Alissa is...

... blatently stealing her intro from Emma. Who stole it from Facebook.

Alissa is... also happy that her internet is working again! That's right people. I was WITHOUT INTERNET for THREE WHOLE DAYS!!!! And, surprisingly, I was alot more productive. Okay, maybe not that surprising. But my house? Not that much cleaner.

So I've got a little story for you, one that, at the end, involves Facebook.

A long, long time ago, way back when I was finishing up high school, I dated a boy named Justin. We stayed together for many years, like 5 or 6, till university graduation. And then, like most relationships in that phase of life, we called it quits. It was either that, or get married. And, ummm... thanks, but no.

Not that he wasn't a perfectly lovely guy. He was. And likely still is. We had a long, drawn out break-up that probably lasted over a year until it was really kaput IN 1997. It was my initiation, so I was quite fine about the whole thing. Well, except for that one period when I was waitressing in a bar and he started hanging out there, and flirting with other girls... that I wasn't so okay with. But anyhoo..

Back then, Justin had a BFF named Kevin. Kevin & I always got along quite well, he was also a very nice guy. Toward the end of our relationship, Kevin started dating Britney. Personally, I never thought they'd last - I mean, we all went on a ski trip one year, and she fell down WALKING up a hill. More like a slope. And not a ski slope. She scraped her knee. She went to the ski infirmary! One of those things first impression things you never really forget about a person. Anyhow, turns out they got married. And now have a kid.

How do I know this? Well, DUH... cuz of the power of FACEBOOK!

Awhile ago I had added Kevin to my 'friend' list. Cuz at one time he was my friend. And then, about a month or so after that he wrote me a very nice little email...

Kevin wrote:
Hey how are you?
Long time no speak, are those your kids?
What have you been up to?

Alissa wrote:
Hey Kevin!!
I'm doing well...
Married, two kids - Emma is 2 1/2, Michael just turned 1.
Currently a stay-at-home mom, but have a keen interest turning my photography hobby into a career (of sorts).

And you? What direction did your life take?
Is that your little one in the profile pic?
Do you still speak to Justin? And, if so, what ever became of him?

==============

And we had a very nice back & forth for a few days. One of the things I found out was that his little girl is just a couple weeks younger than Michael. And HE LIVES ACROSS THE STREET FROM ME!!!!

I mentioned that I wanted to see more pictures, and he said he'd have Britney add me to her friend list as she has lots on her Facebook site. Coolio. And in the last two - yes, TWO - emails I received from Kevin, he mentioned that we should get together for lunch/coffee soon...

And then I had several days of lovely back & forth chit chat with Brit Brit. And she, too, initiated that we should get together with our kids. Fantastic! I'm always looking for friends for my kids - especially Michael. Cuz he doesn't really have any. And if they're geographically convenient, all the better.

She even went so far as to send me an Evite to some mother's group thing she was hosting in her house that week... She ended up cancelling due to her daughter's sickness.

So I sent her this email:

Alissa wrote:
Sorry to hear Summer isn't feeling well... Always a scary thing if you have to take them to ER!
(Although due to Rosh Hashanah cooking preparations I wouldn't have been able to making it anyhow...)
Hope she feels better soon!

To which she responded:

Britney wrote:
Thanks. Have a happy new year!

============

I sensed it was a little cold... but it's email, and you never really know. But at this point I was on a mission. I wanted to get this chick that I never even liked to begin with to be my friend. Damnit. And hell, I knew even now, just by looking at her photos on Facebook that we'd have nothing in common. I mean, she hosted her one-year old's birthday party in the party room of her condo building and wore a full on dress with pearls. PEARLS, people. Need I remind you that Michael's first birthday party took place in a park where he got to eat his cake whilst sitting in the dirt? Okay, fine. Probably not my shining hour of parenthood, but still... I wore flip flops.

As I was saying, regardless of everything, we have kids that are the same age and SHE LIVES ACROSS THE STREET FROM ME. So I figured I really had nothing to lose... And so I wrote another email.

Alissa wrote:
Hey There,
Just wondering if you'd be interested in doing a park play date one of these days?

And this was the response:
Britney wrote:
It's been really nice hearing from you again after all this time but, it might be more appropriate to leave our relationships the way they are so that issues don't have a chance to get complicated down the road. I hope you can understand my position.

WHAT THE FUCK IS UP WITH THAT???!!! A week earlier she invited me into her home - and now... now she can't speak to me??!!!

Ugh. Some people's children.