freitag funf, yo
Hey! 007! Feel better!
Thank God It’s Friday, y’all. There has been enough wacky weirdness this week to last a LIFETIME. And so, in honor of that, I’m going to resurrect an old Friday Five. Feel free to comment with YOUR answers, since that would make me happy.
1. Who was your first best friend?
Melissa Sons, who lived across the street from me until I was five and my family moved. She was also my best friend in fifth grade, when the fabulous Charleston bus system brought us to the same school again.
2. Who have been some of the most influential people in your life?
Up until the last two years or so, the most influential people were all guys. Among them are Mitch, Ryan, Bill, Ray, Erin, and PWe. My parents are to a certain extent, but mostly because I tried to be different from them. Oh, and Dona Werner Freeman, my college acting/directing teacher, who convinced me that I WASN’T totally crazy for doing this for the rest of my life.
3. Do you usually have one best friend or a lot of close friends?
At the moment, for the first time, I have both. I used to be one of those people that only had a buttload of acquaintances, but I have a pretty fucking amazing posse of close friends in this town right now.
4. Do you believe people of the opposite sex can be best friends and not lovers?
Absolutely. I have had that be the case a great many times in my life. Of course, it’s always nice when you can be both… ;) but it’s definitely not necessary.
5. Have you ever fallen in love with a friend?
Absolutely. Have I ever had my love for a friend come to fruition? No. The people I’ve dated, I’ve dated first and become best friends with later. The friend I loved remained unrequited love, since I never had the balls to do anything about it. I imagine, however, that if it were to happen again, the end result might be different. (I was a very, VERY scared girl in high school. ;)
And what about you?
Alicia Dawn???
Is this Alicia B.?
As in the one from 1028 Oxford Court? You bet your ass it is.
Hooray for the internet! Hooray! :P
1. My first best friend was Teddy Chang. We were 4 and had met at the U of C Lab School preschool summer program.
2. I’ve had so many influential people in my life… teachers, mentors, friends, relatives. Perhaps one of the most profound was Bernie Hollister. Another was (and continues to be) David Barr — get well soon, DB!
3. I usually have a lot of close friends. I don’t like trying to “pick” a “best” friend. That would imply that friendship is some sort of single-variable equation. I can’t just maximize friendship like any variable in a system of equations. It’s a delicate, holistic balance. That being said, at any given moment I’ll find myself closer to one, two, or three specific people.
4. People of opposite genders can, indeed, be best friends and not lovers, and I have 15 years of data with which to back that up. Sometimes it is cruelly tough, but it is eminently doable for most people. I think there may be some combination(s) of people for whom it is hopeless, however. But then do we have to ask “can best friends be lovers in the context of that friendship?” (I’m thinking that’s even MORE difficult. But, again, not impossible.)
5. I have absolutely fallen in love with a best friend before. Several times, to be honest. Sometimes it works out for a number of years; sometimes it doesn’t work out, passes, and the friendship can sustain; and sometimes it’s unrequited and never amounts to anything but a transient but profound ache until it passes (even if the passing takes over a decade).
@ 02:51 AM | 2005/08/17Alicia-
Glad to have made your list, and know that you are always going to be on mine.
Damn right you’re on my list. That will never change. ;)
Alicia-
So glad to hear that you are ALIVE and seemingly well! How long has it been??? 15 years??? I see you have not fallen into the pathetic boring world of so many of the Chuck-Town folks :) Cynical, aren’t I…….
I would love to catch up and hear what you have been uo to the last decade or so. How are your parents? Have not seen them in years either! Hope you are well and please catch up to me at melissa@gsgmc.org.
1. My first best friend was Kimmy Bryan. I was pre-kindergarden (3? 4?) and she was my babysitter’s daughter.
2. Most influential: Foxy, (first trying to emulate him, then trying not to), the mysterious Dave with no last name, (who, in pitiful self-reflection, may have been my perfect man,) Aunt Charlotte (constantly reminding me not to apologize for things I should not be sorry for), Mum (for smothering me with so much love I ran away, over and over again.)
3. I usually have one best friend. Not right now though. Strange.
4. Physically: Sure we can be friends without being lovers. Mentally?: No fuckin’ way. Those silly pheromones get in the way.
5. This last bit is a little strange considering my answer to the last question. I’ve fallen in love, differently, with person after person, boy and girls, relatives and non-relatives, but not in the context that the question was posed (from a friend to a romantic lover.)