Old Friends

Last week was like a walk down memory lane. Not the one outside my house, but the one that passes through my college years.

On Tuesday I drove out toward DeKalb to see an old friend/new mama, Heather. She and I met my freshman year of college and randomly stayed friends over the years. Our freshman year we both had intense relationships with useless men, and the time we all spent together bonded us for life, I think. Although we drifted in and out of each others lives through the next few years we randomly have stayed friends. She has a little boy who will be one in April and we got together to catch up and parent.

I had fun visiting with her, and the drive was nice with the girls. Time passed always makes things strange though and even though we are at the same point in our lives we just can't make it click. Sometimes I wonder if that is because there is too much shared history and that neither one of us can look past all we have seen in the other so long ago. We had fun parenting together, and the girls liked playing with some other kid's toys. At any rate, it was a way to spend the day.

Friday I went to the other spectrum of my college days and went to visit my old drinking buddy from college. She and her sister just bought a new place together in Rogers Park, which of course was stunning (she is an interior designer). Abby was at school so Nora and I trucked on down to my old neighborhood. My girl Brook is one of the best people I know and when we graduated college together we started down the same path but each of us took our own exit. She still lives the rock and roll lifestyle, living in the 606 and barhopping while I do what I do. For some reason even though we are at completely different points in our life we are still able to stay connected in a way that I haven't been able to with some others. We had a great time watching Darling Eleanor roll around on on their throw rug and getting all kinds of fuzz in her runny nose. What we lack in commonalities anymore we can make up in style and she really is dear to me.

Saturday kicked off my absentee weekend, and I went to a baby shower from a girl I know from high school. We weren't close then, but we got close later on. We used to play hockey together but she was one of the factors in that hobby falling apart for me. While we never had a falling out,a gain things just got weird (is this a theme with me?) and we didn't see each other for a while. She is having a baby in February, and it was good to see her, but the mimosas were better. Another friend from high school was there too. I haven't seen her in 3 years, but it was like no time had passed. I am still not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing.

Saturday I went out with Tony to the birthday party of someone who I have met once, which should have been akward, but it wasn't.

I made some new friend in the past week too. My other mom friend invited me to join her book club so I trekked downtown and was initiated into this bizarre ritual of book club. The women were nice, the book was ok, and it was all kind of strange. I felt like i was in a movie, like the Big Chill or something, but I look forward to going back. Maybe it is just the Sunday morning out....

Last week was like watching my own evolution, which sounds strange, but it was. And it was good. I liked seeing the girls from high school and liked remembering who I was at 15. I liked seeing Heather and remembering who I was when I was 18. I liked seeing Brook and remembering who I was at 21. And I liked looking at my life now. As my old friend Ferris always says, "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop to llok around once and a while you might miss something."