primas son las amigas mejores

i was feeling kind of down tonight. it may have had something to do with the fact that my phone keeps crapping out, and conversations with people dear to me are interrupted midway through with seemingly no way of re-starting them within 20 minutes. i was lying glumly in bed, catching up on my google reader, and thinking of how i should probably enmesh myself in an art project to revive my spirits.

and then the phone rang again. but i put it on speaker phone, and heard a voice that sounds quite like mine. it was my cousin ampbt (which is her initials, but kinda looks like it could be a new energy drink or something). and i can't imagine anyone better to have spoken to. we talked for an hour an a half about weddings, babies, husbands, clothing, weight gaining, aversions to running, old friends, new friends, crazy mothers, self-deprecating sisters, slow talking fathers, and cousins "on the other side" (though surprisingly, the meth cousins did not make an appearance in the conversation).

i often think that she and i (as well as her sister and i) are closer than many people are with some siblings. we essentially grew up together. from the nutcracker (see below) to late night denny's coffee, we experienced all the important stuff together. she tried to find me a date to my junior prom, and i begged her to go to homecoming with my friend, jbl (now jbl, esq.). and probably a lot of it was our proximity in age, similarity of interests, and the inescapablility of genetics. but what it comes down to is: there are very few people who understand me like she does (lou and char being the only other two i can think of-not even the nice or consueloz quite measure up).

all dressed up for the nutcracker (i'd guess 1985?)

and yet, we rarely talk. usually on october 27. or briefly on the phone to make plans when i'm in chicago. but only when we are actually in each others' physical presence do we have those late night wine fueled conversations that drift from topic to topic until we can barely keep our eyes open. but tonight was different. she called because she and char were at kap's place and char and kap started fighting. she just needed to talk to someone who could understand how ampbt spilling a bit of lasagna on the floor could start a fight between her mother and sister. and oh, how i understand.

and every time, we say, we shall make a habit of these talks. hopefully we will. i miss her terribly. i suppose the fact that lou is in heytown was part of my melancholy state. and hearing that the three parker-baker-tapia-belsan-s were together perhaps added to it. it makes me want to be in chicago so badly. it makes me regret so badly the bachelorette, and graduation, and birthday parties i've missed. but in time. i will be back. at least briefly. but i will relish it.