Ali came over tonight.  I felt like I hadn’t seen her in forever. It’s weird, Ali and I have been friends for a little over 8 years now and we’ve been through our fair share of trials and tribulations. There was the Great Pickle-Eating Incident of 1997.  My sobbing hysterical “I am the Rock” episode of 1999.  There was my move to Florida, for which Ali cried, but came to terms with, only to have me show up home and then leave again to move to Texas.  And then, the Grand Poobah of Dealbreakers, there was The Ex Girlfriend Extravaganza of 2002, which I thought for sure would bring the demise of the best friendship I’d ever had.

But no, we’re still tickin’.  About once a year there’s a good, old-fashioned Girl Fight™, which usually begin with one of us telling the other she’s being selfish and/or a glory whore and/or a bitch of enormous proportion.  But, it always ends with “I’m sorry’s” and “I love you’s” and “Dude, I’m out of cigarettes.”

I don’t have any family of blood anymore, but I have Allison, which makes me luckier than most.