�Find the person who will love you because of your differences and not in spite of them and you have found a lover for life.� � Leo Buscaglia

I had a wonderful weekend, relaxing, filled with loved ones, friends and family. I�m sure you�re DYING to hear about it. I think the Stantons� should all be moved out by today, I hope everything went smoothly for them in this transition. Ooh, but I seem to be digressing from the subject of ME right now, so let�s get back to it then, mmm-kay?

Friday night, I picked my father up from the airport, brought him home, skipped off to grab Ms and head to the Gargoyle. Dad ended up coming down to meet us, which pleased me greatly. I love to spend time with him, and it was an added bonus to have him to come chat with my friends, meet Ms, unwind from his trip and spend some social time with his favorite daughter. Okay, I�m not his �favorite,� but I AM the most exciting, on this we all agree. I passed up �smartest� to keep my �exciting� status, so give a bitch a break, ah-IGHT? Hee hee.

After sharing some laughs with Al and avoiding all that cerebral language/travel talk, visiting with Blove and lovely Lia, we left to see Spider Monkey�s ensemble a few blocks away. Waiting outside for Mrs. Claus herself, Ms and I could see the red blur through the windows as it made its way down 4 flights of stairs, and then, out she came, in all her adorable, red and fluffy glory. I love the spirit of dressing up that my friends possess. She was the only one there in costume, which makes her even more fabulous!

Saturday, I shopped a bit, hit up the grocery store, finished a book, relaxed at home, and then headed out for our family gathering, a celebration for my Mother�s birthday. Dinner in Chula Juana, first I got to pick up my brother, on the same street as the Willy Wonka Party that I missed the night before (not regrettably, though, I just wasn�t in the mood to rave it up). We chatted all the way down south and met up with the fam for a delicious Italian meal at a little local restaurant in Bonita. Oh, something very funny happened to Jane that I must share!

Little interlude: Friday night, my eldest sister was dining with some friends and coworkers somewhere in La Jolla. She was laughing and talking, and the waiter approached the table, looked at her inquisitively, and said, �I know you. How do I know you?� He didn�t look familiar to her, so they played the game, asking about hangouts, employment, even school, came up with nothing. He went about his work, came back a few times trying to figure it out, but no luck. Finally, quite inebriated, Jane let out a long, loud peal of laughter, staccato style, many short high-pitched, almost hyena song-like giggles (I only describe it like this because that is how it has been described to me by others � see, Jane and I have the EXACT SAME LAUGH). The waiter, hearing this, ran back to the table and said with a smile, �I know! You must be Barbarella�s sister !!� Surprised that a stranger could make the connection based on a laugh, however distinct, Jane confirmed his amazing guess.

I thought that was a very cool thing. I�ve been stopped by strangers before, people who have overheard me talking, and said, �Wow, that�s crazy, I could have sworn someone I knew was standing right there,� just to find that the person they thought they heard is my sister. I think that�s fun, I love the fact that we sound alike. Because I LOVE my sisters.

Anyway, time with the family was fun, and I left there to go back to Ms�s, where I stayed for the rest of the evening, playing with toys and watching a MOST hysterical SNL starring Al Gore. Surreal. Sunday, my company brunch! Blove and Ms with me, all the way to the La Jolla Country Club, ooh la la! Next year, I�ll go much later. But the food was great, the bonus was better, and I actually had a lot of fun.

I�m going to get all mushy for a moment. This morning, as I raced to get ready and head into work, feeding my cats, brushing my teeth, I found myself overwhelmed with an unnamable emotion. My eyes watered a bit, and while one voice in my head chastised me for being so unreasonably emotional and blaming PMS for my plight, another voice informed me that this is what it feels like to love and be loved. As Victor Hugo said, �The most powerful symptom of love is a tenderness which becomes at times almost insupportable.� I guess that explains it. I do so like to have an answer for EVERYTHING. I don�t have much experience to go on� but I think, no, I feel that I just might be in love. I�ll keep you updated.

-Barbarella

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