october 9

sisters and brothers

I think I know why I've been Super Woman these past few days: St. John's Wort tea. I think it's time for me to accept that my happy juices run a little low when left alone and that I need a little boost. Daily. Especially right now.

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Last Friday night, after Polly got laid off from her marketing job of six weeks, the only job she's had all year, we hit the new trendy downtown bar, The Tube. As far as concept bars go, it doesn't have much of one. It's a small, narrow bar with rounded, pale green plastic walls and ceiling. It glows. It has animated digital art showing on scattered monitors. Our drinks tasted like Theraflu. The only good part of the whole scene was that it was very interracial. If you know Portland, you know that it's overwhelmingly white. This place made me feel like I was in DC or LA.

We talked contacts and prospects, our boys, our clothes. We observed girls with orange skin and goggle lines and push-up bras peeking out of their plunging necklines. We talked insecurities, and we planned with confidence. Polly is fast becoming a best friend. A call me five times a day, yell at me when I'm whining, boss me around, ask me what to do about her boss, kind of best friend. A sister. Exactly what I need right now.

Four years ago I went to my first industry get-together. It was a big project kick-off where you joined committees. I was terrified and thrilled. I had also just got my driver's license. I was a big girl. I wrote down her name so I could track her down. She was Important and Known. She was seated at my table. Slowly, over the years, through various acquaintances, we got to know each other. Carefully. Neither of us are the trusting type. I think the first bonding moment was when she told me her ex-boyfriend's fiancé had a put a restraining order on her. I laughed out loud. She loved that.

After we tired of The Tube we went to XV where she knows the bartender and got us margaritas that could take nail polish off. Damn. We got lucky and found a big, empty leather couch up on a platform, away from the crowd. Polly went to the ladies' room. Ten seconds after she left, two boys sat down next to me on the couch. Boys. One tried to win me over by telling me how sad I looked. Um, yeah. Good one. The other just chatted me up and turned out to be rather pleasant. Polly returned, attracted one of their friends, who started in on her. Eventually one noticed my wedding ring, they figured out Polly was a little old for them, and out came high school graduation dates. 1996. These boys graduated in 96. After all that came out they started talking to us like we were their older cousins. The nice one told me I was hot. We giggled all the way back to the Jeep.

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It's after 11 PM and I have more work to do. And a big day tomorrow. A day where I could land a nice little contract. Fingers crossed.