look ma, friends!

on saturday night i attended the birthday party of an old friend. when i say old, i refer to the length of our association, not his age. and truth be told, we haven't been in contact for many years--which made said party quite fun.

as it turns out, several high school friends (my fellow drama geeks) have migrated here over the years. i've been in touch sporadically with brandon and his wife michelle (high school sweethearts still happily married some 12ish years and two children later), and he was the one who invited me to the shindig. he suggested that we make my attendance a surprise, and i though that was a fabulous idea.

so i headed up to la only slightly trepidatious. of the 5 here, 3 i had seen about 7 years ago, but the other two, i haven't seen in 13 years. thoughts like 'will they think i've aged well?' and 'will we still have anything in common?' ran briefly through my mind, but more than anything, i was excited about past meeting present.

when i arrived, i was greeted by a friendly stranger who introduced himself. it was a costume party, so i'm not entirely sure i would recognize him on the street, but he did alleviate any concerns i may have had about being at a decent size party for the first time in a long time (chalk it up to the last year and a half of anti-social behavior). i explained who i was, and who i was looking for and he offered to introduce me to some people, i suggested that perhaps he help me find the people i came here to see first, and he did.

brandon and michelle were the first to be found, which was probably good since they were the only ones who knew i would be coming.

brandon, me, michelle

i don't know how but after that, word got around quickly and bronwyn and kevin appeared shortly thereafter. there were hugs and greetings all around as we began to get caught up. the birthday boy (andy) was still missing from the scene, so i asked around a bit and found him in the kitchen. i simply walked up to him (with the gang in tow) and said 'i think i know you.' he responded 'uh-huh', and i said 'from a very very long time ago.' it was then that he pieced it together, and you've never seen someone look more shocked. so fun!!

me and andy

the remainder of the evening was spent catching up, and it took only one lengthy conversation dissecting the buffy and angel series, before i realized that the answer to my 'will we still have anything in comon?' question, was a resounding yes.

i was also pleased by the friendliness of the other party-goers, and a bit amused by the notoriety that had come along with me 'i've known them since high school' line. throughout the evening i had some extremely enjoyable conversations. for better or worse, this area is filled with so many bright, creative people, and it just so happens that those are my very favorite type of people to spend time with.

ye olde gang: top row-andy middle row-bronwyn,
(picture party crasher) oliver, me, kevin bottom row-michelle, brandon

the evening also boasted a great soundtrack (make sure you check out the 'wicked games' cover on the new playlist), and an interesting and entertaining birthday ritual.

i had arrived at the party at about 9:30 (started at 8) because i wasn't sure how long brandon and michelle would be able to stay with their two children. i expected i would be leaving by 11:30, yet it wasn't until 2am rolled around, that it was finally time to call it a night.

needless to say, i had a GREAT time, and have made plans for next weekend with brandon and michelle. yay! something to put on my calendar!