Cry Me a River

After re-reading my Country Music post for the 128th time, it struck me that my occasional reference to the fact that country songs make me cry and that I'm prone to crying when I hear certain country songs and that quite often I cry when I listen to country music, may have given people the impression that I cry a lot. I feel as though I should probably clear up any possible misconceptions regarding the strength of my character.

I'm here to set the record straight.

I, squirrel_e_girl, am a crybaby.

A big one.

Huge.

Always have been. Always will be.

Not a damn thing I can do about it.

I've learned to live with my propensity for tears. Embraced it even. It's part of my charm.

I cry when I'm really really sad. I cry when I'm really really happy. I cry when I'm really really tired. I cry when I'm really really mad ... which sucks because I could be mid-heated debate, in the act of stating an awesome point and making solid headway with my case and... WHAM-O ... the waterworks fire up and any credibility ...or pride...I have, is washed away in a flood of saline. Crap.

And, as luck would have it, I'm not a very attractive crier. My face goes all super crazy splotchy-like....apparently, starting with my nose. I was blissfully unaware of that last bit o' info until just recently when my daughter kindly pointed it out... She's a splotchy-face crier, too. (You're welcome, my darling. A gift from me...to you :P) As a bonus though, my eyes do go a rather lovely and rather cool shade of green when I cry. Alas, you have to get past all the splotchy cheeks/red nose bullshit in order to appreciate their lovely cool green-ness. Oh well.

Here is ....

...apart from all the typical Mandatory Crying Events (MCE)...
Weddings/Funerals/Line-ups at Canada's Wonderland on a blistering July afternoon....

"A Comprehensive List of Things That Make Me Cry"
by: squirrel_e_girl

• Country Music ...see last blog post for blah blah wah wah details
•  The First Day of School...a little tradition I started back in 1975. At least now I'm not the one on the school bus and I can usually hold it together until my kids' bus pulls away so as not to mortally embarrass everyone involved.(and, by the way, this includes my first day of university. No school bus involved (thank god) but I was astonishingly hung-over and had zero sleep the night before (thank Beer Fest) so it was a hell of a way to start the year. Nice work, 19 year-old Me)
• A Baby Story on TLC ... Every. Single. Episode. I. Watch. Doesn't matter if I watch the whole show or just happen to tune in in time to catch a glimpse of the freshly squeezed out teeny tiny slimy newborn, it gets me. Did I cry following the births of my own two teeny tiny slimy newborns? Oddly...nope. But show me some strangers on T.V. experiencing the joy of new life and I'll cry like...well, like a baby.
• Remembrance Day Assemblies ...something about little kids paying solemn tribute just wrecks me. Amazing.

Which reminds me...

• The Bell commercial where a young guy calls his grampa from the beach at Dieppe to thank him ...oy yoy yoy ... Watch it yourself... I dare you
• Singing "O, Canada" ...The True North strong and sappy (...don't even talk to me about singing "O Canada" at a Remembrance Day assembly...)
• This commercial for Toronto Sick Kids ....boy oh boy
• Any commercial for any charity for underprivileged children or abused animals....Yikes.I avoid them at all cost. One peek at Sally Struthers and I am outta there.
• "Love You Forever" by Robert Munsch ...Not a chance I can get through that f@#ker in one piece.
• "You're All My Favorites" by Sam Mc Bratney ...Not that one either.
• "Marley & Me" by John Grogan ...holy shit.
• "Still Alice" by Lisa Genova ....quite a way to spend New Years Day.
• "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" by Ann Brashares...shut up...I must've been at my hormonally-challenged best/worst when I read it.
• Pretty much any animated movie made by any company whose name begins with 'Dis' and ends with 'ney', or starts with 'Pix' and ends with 'ar'
• "A Walk to Remember" ... there are no words ...and no excuse, really... Well, except for the fact that it happened to be in heavy rotation on the Movie Channel during a period of intense insomnia in my life  and...I am a wienie.
• "Finding Neverland" ....For whatever reason the ending of that movie rendered me unable to speak until we were out of the theatre and within the safe confines of our Jetta and then I bawled like an idiot. I thought it might've been a "one off" but it had the same effect when I watched it on DVD ...minus the Jetta
• stupid "American Idol" and "So You Think You Can Dance"... Don't judge me...not something I'm proud of.
• Moments of Acute Pride...These are the most powerful and most crippling incidents and are reserved specifically and especially for my babies. Piano Recitals/Graduations/Wrestling Matches/Soccer Games/Acts of Genuine Kindness etc etc never fail to bring a smile to my heart and a tear (or 2000) to my eye.

So...um... yeah... in case you were wondering...

That's what makes girl like me cry.

Important Edit #1: I cannot believe that I forgot these ones (Thanks M.S.),,,

• Christmas Morning...Splotchy Face + Bed Head = Excellent Photo Op
• Singing Happy Birthday to my Kids ... Splotchy Face + Holding a Cake = Excellent Candle-Lit Photo Op

The Truck Broke Down and The Dog Done Died

WARNING- This post contains content that may offend some readers**    Reader discretion IS advised.
**Groups who will, quite possibly, be offended are (in no particular order): Americans, Southern Baptists, People with Overly Sensitive &/or Limited Musical Sensibilities, People Expecting This Post to be a Work of Literary Genius &/or Literary Adequacy.

"Why I Think Country Music is Awesome"
by: squirrel_e_girl

I think country music is awesome because... country music is awesome. It really really is.

Because our dad was/still is a fan of old school country, that's what my brother, sister and I grew up listening to. George and Tammy, Willie and Waylon, Conway and Loretta, Charley Pride, Tom T Hall, Kenny Rogers and Tanya Tucker all worked together to provide the soundtrack for our many many family road trips or any party my parents threw. Country was pretty much everywhere in our little world. My dad was/is country right down to the tips of his shiny "pointy-toed boots". My cousins' dog and cat were named Willie and Waylon and I don't know how many times my sister and I belted out "Delta Dawn" or "Lucille" at the top of our lungs. If you feel so inclined, just click on those names highlighted in blue for an auditory trip down my memory lane.

As big a role that country music played in my early life, as soon as I  was allowed to sit in the front seat... and could reach the knobs on the radio ...and could fend off the hand slaps dealt by whichever parent was driving.... I discovered and experimented with non-country stations. My musical preferences veered wildly away from country and landed in the midst of all the juicy goodness that was the music scene of the early '80s.

G'bye, Kenny and Tanya. Helloooooo, Duran Duran and Tears for Fears! Seeya later, George Jones. Pleased to meet you, Howard Jones. Don't let the door hit you in the ass on your way out, Willie Nelson. Take your coat off and stay awhile, Frankie Goes to Hollywood. Relax? Don't mind if I do.

Country music ceased to exist for me other than the occasional cross-over tune that made it onto the playlist at Tantrums or Backstreet Chevy's (for those of you who didn't turn 19 in Orillia in the late 80s...those are names of the sticky-floored bars of that era). Songs like "Fishing in the Dark". or Friends in Low Places. Also, I am a HUGE Blue Rodeo fan and have been since high school and I guess they're a little bit country (...and a little bit rock n' roll) so that probably counts, too.

Then I became a Mum and here and there, a country-ish song managed to sneak its way through the stranglehold that Sharon, Lois and Bram, Raffi and Disney had on the cd player in my van. Actually, three in particular, Butterfly Kisses. I Hope You Dance. I Will Take Care of You. Each of those three songs is about what it means to be a parent and each has the capacity to kick me in the ass/bring me to my knees/reduce me to a quivering blob of sobbing Mummy-ness. I finally realised why Country Music is also known as "Hurtin' Music"...It hurts to have your heart torn out of your chest, thrown to the ground and stomped on by pointy-toed boots. Ouchie.

OK...so that is a brief history of my previous involvement with Country Music.

Fast forward to two and one half years ago...or maybe rewind...not exactly sure which one works best here...oh well...Regardless of your means of time-travel, in 2008 I had just been ditched and my 'pampered' life as a Stay-at-Home Mum/Woman of Leisure came screeching to a halt. I needed to get me a J-O-B and I needed to get me one pronto.

Oddly enough, graduating with an Honours English degree waaaaaaaay back in '93, did not/does not entice very many potential employers to beat a path to my front door. (see how I subtly slipped the fact that I have an Honours B.A. and not just a plain old B.A. right in there. That extra year is the only real academic distinction I've got and as they say... If you've got it, flaunt it, right? ;) )

I did, however, muster up the balls (raging Social Anxiety Disorder, remember?) to march out of my new home right across the road  to the boarding kennel that just happens to be there and ask for a J-O-B ...And I got one!!! YAY ME!!! I get to hang out with dogs for a living ... How cool is THAT??!!

So, to bring us back to the subject at hand....

I quickly found out that the radio station of choice at the kennel just happened to be of the New Country variety....Apparently, dogs prefer country music. Go figure.

After an initial period of breaking-in/getting accustomed to listening  to country music at work, I gradually got to a point where  I was able to make it through most mornings without having to stick my fingers in my ears-"lalalalalalatheunionofthesnakeisontheclimblalala"

Once I started to actually listen to the music, like really really listen to it, I was able to hear what it's all about... Country Music is about life. It's about death. It's about love. It's about loss. It's about family. It's about respect. It's about tractors.(And this "Big Green Tractor" too)

Country Music is story-telling at its absolute finest...and I think that's what I love most about it. I love reading stories. I love writing stories...and it seems I love listening to stories... that just happen to be told with a pronounced twang and the whine of a steel guitar as back-up.

And you wanna know the refreshing thing about these steel guitar accompanied stories? There's nothing offensive about the lyrics. It's stuff you can listen to with your mum or your kids or, in my case, with other people's dogs and not have to worry about pulling out the ol' 'earmuffs' for every other song.

Well...actually ...I guess I just lied a little. There are certain aspects of country music lyrics that I do find a wee bit offensive...and here's where I might lose some of you (but you can't I say I didn't warn you)...There is a whoooooole lotta talkin' 'bout guns n' flags (a certain red, white and blue flag seems to receive particular attention) and a whoooooole lot more talkin' 'bout prayin' and goin' to church and readin' the Good Book... and stuff like that. But hey....I am but one lil ol' liberal-minded non-God-fearin' Canadian girl...who am I to judge?? And, I guess one could also say that Country songs are offensive in a way that they do offend some folks' musical taste. But those overly-sensitive snobby and judgemental countrymusicophobes sure don't know what they're a'missin'.

Also, I have to admit that Country artists do a pretty crap job of covering pop songs. I question the decision making process that leads them to cry "YES...that is the pop song I choose to countrify!!!". Some examples of questionable choices of cover songs are... "Life in a Northern Town" , "That's All", "Better Be Home Soon" and perhaps my least favourite "If I Were a Boy" ...oh Reba. Really?? Really Really???

So "Crap at Covering Pop Songs" goes directly in the Country Music "Con" column.

But back to the good stuff....As an added bonus there is a wonderfully inordinate number of mighty fine-looking country singers. Ain't nothin wrong with that.


Here are a few sweet thangs to look at:

It is my opinion that these well-crafted stories recounted by beautiful people in large hats have it all...They're happy. They're sad. They're funny as hell. They're sad. They're unbelievably poignant. They're sad. They can make you laugh...They can make you cry...They become a part of you. And... they can make you cry. An emotional rollercoaster all decked out in denim and plaid, wearin' a cowboy hat and sportin' them shiny pointy-toed boots.

I am totally serious about the emotional rollercoaster stuff. Just the other day, I had tears streaming down my face as I listened to a song about child abuse and then the very next song
had me chuckling out loud (COL) because the dude was singing about picking up a girl at a bar, taking her out into fields of wild flowers and the forest where he wants to kiss her in the sticks and then go home and check her for ticks. Awesome. Give it a little listen..."Ticks"


Basically, from here on in is pretty much a playlist of a bunch of my favourite country songs. Listen to 'em if you want. Pick and choose. Do what feels good for you. If you're not going to listen to any of them then I encourage you to, at the very least, click on the last link I have highlighted at the very end of the post.


Well Alright then .... Crank it UP!!!

One of my absolute favourites tells us that "rain makes corn.....corn makes whiskey...whiskey makes my baby feel a little frisky". Hilarious. I also like this one...it's called "Pretty Good at Drinkin' Beer". Or how 'bout this one..."Pray for You" Trust me...it's very funny. And then there's "Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off" .... Don't I know it!!! This is a good one too "Online" (all sorts of fun cameos in the video). And as much of an obnoxious loud-mouth jackass that Toby Keith is...he sure writes some funny stuff  "As Good as I Once Was" and "I Wanna Talk About Me". And, I was just reminded of this one "Redneck Woman" (Thanks, Mel S)

And these cowboy guys really know how to treat their women. These songs are so loving and sweet and respectful...and sexy??!! Who knew?? Rarrrr!!! "Who Are You When I'm Not Looking?" (The chorus in that one is ridiculous but I love the thought.) "Farmer's Daughter" "Gimme That Girl" "Why Don't We Just Dance?" "Gettin' You Home""Dance With Me""I Wouldn't Be a Man" Did I already say Rarrrrr!!! Well, I'm sayin' it again RARRRRR!!!


There are loads of songs about family. Here are some of  'em: "Haven't Even Heard You Cry" " Just Fishin'" "A Father's Love -The Only Way He Knew How" "He Didn't Have To Be" "Voices" "If Heaven Wasn't So Far Away""The House That Built Me" "My Daughter's Father""In My Daughter's Eyes" "Anything Like Me"

Honest and realistic songs about relationships "You Tell Me" "I Run To You""Would You Go With Me"

So really, the whole reason I wanted to write about Country Music is that I wanted to create a forum in which to share some really great songs that most of my friends would never in a million gazillion years listen to. And, I personally think that "we all got a hillbilly bone down deep inside". I'm just spreadin' gospel of the awesomeness that is Country Music.

YEEEEEEEEEEEHAW!!!!

To wrap things up... I'll leave you with my top 3 songs  that are guaranteed ...and I mean 100% guaranteed to make me cry.(Not counting Butterfly Kisses. I Hope You Dance. I Will Take Care of You 'cause those ones are in a "Make Me Cry" league all of their very own). After all, it ain't called hurtin' music fer nothin'.

"Don't Take the Girl" ,"I'll Walk", "Alyssa Lies"


Sweet Lord Baby Jesus, pass me a hankie!!

A Really Important Announcement

~In a previous post, I apologized for overusing the word "really" and promised to avoid its overuse in the future.

I hereby retract that apology AND promise.

"Really" is a great word and I intend to rely heavily on it as a handy dandy indicator of emphasis.

Besides, years ago, I took a Vocabulary Enhancement Course and it was really really really really really good ...and it would be a shame to let all I learned go to waste.~

So this guy walks into a bar...

...And orders up a small harp seal.

Thank you. Thank you very much.

Edit #1 - Please note that the comments down below actually make this post worth the read.

That's What SHE said!! BAM!!...hey, wait a second...actually...That's What I Said. Damn.

 Alternately Titled:  High Road? Low Road? ... Low Road? High Road?

Alternately Titled:  Duelling Squirrels

The other day I'm minding my own bloggy business, checking in on my Stats and something out of the ordinary catches my eye..

FYI- The Stats function on Blogger tracks several things, including the number of page views your blog gets as well as  the various 'traffic sources' of these views - where they come from, be it the virtual world - referring sites/URLs/key search words... or  the real live world -whichever country the page-view-er is viewing the page from. It is super cool and super crazy addictive (and for me, kinda super crazy daunting/scary...but that's just me) to see these numbers and locations ... I have had my pages viewed internationally by page-view-ers in the US, Germany, Singapore, Turkey, Russia, Australia, India, Italy, Netherlands and, of course, the vast majority of views are generated in Canada. I know, right...how awesome is that??

So, to get back to my story...

...something out of the ordinary catches my eye. One of the Referring Sites listed, apart from the usual Facebook and friends' blogs, is a site called  She Writes. Since I am a She and I Write, I decide to check it out... also... I'm awfully curious as to how a link to my blog got onto a site I've never ever heard of. I navigate around a bit but since I don't find anything, I decide to file it away as a curiosity and carry on about my aforementioned bloggy business.

The next day, I check in on my blog to see if there are any new comments on any of my posts (another rather addictive feature) and I read this:

Nice to meet you through SheWrites! This blog is already making me laugh out loud, and I look forward to exploring it further... :)

By LisaAnn on Guess Who's Smarter Than an Octopus??? on 5/1/11

So, I says to myself, "Self, this LisaAnn person has some fabulous taste in blogs and obviously has an extremely clever sense of humour" (She also has a very cool blog, and perhaps the neatest job on this beautiful planet. When you have a minute you should check it out).

Then, whilst still basking in the glow of being complimented on my writing, I also says to myself, "Self, again with the She Writes. Hmmmmm ... I must investigate further."

And so, I do.

And, gleefully, I discover a referring URL that links directly to my blog. LisaAnn, had obviously stumbled upon this:

"She Who Must Not Be Named"*(named changed in order to take the High Road)  replied to the discussion 'Our Blogs' in the group Blogging about Books and Writing!
My blog today is about my laid back approach to child rearing :) Tiger mom or Chimp mentor http://musingsfromthesquirrelcage.blogspot.com
April 28

My conversation with myself continues...."Hmmm...Why does You-Know-Who *(named changed in order to stay on the High Road) have a link to my blog in a description of what her blog of the day is about?"

I have no readily apparent answer to that question and I conclude that this woman must've accidentally added my link instead of her link. A slip of the cut and paste, perhaps? So, in a slight haze of befuddledness, I let it go as a sort of strange one off and carry on.

Then ...

The next day, in my Referring Sites, there appears a link to an actual person's profile, so quicker than you can say "WTF??" I click on the link which brings me to this:

"Hi there, tell us about yourself! We want to learn all about you (and also make sure you're a real human). If you have a website, blog, or twitter handle, please enter those here too. [*Please note that you must fill out this section to be a SheWrites.com member.*]

 My name is Lord Voldemort* (name changed in order to take a quick jaunt on the Low Road). Im a cheeful mom of 3 and wife of 1. I just started blogging, the title of my blog is Musings from the Squirrel Cage. I like to find humor in the everyday.

OK. So, now I says to myself, "WHAT THE F@#K, Self??!!! This f@#king Lord Voldemort*(still on the Low Road) seems to be claiming my blog as her own and I'm not entirely sure if I'm cool with that."

Swiftly and rather surprisingly, my outraged shock and excessive use of the profane simmer down into a gentle state of bemusement. Obviously, You-Know-Who likes my stuff enough to cite it as hers and don't They always say that stealing someone's intellectual property is the highest form of flattery? ... or something like that. And maybe, just maybe, one day, this story can be turned into a screenplay for a movie that will be critically acclaimed and win a bunch of fancy awards following the trail blazed by "The Social Network". Excellent!!!  I resolve to contact the moderator of She Writes and ask for her opinion on how to best deal with this situation.

So, I fire off a quick and diplomatically worded email and sit back to eagerly await the news(and when I say "So, I fire off a quick and diplomatically worded email", I mean "It takes me a good chunk of the morning to toil labouriously over a painstakingly and diplomatically worded email"). That afternoon I receive this reply:

Hi Harry*(name changed to keep with the Harry Potter theme I'm working on), 
I'm the Social Community Manager at She Writes, and am going to help address the situation with your "Musings from the Squirrel Cage" blog.  I'm sorry to hear about this -- how strange!  I will have a look at what's happening on She Writes and will be in touch letting you know the outcomes of any action I take.  Any content that you've clearly authored of course belongs to you, and we take creative copyright and plagiarism seriously on She Writes.
I'll be in touch!

How strange, indeed.


I congratulate myself on handling things like a rational grown-up and, once more, sit back to eagerly await the news.

Two days later, I receive this reply:

Hi Harry* (I'm still a brilliant young wizard),
Looks like we were able to clear that up -- Lord Voldemort*(still zippin' down the ol' Low Road) had a similarly titled blog which she has now changed and corrected the URL for.  Please feel free to let me know if you have any further troubles or questions...and we hope you'll join She Writes!
All best,

Ahhh, the old "Similarly Titled Blog" trick. Of course. How could I not have picked up on that? Silly, silly me.

Faster than you can say "Strangely Disappointing Explanation", I rush to check out Lord Voldemort's profile.  Once there, I discover that the link to my blog had, in fact, been removed and the blurb in her profile had been changed to say this: 

Hi there, tell us about yourself! We want to learn all about you (and also make sure you're a real human). If you have a website, blog, or twitter handle, please enter those here too. [*Please note that you must fill out this section to be a SheWrites.com member.
 My name is Lord Voldemort*(same old same old). Im a cheeful mom of 3 and wife of 1. I just started blogging, the title of my blog is Thoughts from the Squirrel Tree. I like to find humor in the everyday.

Huh. So that reply from She Writes was right after all...Her blog is totally similarly titled and I can totally see how Lord V could've mixed up our URLs.

Oh well, I figure I can live with that and chalk it up to a super funny, super interesting adventure and... more importantly...provides me some absolutely beautiful blog-writing fodder... and... she wasn't really claiming my stuff as hers... really... She only just "unwittingly" swiped my charmingly witty Blog Title. No harm. No foul. I am ok with the outcome.

We actually have a little bit of fun with it and come up with some other Similar/Interchangeable Titles ... "Observations From The Squirrel Bush" or "Reflections From The Squirrel Shrubbery" or "Contemplations From The Squirrel Sapling" or "Meditations From The Squirrel Topiary".

Hee Hee Hee ...Sticking firmly to the High Road, I am able to laugh/shrug it off....

UNTIL....

The next day, a member of my covert investigation team uncovered/Google'd "Thoughts From The Squirrel Tree" in order take a peek at The Dark Lord's work and guess what popped up!!!

"Musings From The Squirrel's Nest"

Huh.

Well, that kinda sucks.

... even though it is Google-listed after MY awesomely titled blog "Musings From The Squirrel Cage" (Score 1 for the Good Guys!!), that cheeky little Lord Voldemort has managed to come up with an even more "Similarly Titled Blog" than "Thoughts From The Squirrel Tree".

Harumph!!!

Anyhoo.

And so ends the harrowing and gripping tale of how a small piece of my Intellectual Property was swiped  right out from under my unsuspecting little squirrelly nose.

The beloved squirrelly squirrels of my mind/squirrel cage are arm-wrestling back and forth on how to deftly manage all the conflicting emotions I'm experiencing.

High Road?? Low Road??

Bemused?? Grumpy??

Although, I'm happy to say that the simple act of writing my story down, coupled with the intention of sending it out into The Universe, has had a nice calming and cathartic effect. The squirrels seem to be at peace.

Bemused it is!!

....for now ;)




Edit #1: Just did a little Google Fact Checking, and it would seem that She Who Must Not Be Named has had a nice change of heart and has reverted back to the initial less similar title of "Thoughts From The Squirrel Tree" ... There yesterday. Gone today. That woman must have the decision-making abilities of a ... of a ... of a SQUIRREL!!! Oh yeah.


Hilarious Edit #2: Last night I was logging into my Blogger account and three times in a row my password wasn't accepted...interesting. I then realized what the problem was ...The password was right but I had typed in "Musings from the Squirrel Tree" as my login name.
 BAHAHAHAHAHAHA ...  I seem to be having some sort of identity crisis :D

Fr'i' your 'Friend' and that's the 'e'nd of them

I am a lucky kid.

I have a bunch of kick ass, wicked cool friends...and when I say 'friends', I mean 'friend' friends not 'Facebook' friends... but when I say 'friend' friends, I mean 'just friends' friends not like 'friend friend' friends.

To simplify: These are people that I really really like... but I don't necessarily really really like like them ...I just really really like them. A lot.

~An aside- Have you ever noticed that there are certain words that if you write/type a few too many times they stop looking like real words and start to look like more of a peculiarly random grouping of letters? I have.~

As much as I enjoy Facebook (mostly), I feel that its very existence has diminished the sanctity of the word 'friend'. However, even as I put that thought into words, I might have to contradict myself(weird)... Maybe, instead of taking away from the word 'friend', it actually adds a new dimension to the concept of Friendship...a whole new sub-category, I guess. Sorta like "Oh yeah, I know Flappy McHappypants. He's a 'Facebook' friend."

FYI-This post has just taken on a life of its own and I refuse to be held accountable for how much it might suck. The post I had originally planned on writing ...until half-way through that last paragraph ...was spectacular. We'll have to wait and see how this permutation shapes up...but I'm not promising anything...it's on its own from here on in...

I have all sorts of different friends who belong to all sorts of different categories.

Most friends would start off by fitting in some categories that are pretty typical and defined by life stage: ...'Childhood' Friends, 'Public School' Friends, 'High School' Friends, 'University' Friends, 'Teachers College' Friends(Don't blink!! Ah man, you missed 'em), 'Adult Life:Phase I' Friends, 'Adult Life:Phase II' Friends, 'Adult Life:Phase I/Phase II Combo' Friends (Yay...so nice that you guys stuck around), etc. etc...

Or, I can divvy everyone up into geographic groupings: 'Orillia' Friends, 'Whistler' Friends, 'Fenelon Falls' Friends, 'Toronto' Friends, 'World Wide Web' Friends, etc.etc...

Then there are the ever-evolving situational slots: 'Neighbour' Friends, 'Work' Friends, 'Our Kids are at the same Preschool' Friends, 'Our Kids Take Piano Lessons &/or Play Soccer &/or Wrestle &/or Go to Elementary School &/or Go to High School &/or Drink Watermelon Smirnoffs Swiped from My Cupboard Together' Friends, etc.etc.

Now, I'm getting closer to the heart of things (btw ...neither here nor there but I just had an super brief but super awesome Geddy Lee musical interlude in my brain)...The grouping of Friends that you really have no role in choosing: 'Family' Friends. They are people you are blessed/saddled with through either genetic or marital bonds...Lifelong emotional relationships/friendships that are solidified by the gift of unconditional love. No matter how often their quirks or actions may drive you bananas or how many dinner table discussions regarding current events/life philosophy/religion/child-rearing technique(ohhhh that's always a good one)end in tears or raised voices, these friendships remain intact ...

...'cause they have to.

The Universe kinda makes us be friends.

I'm referring, of course, to our sisters, brothers, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins...OR ... That sometimes tricky and convoluted/sometimes wonderful world of In-Laws . You have to deal with all the same quirks/actions/bullshit as you do with your own family but withOUT that Universe-decreed unconditional love.

Oh Beautiful Universe, why do you mess with us so??

So, in short, 'Family' Friends are like squirrels ...you can't live with the bastards. You can't live without 'em.

*Disclaimer: I have a fantastic family... nuclear and extended ... current and erstwhile. I adore you ALL ... well, most of you all, anyway :)

O.K...Here we are!!!

Hello, Actual Whole Point of this Post!!

I made it!!

The pinnacle...The cream of the crop...The brass ring of friendships ...

The 'Best' Friend.

AND... (and this is what I've wanted to talk about from the very beginning) ... I am exquisitely fortunate to be able to lay claim to not one or two ...but, indeed, several 'Best' Friends.

Awesome.

Not bad for a hermit with raging Social Anxiety Disorder .

Now, I have to admit that several of these several 'Best' Friends may not rank me as one of their BFs...and I'm OK with that. (Need be, I can always create a new sub-category 'Unreciprocal Best' Friend. I'm flexible)

You see, in my advancing years, I have come to accept the fact that there exist only a few people on this planet who I can be my complete self with. Historically, I've not been a real superstar at forging ... and/or... maintaining new friendships. Actually, I really really suck at it, so when I meet someone who I can be at ease with it's cause for celebration.

WAHOOooOooOoooOoo !!!

I believe I probably cherish these rare 'connections' more than the average bear.

I absolutely adore the idea of 'kindred spirits'...(Thank You, Anne Shirley) and I think maybe in my case that's perhaps a more appropriate handle than 'Best' Friends. It's so magical and cool to meet someone for the first time and almost immediately enjoy that "Hey...I know you!! You're kinda just like me!" feeling.

It's all about being able to share...To share a twisted goofy sense of humour, likes/dislikes, life philosophies, a love of books/movies/music/food/nature/dogs. To share a name. To share dreams ...in both a figurative sense and a literal sense. To share your deepest/darkests without hesitation...or fear of judgement. To share DNA.

I was 16 when I first became consciously aware of the remarkable existence of  Kindred Spirits. I had been blessed with 3 beautiful childhood friendships but this was the first time I experienced that aforementioned "Hey...I know you!!" lightning bolt. She is still, to this day, my most Fravourite Friend.

I'm exceptionally pleased and, truth be told, happily surprised, that I've made the vast majority of these wonderful connections just in the past few years. I had a bit of a dry spell through the ages of 16 to, let's say, ohhhh ... 35 or so, acquiring only one more, so my  KS count held steady at a whopping 2. But then a funny thing started happening...these really cool, really neat people who seemed to really "get" me started cropping up, sometimes out of the most interesting of scenarios(and when I say 'interesting', I really really mean 'interesting". Really really. You'll just have to take my word on this) and my KS count jumped from 2 to the "several" that it is today. YAY ME!!

(I know I've used the word 'really' a whole bunch of times in this post but I wanted to 'really' emphasize a whole bunch of things ... so please bear with me and my temporary  lapse into redundancy)

My Kindred Spirits come in all shapes and sizes. I've known one nearly my whole entire life (minus 26.5 months)...One, I've known only a few months. I have KSs I'm able to see on a weekly basis ...  A few I see every few months .... and  the Internet has allowed me to have connections with one KS who I haven't seen or spoken to since high school and one KS I haven't seen or spoken to ...ever. I'm even lucky enough to wake up with one - each and every morning  :)

I find it absolutely amazing how beautifully powerful the energy of this "kinship" really is. It manifests instantly and lasts a lifetime. It transmits through cables and through signals in air. It defies time and distance.

It's really really wicked cool.

Really.

To wrap this up on a supremely cheesy note, here's a blast from the past and I'm sending it out to all my 'Friends' ...and when I say 'friends', I mean 'friend' friends.

p.s. I f#@king LOVE Elton John's voice. BAM!!

p.p.s. And, in case anyone is wondering what the hell the title of this post is all about ... It's the "How to Spell Friend" trick my Grade 4 teacher taught me ... it kinda stuck with me

p.p.p.s. And his hat. His voice and his hat.

p.p.p.p.s. And his mullet. His voice and his hat and his mullet. All are awesome.

Important Update #1 (May 26, 2011): Last night, my sweetie and I went to see the uproariously hilarious "Bridesmaids" ... Loved it!! I was absolutely tickled when the girls started to sing "That's What Friends Are For" as a weapon in their fantastic "I'm better friends with the bride than you are" battle ... and in light of my recent post regarding Intellectual Property Theft ... and to stave off any possible jeers or cries of  "Hypocrite!!!" aimed my way,  I checked the Canadian release date of the movie and compared it with the Global publishing date of my post and ... I was here first!!! I didn't inadvertently (or advertently for that matter) copycat the crazy women in the movie... Phew!!  :)

Guess Who's Smarter Than an Octopus???

Now ... I realize that I am coming dangerously close to reaching this blog's S.S.P (Squirrel Saturation Point), but I discovered this in my inbox and couldn't NOT post it:

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/top-10-smartest-animals.html


Holding strong at #7, baby!!!

Oh yeah!!!