Friday Fact: Lost sole.

There's something tragic about a lost sock or glove lying, forgotten, on the sidewalk.  It always makes me think of the moment when the person discovers it's gone and mourns its loss.  I guess that's better than never even noticing, but still.

Bye, 2010. You've been a good year.  Thank you :)

In Review

Well, as full as it was with worldly disasters, I'm happy to say that 2010 was still a very happy, full year on the mfb front.  Some highlights:

- Jessica. Leigh. Martin.
- Living with MegO
- Both years of internships!
- My haircut!
- Writing more... even if it's not my thesis so far...
- Having an approved topic to write about, though :)
- My apartment!
- Miami for the first time
- New York for the umpteenth
- Lemon on a Leash
- My birthday dress!
- Summer at Smith, with My Girl and my girls
- Skydiving!
- Gingerbread people cookies
- Coworkers! Amazing colleagues and friends, in both jobs!
- My new gray corduroy skinnies
- Parp?
- Seeing my cousin for the first time since... well, February.
- Oh yeah! Speaking of February, the duck tour with Meggie in San Francisco!
- My new therapist.
- My awesome clients - my kids from last year, and my non-kids from this year. You're extremely difficult at times, and I may go gray with self-doubt, but you're also incredible, and stronger than you think.  Keep coming, and I will too. :)

Here's to a wonderful 2011!  Happy New Year!

Kind of a big deal, dude.

We went to the movies in Harvard Square a couple weeks ago, and after it ended, I excused myself to use the restroom.  Jess waited for me in the upstairs lobby, pacing a bit, hands in her pockets.  As I rejoined her, another couple headed down the stairs a few feet ahead, staring pointedly back at us.  Jess leaned down and said "You know what that lady said as she passed me?  'Look honey! A minor celebrity!!'  I wonder who she thought I was?!"

I'm sorry to say that with Jess's recent track record, the lady probably thought she was a guy.  :(

Sunday Snaps: The Fir Noël

How... lovely?

Merry Christmas

... from the FB house :)

The tree, just up, with lights and "cranberry strings..."

... plus ornaments and some presents!

Friday Fact: For unto you there is born this day...

Whenever a baby is born at the hospital where I work, the first stanza of The Alphabet Song plays over the intercom, hospital-wide.  It's pretty nice to take 6 seconds to recognize that a new life has joined us, somewhere nearby...

My Bist Friend

I've written before about my amazing friend Lisa Joy.  As chronicled before, we met at the beginning of middle school and became fast friends, playing in the Winston Players String Ensemble, having sleepovers, and being generally nerdy and goofy all over the place.  I spent many an afternoon at her beautiful house, sliding down vast hallways, using the (gasp!) intercom, and learning all the rules of keeping a kosher house -- or at least, which dishes go in which dishwasher and which shelf the milk goes on in the fridge.  I was the token goy at many a Seder, and we laughed many a night, squawking "Charles! Bring the car round!" in a British accent while lounging on a chaise longue.

At some point during 6th grade, when we realized we didn't have to pay attention in our classes to get good grades, we started passing NoteBooks back and forth to each other.  These were essentially journals, which we thought were indistinguishable from regular school notebooks, in which we took turns writing each other lengthy notes.  We would compete for "longest note," and our writing would eventually get bigger and bigger until we were putting about 3 words per page and thinking we were verbose rockstars of the written word.  I'm shocked these were never confiscated by passing teachers -- containing, as they did, our deepest and darkest secrets and realizations.  ("The difference... is Merrill Lynch!") 


We sat together in French class every day, learning about Beau Beau and singing along to "C'est l'Halloween " and "Joe le Taxi " -- oh, and watching La Boum, which is kind of an amazing movie, PS.  On the extracurricular level, she went on to pursue mock trials while I focused more on theater, but our paths stayed fused as we spent Saturdays at the New England Conservatory, playing in Ms. Melba's youth orchestra.  We also both tried out for volleyball when we got to high school, and sweated through many brutal practices each fall.

Very involved in her camp, Lisa made frequent trips to visit friends from there during high school.  I remember exchanging letters with her during each summer, and marveling at her awesome penmanship -- back to a normal size at this point.  In the spring of our senior year, Lisa stage-managed our production of Cabaret, and did a helluva job of corralling our many egos.  We all split a limo for senior prom, and vowed to stay in touch during college.

Sometime in high school we started our New Years tradition of watching dance-along and quote-along Center Stage, with our infamous multi-way kiss.  We started calling Lisa "Bis" and got together during the breaks to rehash our various semesters at school.  Bis was tearing it up at Northwestern as a DZ, consistently fabulous intern, and willing recounter of dating debacles.   We stayed friends, grew closer, and I went to visit her a bunch of times when she moved to Silver Spring, MD, after graduation to work a l'aeroport at a PR job.

We had talked for years (since French class in middle school) about taking a trip somewhere together, and in the Spring of 2009 we jetted off to St. Martin for a petite aventure.   There, we went ziplining, survived an earthquake, and indulged in fabulous tanning opportunities.  We ate moules frites, made friends at the pool, and observed the local pelicans in their natural (diving) habitat.  We also probably drank our weight in vin and ate our weight in fromage, but no matter.  It was such a great trip, and I couldn't have asked for a better travel buddy than Bis.

Now she attends the Stern Business School at NYU and is the co-Editor-in-Chief of the Stern Opportunity.  Already in her time there, she has completed an internship at the Cannes Film Festival and will soon be heading off to Australia and Brazil for two more amazing learning opportunities.

Most importantly, she is gaining the necessary business experience to support us when we open our Cakerie and Paperie later in life, to be called Deux Petites VaLises and feature the most delicious desserts and perfect paper products your heart could possibly imagine.

She's driven, talented, smart, and gorgeous to boot.  Watch out, world.  And Happy Birthday, Bis!!

...or should I say, Joyeux Anniversaire!!

Glee

I got really excited when I realized yesterday that it's Christmas week!  My absolute favorite holiday is nigh!  My presents are wrapped, the lights are on the tree, and I only have 3 days of work until a well-deserved (if I do say so myself) 5-day break.

It's a little funny that it's present time again given that just a few weeks ago, on her 29th birthday, I gave Jess 29 presents.  I found out that one of her gifts for Christmas is going to arrive late, and she brushed me off, saying "Mer, I probably still haven't unwrapped all my birthday presents yet." This is, of course, untrue.  I handed her one after another and know for a fact that they all saw the light of day... That's not to say, however, that she has gotten to use them all yet.

For example, on Thursday, we finally got around to using the popcorn-popper she incredulously unwrapped 12th.  I filmed this encounter, and it's pretty much the cutest, best reaction to a present EVER.  Stick it out til the end for a classic Jessism:

Happy Holidays, Hippoblogamii!

Sunday Snaps: Fair fare?

No more, no less.

Friday Fact: Peace

I like walking by cafés at night, when the lights are low and a lone sweeper makes their way round the abandoned tables, topped with chairs. 

Who, now?

Jess came to the Psychiatry Department Holiday Party with me last week.  "I feel like I'm in a New Yorker cartoon," she quipped.  Too true.  Psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and a bar. 

I introduced her to my colleagues as my girlfriend, as, very early in our relationship Jess had informed me that she loathed the term "partner."  ("But what will you call me when we're 80?" I asked. "You'll still be 'my girl.'"  Awww, shucks.)  Anyway, as long as she's not asking me not to post her sleep talking shenanigans, I listen to my lady.  Everyone was schmoozing at the Harvard Faculty Club, and Jess wanted to die a little as every single person responded to my introduction of her by saying: "Nice to meet you.  Are you in the mental health profession?"

She struck up a conversation with the leader of one of my seminars, who has recently had another book published.  She was very interested to know how Jess has been doing with her own publishing process, and my girl seemed to be doing okay, so I left the two of them at it and got another glass of wine. 

Today I went into my seminar, the holiday party feeling years away after having had a week full of clients with depression, schizoid personality, mania, bipolar II, trauma history, and drug addiction.  My seminar leader arrived and made a bee line for me, saying "I was so happy to meet your partner, Meredith." 

I am ashamed to say that I looked at her with a totally blank stare.  In my head, in a serious Southern drawl, I thought, "My pardner?!  Well, little lady, I don't got a pardner..."  Then I wracked my brain to try to think what she might possibly mean.  A partner in crime? A business partner? A partner... OH GOD.  My girlfriend.  Dammit.

I called Jess later to inform her that I apparently have no idea who she is.  :::sigh:::

Pillow Talk: 5

From my archives:

Jess: (twitches in her sleep) Did you feel that force?
Me: No. Did you?
Jess: Uh huh.
Me: Where did you feel it?
Jess: In my belly.
A few minutes later, another twitch.
Jess: I felt that.
Me: Felt what?
Jess: Body burst.
Me: What's a body burst?
Jess: Star burst.  Starbursts.
Later, I whispered goodnight in her ear.
Me: Night.  I love you, Jess.
Jess: That's nice.
Me: Sweet dreams. I love you.
Jess: Sweet dreams are made of these.
Me: You have got to be fucking with me, right?

Fashion Police

We have been trying to get my dad to watch Modern Family because he'll likely love it.  He did, incidentally, watch the pilot episode months and months ago, but true to form, has forgotten most of the details.  What he does remember is that Ed O'Neill is on the show and has a hot Colombian wife (are we really surprised that Sofia Vergara is a detail a man remembers?).

Bubba: Who's got the Latina?
Me: The guy from Married With Children -- the guy you like.
Bubba: I wouldn't say I like him.  He wore polyester pants.
Christy: Not to mention that he was a chauvenist pig... but yeah.  Let's talk about the pants.

Sunday Snaps: VIP.

Beware! Be bare!

Not-so-social network

Me: You know, about Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook.
Bubba: There was some tawdry reference on some talk show that he was impotent.
Nuddy: No, Dad, that was Edward the 8th.
Bubba: Well someone was impotent on TV.

Friday Fact: Buzz cut.

I highly enjoy shredding things.

What a snooze

Last week I had a dream that I was asleep.  I woke up and then I woke up.  It was quite confusing.  To boot, you'd think I'd be doubly-well-rested, but in fact it was quite the opposite.  Bummer.

UnderStiegment of the year

Christy: So what movies have you seen or not seen?
Bubba: The last one we saw was about that Swedish girl who gets in situations.

Sample, amended

Having realized that I cannot access 3 movies from this previous sample of 50 , they're being replaced by the next 3 from the random list generator thing:

15. Great New Wonderful, The
30. Dr. T & the Women
41. Martin & Orloff

And off we go.  Netflix, library card, ye shall be my friends.

Brethren, singular.

When my mother was pregnant with me, my brother infamously told her that he thought she should have a girl.  "We have enough boys," he opined.  Whenever I tell that story to someone who isn't acquainted with my family structure, they inevitably then ask, "Aww! Wow, how many boys did she already have?"

Juuuust the one.

But he's the best one!

Happy 31st to my amazing brother Christopher!

Sunday Snaps: Small... minded

In the 3rd floor hallway at the outpatient clinic:

Harry Potter and the Bubba

Over Thanksgiving Break, the FBs went to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One.  When we got home, all revved up, we decided to watch Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone to revisit the beginning of it all.  The following exchanges ensued, thereby making my vacation complete:

Bubba [upon viewing Alan Rickman as Snape]: Who invented this actor?!
Christy: Alan Rickman is the best sleaze.
Bubba: Is that all he does?
Me: No... In Sense and Sensibility he's the nicest...
Bubba: He's the what?! The racist?!
All: No!!!
Bubba: The census taker?!  What did you say?!

and later:

Bubba: I know this part!!  I know it well!! It's scary and dangerous!!
Christy: Shhh! Don't give it away.
Bubba: Ohhh, I don't remember a thing.

Friday Fact: In the dark.

There is a bathroom at work, the light switch for which is located outside the room.  I find that I am constantly just a little bit terrified that a mischievous patient will turn it off whilst I am inside.

Research Question

The thesis goes on:

Do the representations of the therapeutic process in this randomly selected group of 50 fictitious films produced between 1990 and 2010 accurately represent the professions they claim to depict, as measured by a cross-section of each professional Code of Ethics?  Are social workers portrayed any differently than the other mental health practitioners?

BAM.