With apologies to those needing a fix of "the harlot".
Stephanie asked me to write a "guest entry" for her blog today, with the excuse that she doesn't work on her birthday. My initial response was a most emphatic (and cowardly) NO! While I have no problem whatsoever posting random thoughts on my own blog, there are standards here. An established audience. People Who Care. She called me yesterday evening, asking, "Have you thought about the guest blog?" "Yeah, some," I replied, quite calmly I thought, "though I'm a bit nervous." "It'll be fine," she reassured me. "You have to be funny, though. REALLY funny. What time will it be posted?" When I'm done throwing up, was all I could think.
Funny. No, REALLY funny. Okay, go! Be funny! ... ... ... ... Okay, how's this: That Stephanie, she's a real purl!
Clearly, the only thing worse than not being funny is trying too hard to be funny.
Okay, so no more funny.
When Stephanie does a thing, she does it completely and wholeheartedly. blasting on ahead and leaving the rest of us somewhat dazed in her wake, still trying to figure out how things work. While I'm still trying to figure out how to find time to get things done, Stephanie simply gets them done, and in a way and to a degree that I couldn't have previously imagined.
I've knit her some socks (sadly, this is currently an odd number, as she received only one (1) completed Latvian sock for her birthday), and she's knit me these:
This isn't even complete. Some are at my boyfriend's place, and some have worn out or been, well, shrunk somehow (certainly not through improper care, I assure you). Does anyone, who shares neither genes nor a bed with the knitter, have this many hand-knit socks? Many of these even predate any reciprocation on my part, as does this:
The image isn't the best, but there's a lovely subtle random ripple throughout. It all started when I asked for a sweater that looked like sand dunes, and no, I didn't really know what I meant by that, but could it be kind of, well, random? I had no idea at the time what knitting was like, how "randomness" could be complicated. I just asked, and received.
We had a relatively brief yet intense period of obsession with origami. We both became fairly competent. Then we had the "who can fold the smallest crane" contest. You can guess who won that one. Then I received 999 paper cranes. We had heard a Japanese legend that giving someone 1000 cranes (senzaburu) you had folded meant that they would marry you, and Stephanie wanted to show me how close we were. I'd just like to say for the record that a box containing 999 paper cranes is an excellent, if slightly insane, demonstration tool.
I guess what I'm trying to get at here is that Stephanie is more. More of everything. More fun, more ethical, more talented, more committed, more empathic, more nice, and ye gods can the woman ever talk your ear off! It's all right, though; I now have a cordless phone with a headset so I can go on with my life. Just one more thing I have because Stephanie is in my life.
Just so y'all know? All good things in life come from Stephanie. She's the best friend anyone could ever ask for, and I'm supremely glad she's mine.
Happy birthday, Stephanie.
Posted by Ken Allen at June 14, 2004 10:32 AM