Category Archives: Friendship

Another geektastic e-mail thread between my group of friends:

Friend 1: Anyone else get a bump in Gmail storage? I was at 75% usage of my 3GB. I have this now: You are currently using 2214 MB (53%) of your 4170 MB.

Me: Mine says this: You are currently using 1224 MB (28%) of your 4259 MB. I have more than you. Woo hoo!

Friend 2: I got 4205 MB. How come you get 54 more MB?

Friend 3: I got 4260 MB. I win!

Friend 4: You are currently using 888 MB (20%) of your 4265 MB. Booyah! I got the lucky triple 8, you chinese biatches!

Yes, this is the most thrilling part of my day. So, what’s yo (MB) number, baby?

Me: We should do a night out with the girls.

Des: Yeah, we should.

Me: Friday?

Des: I can’t. I’m going camping with my roommates. Actually, girls night sounds fun. Maybe I’ll skip camping.

Me: Well, Matt’s also planning a movie night this Friday. I might want to go to that.

Des: That sounds fun, too. Let’s go. Actually, if I stay here, we should go to Disneyland with my free passes.

Me: Yeah, that sounds fun. So, what are we doing?

Des: I don’t know. I guess already committed myself to camping. But you guys should still do girls night.

Me: OK.

Des: So, you’re going to do it?

Me: I don’t know. We’ll see.

Des: Well then I might want to go, too. Anyway, let’s plan a trip to Vegas!

I received an e-mail from my friend Jess today. She’s alive! She just completed her first week of boot camp in Rhode Island. Not the same type of boot camp that I sobbed through in Arizona, but REAL LIFE BOOT CAMP where there ain’t no money-back guarantees or free e-newsletters.

When Jess first told me that she got a Navy scholarship for dental school, I was like, “Congrats. Free cash,” but didn’t make the connection that she would actually have to serve in the Navy. When our group of friends discovered the reality, the image was almost comical. Jess — the girl who would wear rhinestone tiaras to sorority parties, who squeals over candy, whose mantra has always been “We need to look hot, bitches!” — is going to be protecting our country? But then the humor in all this began to fade as we learned what she would have to face. For five weeks, Jess must wake up at 3:30 a.m., put on a dowdy uniform, clean like mad, get yelled at, memorize Navy stuff, do exercise drills in the hot sun and get yelled at some more. WHY WOULD THEY DO THIS TO HER? SHE’S TOO PRETTY! I wanted to cry.

But as we started talking, we realized that she can so do this. In college, she was totally the Asian Elle Woods. She’d work hard, play hard and then work hard some more. (After late-night parties, she’d come home, wash her face, crawl into bed and open her bio books — who does that?) And she’s the most dedicated gym-goer I know. (I can still hear her chant: “Come on, Meesh. Don’t you want to look hot?” as I’d muster up some excuse about how I can’t make it.) I was always in awe of how well she prioritized her life and managed her time.

One day, during our second year of college, while we were eating lunch in the sorority house, Jess, in her always-excited tone, was like, “Guess what?” And I was like, “What?” And she was like, “I decided I’m going to be a dentist!” And just like that, she set her path. She graduated from USC Dental School in May.

In her super-long e-mail, this line was all I needed to read to know that she’s OK: “Don’t worry, I have not turned butch and don’t intend to. I still try to wear makeup with my uniform every chance I get.”

Go Jess! We’re so proud of you. If anyone is mean to you, just jab them with a stiletto. (OK, don’t really do that. That might be bad.)

Congratulations Shivani! She went ahead and got engaged (engaged!) while I was away in stinky China, testing out various squatting strategies. I’m totally happy for her and not in that fake sort of way. You know, like the whole, “Oh, that’s great, but: (choose one) 1) Aren’t you a little young? 2) You’ve only known him for how long? 3) I FEEL SO MUCH PRESSURE RIGHT NOW!

Yes, I am a bitter, judgmental soul.

But as for Shiv, her announcement was so sweet (and so freakin’ inevitable) that I can only feel excited about what’s to come. (Plus, her name will soon be alliterated. How catchy!) I think that’s the thing about growing up. For a while, all you want to do is stop time and keep things from changing. But once you realize that life keeps moving whether you like it or not, you just have to learn to accept these new milestones. And perhaps even embrace them.

So cheers to Shivani … and my old roommate Jess and my cousin Tiff and three girls at my office … holy crap. STOP ALREADY! I mean, um, yeah, congratulations. Grin.

Had dinner with Nao and Shivani tonight at the new RA Sushi in Torrance. Good grownup times. It’s amazing how after three years of separation, you can spend a half hour recapping the lost time (“… livedinAZitwashotgotnewjobmovedhome … your turn!”), and then start right back at where you left off (“So, a friend of mine just got a heart-shaped engagement ring. Isn’t that, like, so sad?”). Girls are so much fun.