Day 291. The Cool One (that I miss).

New Year's Eve everybody! Its here! Peripherally, I was aware that it was kinda cool to be 2010 and people have been tweeting about are we calling it "twenty ten" or "two thousand and ten". And, peripherally, I was aware that it was ten years since the big "Y2K scare". But it wasn't until I read my super cool friend Amber's post (p.s. follow her blog, she rocks) that i really started to think about those two things. TEN YEARS since Y2K. TEN YEARS! My how my life has changed. Y2K was special for me, I was in the very sweet spot of my twenties, still so clueless about so much, livin' the dream of the young person's life during the height of the dot-com era in DC. I had just discovered what would become my favorite city, San Francisco, and I was out there literally every other weekend (travelling for work every week did have its perks).

San Francisco meant - and still means - a lot to me. I learned a lot about developing into who I wanted to be when I was out there, mainly because of friends I met there. This one particular friend, K, was the one who lived there. The rest of us were just out there all the time. She had moved out there "just because she wanted to" (SOOOO cool). She lived in a cool place on Union Street. She knew cool places to eat, and she knew cool places to shop and she was just....Cool. And she was a true friend. We got to a place where, even when I was back on the East coast, we would chat (this was before texting and email, people, we had to use *gasp* PHONES!). We'd make plans to see each other and look forward to our time together.

We spent New Years Even 1998 together (in San Fran) somewhat randomly and then made "real" plans to spend New Years 1999 together, again, in San Fran. Her (future) mother-in-law (also cool) hosted a party and we all dressed up and had the kind of refined decadent new years celebration that you can only have when you're around people you love and you're, maybe just a little bit curious if all the pundits are right and the world is going to end because our computers won't be able to handle the data "00", and you figure that, well, at least you're on the West Coast so, if it all goes to hell you will have at least 3 more hours to party than the rest of the US and a bit of a heads up when New York comes crashing down.

TEN YEARS. That night was so fun - it was so important to me for reasons that are much more personal than anything I've described above.

There's just one problem, I met K because she was the girlfriend (now wife) of the best friend (since childhood) of the guy I was dating. And then that guy and I broke up...messy style. And, as social politics are likely to do (particularly in our 20's) K and I no longer talk. I saw her a few times after, and, she is too high a quality person to "not like someone because someone else doesn't" but she is also highly loyal, and, so while there's no negative energy, it was certainly awkward. So, I no longer get to have K in my life - these things happen. I know she's still out there and I have no doubt she's building a tremendous life. But I miss her, and remembering New Years, 1999, for some reason, today, has reminded me of her - strongly.

Happy New Years to you all - may you enjoy the moments you have because no matter the paths that follow, each moment, and each person, are the intangibles that really make a life. I am thankful that for however short, I had K in my life and I know that those with whom she shares herself are quite lucky.