Friday, January 22, 2010

Julianne: Ben Folds Project

"I don't miss Julianne"
From "Julianne", Ben Folds Five

The thing is, I do. Julie, one of the best friends I've ever know, lives in Canada now. We met online through the quiz tournament community, becoming friends and then quiz teammates at various masters' events. For the last fifteen years, Julie and I have had many adventures in a variety of crappy old cars, chugging along I-75 at 80 miles an hour.

I miss her. Then again, we've never lived in the same town, so I can't say what it'd be like to see her all the time. I doubt I'd get sick of her. We could hang at the bookstore or have coffee in my tiny apartment. We could watch Metalocalpyse with Rick (her husband, and another dear friend, though Ben Folds has yet to write him into a song). Julie has comfortable furniture and loves to cook, making her the perfect hostess.

So I do miss Julie (formerly Julie Ann -- a first/middle combination she always despised and correct via a maiden name swap out). I miss her a lot.

"She'd make a reason for the things that I did and give me credit for the things I never did." Ben got that right, though he doesn't know Julie. For a genius and a thinker and a PhD biologist, she's by far the most optimistic person I know, especially where other people and their variouos bad behaviors are concerned. When the optimism falters, she happily offers to unleash her lab wasps on thine enemies. I love that in a pal.

Disclaimer: Unlike the Julianne in Ben's song, Julie looks nothing like Axl Rose. Nor does sohe go home with strange musicians and sleep in her clothes. Strange invertebrates? Most definitely, but that's another story.