Album: Antics by Interpol and Flagpole Sitta by Harvey Danger

He's single... 

While in Spanish class I sat next to a friend and we were singing a song I didn't know all of the words to. This seems to be a common trend with me but anyway, I also had no idea who sang it.

Me: "Paranoia, paranoia everybody's coming to get me... just say you never met me... I wonder who sings this song"
Ricky: (says something inaudible)
Me: (oh the cute guy said something) What?
Ricky: Harvey Danger
Me: (Oh... he's gay) thanks.

And through this common exchange we became Best Friends (I feel like the word Forever is implied)

I was on about 2.5 hours of sleep... and yes I love my tshirt.

Most of our conversations immediately turn to trashing or swearing or incoherently discussing things. We've discussed a possible blog but I feel like I would be shunned from family and friends if we did it. Who we are together is who we have always been around one another and for some reason the dynamic has not changed very much since high school. Could we have an intelligent conversation? Sure, but why should we when we can be complete idiots with each other? I don't think I have this type of relationship with anyone else in the world. Mostly because it's incredibly vulgar and repulsive (that's what she said! <---- you see this?). We came to the conclusion that the reason why we are so far apart is because we would get in to a lot of trouble together if we still lived in the same city. Yes, I will be 30 in a few months.

I should note that there are many many jokes between us that nobody can touch, so here are some things about us that you can know but won't get to be a part of:

1. Things we care about: Renee's birthday on January 9th. Things we don't care about: Ricky's birthday, sometime after January 9th, which is why nobody cares and nobody knows when it is. It could be the 13th but again, nobody cares. Why are we still discussing this?

   

   Coca Cola spokesperson... maybe... sure beats that hoochie drink Big Red! Bam! Said it!

2. The reason why Ricky is not straight and I am a woman OR the reason why I am not a man when Ricky is gay- We would inevitably take over and then ruin the world. It would all come to an end, a horrible, disgusting end.
3. This one time we were waiting for the bus and one of us said something like: "Aw man I wish we had wings..." and the other replied "so we could fly to the bus". We are still in agreeance to this very day and probably still just as lazy.
4. My favorite game was when we would have conversations with one another while reading book titles at Barnes and Noble or while driving on the highway. We once had a small audience.
5. He is smarter than me. This is something that I can freely admit because he actually is. He's included me in his "smart friends" list but I know it's only because of my common sense approach to life and so that I won't feel bad. He reads and learns and is a jerk for it. Due to the above admission I feel like I should mention something about him, the one thing he couldn't do in high school. Do you know what he couldn't do? He couldn't get a higher grade on his Spanish class than me. Oh want to know something else? I copied all of his homework and he helped me through the class. Kind of a slap in the face isn't it? The person you help gets a higher grade than you- kind of burns huh? What if I told you that said person with the higher grade happened to see an opportunity and took full advantage of being in the front row on the day of the final and happened to notice that the last four answers to the final were written on the back of the teachers' paper as she read off of it. Truth be told, I wasn't the only person who noticed. One of our friends' noticed as well and we had higher grades than Ricky. Still burns, doesn't it... ha! Ya burnt!

   

   One of the many nights I was picked up and whisked off somewhere to eat or watch a movie

6. Ricky taught me how to dance in his apartment parking lot. I didn't know how to do anything. Now I can be a stripper if I wanted to (no I don't want to). The song he taught me to dance to is Michael by Franz Ferdinand. Yes, you read that correctly, I learned how to dance like a stripper by a man. 
7. I am still learning about the Birds and the Bees and he recently filled me in on a bunch of stuff I didn't know. TMI? Maybe, but it's the truth. He's so very scientific about the approach that it's difficult to not think I'm learning from a teacher or something. Surprisingly, there is very little vulgarity during the Q and A of these conversations.
8. 
9. Without rhyme or reason we assigned ourselves as "Bloods" and he taught me gang signs. I never could figure out the Crypt Killa sign!
10. He tried to teach me my right from my left and simply explained that my right was my trigger finger... I explained that in terms of gun usage I would most likely be ambidextrous and still have a hard time with my right/left... yes, I said I was almost 30. 
11. He is the only person I was allowed to go out with until all hours of the night. He was able to pick me up at 10 pm and bring me back super late... like 3am... it actually happened on a school night a few times. We watched movies, ate and hung out. Also, his dad would always give him money to "take me somewhere special"... because he thought I was his girlfriend or hoped I would turn him straight. 
12. I never tried to 'make him straight". I did consider kissing him once but didn't and it was a desperate idea that came about at a low point. Also, I will say, we were very close so I did have issues with him choosing to hang with his boyfriend when they got serious. Also, I hate most of his girlfriends for hitting on him. 
13. In high school I started to call him Ricky. Most people still call him Richard. I also call him Gumby... He calls me Pokey. 



Deer in the headlights look...

14. There was no Jesse.

True story... maybe.

He was probably 16 here

So aside from all of the messing around and fun we've had I'm going to tell you why I hold this guy to such a high regard, He was there when I dated all of my boyfriends in high school. He is the person I went to when I was literally slapped in the face by my ex and consoled me after I drove all the way to San Marcos from San Antonio. He slept on the floor as I slept on the couch in the common area at the university. He fed me Sonic numerous times, he taught me about music and graphically (and I mean in explicit detail) taught me about the birds and the bees. He was part of our group and the person I preferred to all of my friends. He helped me keep my dignity with the wrong guys, danced with me to Interpol when I thought I should hit a honey bear bong after being pot free for about 5 years and even when I was a jerk to him, and I was, as I did leave him after we had plans many times because a guy called, he never once judged me. Never. He accepted me for who I was. Even his mom accepted me (sorry about the DUI/Tickets after Ricky hung out with me while we were underage drinking and he was speeding... and thanks for picking me up on the side of the road that one time at some ungodly hour and trying to talk sense into me).

I was probably 17 here. Size 3!

Ricky sided with me always, trashed talked people he knew and liked if I was pissed off at them and even though we don't hang out much now, if ever I needed to hide a body, he'd be at my door with the shovel, a car and some bleach. Last year when the sea change was going down he talked me into making sane decisions and talked me out of irrational ideas that I had come up with. He explained that what I was going through was a long time coming, was normal and I just had to accept it. And when I decided not to listen to him, as I always do, he helped fixed me. He is the only person (besides Rick and maybe Erika) who knows me better than myself and he is the only person who knows the whole story. A few people know parts, but he knows everything because he get's the late night calls when I'm struggling. Mike may know a lot of it too but she was in Italy when I was falling apart last year so she got the aftermath. Also, both Erika's were there for it as well.

When I got to Texas last week I thought we would hit First Friday and see what was popping. He asked that Erika M. and I meet him at a place called the Friendly Spot... I didn't know if this was some gay hangout in a dark park but Erika knew what it was and we walked from her perfectly parked car over to him.
It ended up being a little restaurant area where there were kids playing on a jungle gym at 9:40pm at night*. He was there in the crowd wearing one of his trademark t-shirts (one of the only people I know who can pull of these types of shirts) but First Friday was lame and maybe it's because I'm slightly stuck up but I felt like it was really commercialized and the galleries I went to see were closed so that was even more annoying. We walked around for a bit and hung around the Blue Star area. I can't tell you anything we talked about because, well, you'd all be offended.

So here are some old pictures:

At Sonic

At Mama Margie's

At Sonic

Mars, our dog who was lost as soon as I moved away to Chicago. I still regret leaving him behind.

Here are some pictures from Blue Star:

Ricky and Erika M.

This blurry picture about sums up 30 some odd hours of no sleep on my road trip

Honestly, I missed hanging out with him. I wish we could have done more but these 3 hours (if that) were the only time we saw each other during my most recent trip to San Anto! We tried to go dancing a few times but it just didn't work out. He didn't come to eat pizza on my last night in town, nor did he come to the bbq at Jen's house but I wasn't really surprised. He's a busy boy with a lot on his plate and I think the friendship doesn't require that I see him the entire trip. I do think if I had gone there alone or sans Rick it may have been a bit different but seriously, I had a great time this night even if all we did was sit at a bench on S. Alamo and hang out.

He is single gentlemen. Maybe single and looking... not quite sure. He has a great job, a great personality and really loves music and movies. Also, he's very interested animals, biology and all things that boys like and yes I'm generalizing here but the guy still climbs trees so yeah, I don't care.

Led-
I haven't mentioned him in a while because I haven't written in a while. I think about him daily. For the rest of my life I will remember him when a Led Zeppelin song comes on. Same goes for U2. Can't seem to shake it even when I try. I have noticed that some songs by Red Hot Chili Peppers really sting. I can't believe he's gone. It feels so weird. I know that I will never run in to him again. I'm not sure if I mentioned this before but there was a time when everywhere I looked I saw him. Super strange but it still happens when I see someone that shares a characteristic of his. The song Since I've Been Loving You came on while we were driving to Chicago this one time and I remember holding hands and he kept trying to let go to shift gears but I didn't want to let go. He gently pulled away and brought his hand back to mine as soon as he shifted gears. I think of that moment every time I hear this song. The impact of music. Likewise, I call Ricky every time I hear Flagpole Sitta or Total Eclipse of the Heart and sing a very vulgar rendition while screaming into what is most likely his voice mail.

Note: Kids, if you are reading this, don't cheat in school. It's not a good thing to copy off of someone's homework nor is it right to cheat on a final exam. If you have to cheat then you deserve to get caught. You should have studied. Heed my words!!! Also, another life lesson, if you are ever guilty, ah I shouldn't be saying this, but deny, deny, deny. I still don't know if my ex cheated on me because I'm 100% sure he lived by this motto. It's harder to deny the truth as a Christian but it still comes to mind. Now I just try to always tell the truth which makes life easier.

Listening to: Flagpole Sitta by Harvey Danger, Grimes- Oblivion, Black Eyed Peas, Franz Ferdinand, At the Drive In, and Sneaker Pimps.
Also, somberly listening to the album Antics by Interpol.
And out of pitty for Nick L., Cookie Monster Rotten Body Landslide by Cannibal Corpse
Led Zeppelin- Since I've been Loving You