Absinthe Party

Tuesday morning I found out I was being let go for financial reasons. As I never liked the job (ringing people up at a register and surfing the web all day isn't exactly the most exciting thing to be doing with one's career), the people (aside from some dear co-workers I will remain friends with, my bosses can go hang themselves for all I care), or the commute (an hour and ten minutes in the a.m. and an hour and a half at night isn't fun), I decided to treat getting laid off in a positive light.

I emailed all of my Chicago friends and asked them to come help me celebrate this new chapter in my life. Five of them were kind enough to come out on a work night and drink absinthe with me (or at least watch). Thank you so much, my dear friends: Andy, Nora, Tameem, Allison and Mark. You're the best. And thanks to everyone (MikeP, Joe, Lucy, Megan, Lana, Gina, Dana, Marisa, Jodi, Amy, SamR, Rebecca, Tom) who have expressed support.


Here are Allison, Nora, me and Mark G., about to imbibe the horror that is absinthe.


I met Tameem first semester our freshman year of college, and am pleased to report we're still in touch. Hadn't seen the boy in almost two years, but he's just the same as the day I met him in Geography of International Conflicts in 1999!


Nora refused to do her absinthe like a shot, silly girl. It's too nasty to drink it any other way.

And speaking of wonderful friends, on Monday my pal Mark B. came over to coddle me after being hit by the car. I was so stiff I coudln't move my neck, walked with a limp, and was generally out of spirits. Superduper Mark cooked me tomato soup, grilled cheese sandwiches (with three kinds of cheese!), gave me a massage, and generally was his entertaining self the entire evening.


Although I've known him two years, this was the first time we'd been photographed together. Doesn't he look like Dean Cain from "Lois & Clark"?


All I have to say is, I neither understand why I have such good friends nor deserve them. But you guys rock.