in the next month.  Caixa and I have a love/pretend to hate relationship.  But she loves me.  Most of the time!

Bonnie is an incredible lady.  She has vast amounts of energy and can party like a rock star.  She is a foodie and I, while never a picky eater, have been introduced to quite a few new eats since knowing her.  She's a classically trained percussionist, she teaches drum lessons, is in 12 bands (ok, 2 bands, but it seems like 12 sometimes!) teaches little ones at a day care and throws one HELL of a dinner party!  She's an amazing friend and confidante, and I love her dearly.  We've been through a lot together.  And when I say a lot, I mean A LOT!  I've been to more shows, and had more adventures with her in the last year and a half than I have in my whole life!  We've had nights from hell, movie nights, discovered new awesome places to eat and linger and she's always up for shenanigans.  She's also a good sport.  We screw with her a lot and she takes it like a champ.  She's kinda ticklish.  And when I say kinda, I mean CRAZY ticklish.  I wouldn't trade her for anything.  She no longer lives in the house, and I sincerely miss my Bonnie time.  There are a lot of moments where I think "I have to go show Bonnie!" or something of the sort, and then realize she's not here.  Get us together, and the unexpected happens.

Eric's parents own the house we reside in.  So he is my roommate, and technically my landlord.  I have never lived anywhere, other than my folk's house, longer than I have lived on Ohio Street.  He is also a classically trained musician, specializing in the Bass.  He seems like a mellow guy, but that just gives him the element of surprise.  This is the guy, who, calm as can be, will walk down the soup isle at Trader Joe's, hear a song he likes and stop in the middle to jam out and dance.  He rearranges words in songs to include the names of the cats, to sing to them while he pets them.  He's not the partying type, but if you get him going, it can be quite hilarious!  He's the first one to volunteer to help when I need a favor..  Usually this involves vehicular favors, as I do not own one and sometimes getting places can be difficult.  Hell, the guy drove me down to Rochester so I could see Alice Cooper last spring.  He sat in a bar, by himself, while I was stuck in a mosh pit for 3 hours.  I also have issues in the morning every now and then..  Meaning I am not awake until maybe my 3rd table sits down at work (I wait tables.  Glamorous, huh?).  So sometimes I miss my bus or set my alarm for the wrong time.  Then I have to sheepishly ask Eric for a ride downtown.  He just laughs at me and takes me downtown.  I'll bet my roomie is cooler than yours.

Now these two are awesome people.  And it's through them, that I will meet a plethora of other awesome people.  The best part is, they are all different, and awesome in their own ways.  I have never been in a group of such diverse human beings before.  Usually people hang out because they work together, or they have something huge in common like acting, or church or knitting..  Our group isn't like that.  Our group is pretty unique and special.  To be continued...

Setting Sail

At what point in a life's timeline does one start when beginning a Blog?  I've been contemplating this for the past few days, as I have been toying with the idea of actually keeping a Blog.  Well, first things first I guess.  I am actually pretty lucky that I even figured this stuff out.  I usually have to wait until I see my best friend, Deej, so she can do these things for me.  Granted, I DID call her..  And I may have even had an IM conversation on the Facebooks with her.  But I did it all by myself.  Well...  Mostly.

Most of you know me as Anddi or Andrea or even by my Derby name, Black Pearl.  I'm short in stature, I have green eyes, I love Star Wars, good music, tea, adventure, and I am pretty freekin hilarious.  My life has been a series of fortunate and misfortunate moments filled with craziness, awe and amazing people.  I have an incredible ability to attract insanity, sometimes in the form of really strange circumstances and sometimes in the form of really strange people.  I have been lucky, in my 29 years, to have found and held onto a handful of amazing human beings, but it wasn't until recent years that I have found myself surrounded my a multitude of diverse, interesting, kind, adventurous, delightfully crazy awesome people.  Seriously.  In the last 2 years, I have made more "Best Friends" than I have had in all the rest of my years combined.  In fact, I have so many Best Friends now, that there is only one I actually give the title to anymore.  Deej has been my friend for more than half of my life.  She has put up with my insanity, my love sickness, my addiction, my bitchiness, my stupidity, and rescued me more times than I can even remember.  she totally deserves the title.  Well..  I guess it looks like we are going to be talking about my favorite people for a minute.  I hope Skot doesn't mind that I copy him.  Lets start with Deej.

I met Diana when I was in the 9th grade at WBL High School.  I was dragged to an after school meeting for a theatre group called F.A.C.E.S. by my friend Heather.  I subsequently met a group of people who would, for the next 4 years, make my life miserable, exciting, dramatic and interesting.  If any of you have ever been in theatre, then you know what I am talking about.  Deej was a little more grounded than the rest of the WBL theatre group.  She wasn't as melodramatic...  In fact (as long as there wasn't copious amounts of Cherry Coke involved) she was pretty mellow.  This is why upon first meeting me, she didn't care for me that much.  Allow me to explain.  I'm hyper.  Really hyper.  I may even be borderline to full on ADD.  There are times when I am consciously aware that I am being obnoxious and completely ridiculous, and I just can't control myself.  Suffice to say, it took a while for Deej to warm up to me.  Our group became incestuously close.  Looking back, it was kind of nasty.  For some of the people in the group, I think being IN the group was a secret plot to torture each other.  There was boyfriend/girlfriend swapping, so so so SO much drama, back stabbing and gossip...  We were more like enemies who hung out together and played stupid theatre games at parties.  Deej and I were more to the outside of the chewey melodramatic center, so we could relate to each other.  Don't get me wrong, we were teenage girls, and you bet your ass we participated in some of the shenanigans, but we could actually see and understand how stupid and futile it all was.  That in mind, we were not "Best Friends" in high school.

We had our own best friends, but we always had a good time when hanging out together.  Whether it be at a party at Josh's, out and about in Deej's hoopty, Tyrone (rest in pieces, sir) hanging out at Maplewood Mall (it makes me ill to remember doing that) or chillin in the theatre after school, we always had a good time together.  After she graduated, Deej and I lost touch.  I really didn't keep in touch with anyone when I went away to college either, so no one is to blame here.  And then something very strange happened.  I was living in Duluth at the time, and taking general credits at Lake Superior Community College.  Because I failed and dropped out of UW-Superior a couple times..  I was at my first class for that semester and I was sitting in the seats of the very tiny tech college theatre, when I looked up and in walked Deej!  "D.J!" I yelled at her.  She almost peed herself, well, maybe not..  But she WAS surprised!  We spent a couple days in class together getting back in touch, until life happened and we lost touch again.

Shortly thereafter, I was working as a cashier/event coordinator at Michael's Arts and Crafts in Duluth, when in walked Deej!  I think the universe was trying to tell us something..  To make a long story less long, I eventually moved in with Deej in Superior, until she moved back to the cities, and I moved to Fargo (this is skipping some big events in my life, but that's for a different day) we briefly lost touch, but thanks to the invention of social networking we found each other again.  We kept in touch mostly online for a couple years, and then I "moved" to California.  Another long story I will save for a different day.  Eventually I had to come back to Minnesota with my tail between my legs, on a four day bus trip, financed by begged for money from my Daddy (who also bails me out more than I deserve) and $40 that Deej deposited in my account so I had money for food on the way back.  Deej gave me my first "big girl bed" when she left Duluth, bailed me out when I left California, helped me move back to the Cities, carts my ass to and from Roller Derby Bouts and crazy adventures (remind me to tell you guys about Brandon, Minnesota sometime!) found me a new "big girl bed" when I moved to St. Paul, let me cry on her shoulder a thousand times, knows my deepest darkest secrets...  Deej is as nerdy as me, knows how to tell me to shut up, knows how to have a good time, and I seriously couldn't live without her.  For cereal.  She knows me better than anyone does.  And I don't have to tell her how I feel about anything.  She just knows.  At this point, she's more my sister than my friend.  I love you Deej <3