MS. J
I've known Ms. J for a short time but sure I will continue to know her for probably the rest of my life. This because within moments of meeting I felt like we've been friends FOREVER!
First moments, interesting. Trying to locate her as she emerges from BART. With no idea about SF and where street are or anything. So nothing I told her helped. Since she joined in on my first STRONG event we had never actually met before and didn't know what the other looks like!
I am waiting for her, on the phone-trying to give direction. Nope. Walking to her also wasn't working. Finally standing in the middle of the street waving my arms around for her to find me, it worked. Off we go chatting up a storm to pick up the rest of the girls to go wine tasting.
The wine tasting goes without a hitch. The event actually keeps going for hours past the normal time. It is amazing how one thing lead to another and the group melted together. I remember walking away from it thinking how wonderful it was to meet to new friends and reconnect with an old one.
If asked to describe Ms. J from my first meeting, I'd say great energy, an open genuine person who was just adorable almost cutsy.
So we hang and get food once or twice and mostly talk on the phone. She then gets a group together to do a city wide scavenger hunt race. It sounded interesting. I had to be prodded into it. I get there and she's late, something I should get used to. Wait aren't I the Latina? Hmm.
She shows up and is in FLIP FLOPS! Not realizing some how that this is a race and I don't like coming in last. We take off running, with myself yelling at the whole group to pick up the pace.
Ms. J " I just can't run not in flip-flops." She is right she can't. Leading me to say, "What want me to carry you?!" Naturally the answer was yes. I learn just right then and there what a baby Ms. J can be if you let her. Otherwise she's a strong independent woman.
I ended up carrying her for a bit. This was with the understanding that the boys could keep up with me. Do you think they did? No not really. Here I am with a whole other human being piggy back, and I am not talking a toddler.
We run in and out of places, finding ourselves swarmed in crowds. I keep having to turn back to find my group. Somehow I keep losing them. Ms. J looks at me and like I have magical disappearing powers. She says, " This is not a city scavenger hunt, its a 'Where's Natasha' hunt."
The race was actually fun, I made us stop to buy her real shoes. Ms. J has some adorable faces and quirky phrases. As we stopped in plenty of places. Got a food and drinks on the way we just keep . It was a great bonding experience to romp around the city. We were the only to girls and started to really just click even more. In the end we felt we could have done a better hunt.
Time flies and while we have been hanging out but all of sudden it is my birthday. Ms. J was horrified to hear about how I hide from my bday's. She bullied me yes this lil slip of a thing bullied me into throwing a bday party.
It was a great party and everyone has a blast. I am feeling blessed that I have such good friends with me and Ms. J is quickly becoming a close friend too. The night goes one we dance and drink. I admit I got drunk with the help of Taami Berry.
Ms. J with a watchful eye was with me pretty much the whole night; or at least as much as she could be. I have a tendency to disappear and luckily reappear. Leading Ms J to complain that it was once again "Where's Natasha and who did I think I was Waldo?"
With sleepover's under our belt to other girl dates from food to museums. Starting to develop our own language. We have fully bonded and continue to go out and make more plans.
With a good group of girls developing we go out to drink and dance. We'd get together often for drinks and food in the city mostly, but even go out to Berkeley and Walnut Creek. In WC it was Ms. J in a Ms.N sandwich.
Every time I hang out with Ms. J, it is a good time. She has a bunch of phrases that actually need to be added to our own language. Things like " A little Shh-shhy" were common and having something emphasized with jazz hands.
As time passes on more events, parties and things that are planned by STRONG and BAYPAC she joins and an admin. Ms. J has a lot of wonderful ideas, full of passion and energy. We are like two peas in a pod and are happy bouncing off each other.
One of her ideas was a Stoplight party, which I mixed with Ms. R's live band at DNA. At this point she was thinking of leaving the bay which I was against. So to give her time to decide and get on her feet I had invited her in my place. Which is a small and cramped space for one but in many regards we made it work and in other hell no. We come to find out that our personal tastes are extreme opposites. To the point that if I like it, she won't and visa versa.
Who would have known two people with very similar spirits and that bonded instantly would be disagree on everything. Like seriously we needed two fridges oh wait I have that! It was easy to help point out guys for the other, if we didn't like they probably did. In general I loved having Ms. J around, it was great to have someone to talk to and work the day out with.
I think she picked up a lot from me too and pushed her comfort limits. I know I helped teach her how to manage time better. We learned so much and in so little time. It was great fun to play big/little sis. To have someone to play dress up and make with and who'd do it back.
Ms. J was always up for my crazy events and so it was no surprise when roller disco came up that she wanted to go. Specially when she realized it was done by Black Rock the burner infamy and costumes encouraged. So we started playing dress up and when it got to one of my wigs well Ms. J fell in loved.With Mr. MA and Mr. G the four of us went to skate off in Black Rock History.
If you read my previous blog you will know just what fun the night was. She did really well for not having skated in ever. We continue to live our normal routines, which for anyone else is nothing but normal. We are going out, dancing and drinking or out to dinners. We pack more in a week that most people do in a month. She is really picking up on all my bad habits.
I find myself wishing I had a bigger place that this girl would just rock and be a good roomie. We call each other on our shit easily. We mis-communicate but work though it rather quickly, usually rewinding or yelling a bit to make it make sense. In general we hardly did have any issues, once we learned each others habits.Like that when she got home, hugs were mandatory. Not that I mind It's cute to have someone take your comp off your lap, crawl in to have huggle time.
So when we realized it was going to have to end. That SF was not taking off for her that a change was in order. We had to scramble for a last minuet farewell party for her. Thus we chose to go to the Grove and invited all her friends. This was just last week on the 8th, and a great time. People came and went as they needed. It was a wonderful party to say good by and Ms. J was hugged by all.
I am going to miss this girl so much and already do. Ms. J and I were always working on something, talking or planning an activity. I can't tell you how much I loved being able to just decompress and have someone outside of my head. Or how we could talk with looks and a general sound, maybe one word. She was always game, a great energy with funny expressions. Oh how she could loose track of time. Yet with a heart of gold and a easy going personality; Ms. J is already missed.
