The best things aren't things (part 1 of 6)

The best things are people. Experiences. Destinations. Stories, music, memories. I know this ideal has been fed to people at the same time they're told to buy new cars, buy bigger TVs, fancy phones and computers and iPads. I have most of these things, mine are just slightly used. I drive a 10 year old car. My 4 year-old laptop (ancient, right?) is broken and I have a 10 year old monitor attached to it. The only reason I have a flat screen TV is because it was payment for wedding photography I did last year. I spend my money on vacations. Sports games (Rip City!). Nights out with friends (even if I have to drive hours to get there, I've done it and I'll do it again). Festivals including any combination of food and alcohol. And yes those things cost money but it's about doing something rather than having something. It might not be the smartest move I could be making with my money but it makes me happy. And for better or worse, impulsiveness or well thought out 401-Ks I just want to be happy. That's all I've ever wanted. John Lennon got it. I'll let future Nicole worry about the finances. That always ends well.

I've mentioned before how good I am at making single-serving friends. I'm also pretty good at making real-life-long-lasting friends. Yeah, I looked that up and it IS hyphenated, thank you very much. Every person in my life brings something positive to it and I can only hope I do the same for them. Though if all I have to offer is jaded sarcasm and bitter cynicism I'm leaving much to be desired in these friendships.

This is a very long intro (that's another thing I bring to relationships: verbosity) to discuss one of my best friends and what she recently (as in yesterday) brought into my life.

My oldest (you know what I mean, you're too young and clever to be making tired jokes like that) friend is Brin. We met in 1989 when my family first moved to Portland from Costa Mesa, California and our brothers were in the same class. I'd say we hit it off right away but that's not really true. I hated that I'd been taken away from my life of sun, beaches and Disneyland to a shitty countryside where it snowed. Gross. I might have been a little bitchy and standoffish (it's cuter on a nine-year-old than a 31-year-old but I'm still trying to rock it) and Brin was a little younger than me but not by much and way sweeter than me and her mom suggested (over pizza at Round Table of course) that we start playing a game of hangman. I don't remember who won (for the sake of argument I'll just say that I did) but over that dying wordsmith a friendship of almost 23 years and counting had begun.