Friends in town part 2
As I said last post I'm big on looking forward to things, so is Jacqui. Somehow I think it's important for the human psyche to have things on the horizon to anticipate. I think that's half the fun actually. I love the anticipation in waiting for something good. Sharing with fellow anticipatees (note: that is definitely a made up word) all the hushed, whispered conversations of "I can't wait for---" and then getting to fill in the blank with something lovely, is great. ("Christmas", "Summer" and "Dessert" all work well, as does "the weekend" . "Tuesday" will work in a pinch provided you have something good to do on Tuesday. However, "The next episode of Everybody Loves Raymond" is right out.).
Jacqui and I have had the privlege of anticipation since last November when our friend Morgan officially declared that he would be making the westward pilgrimage to our fair shore. That's months and months of anticipation. Months and months of something fun to look forward too, which sometimes can be dangerous. Sometimes you can do what anticipation experts call "Hyperextendus Anticipationitude" or to the layman "strain your anticipation". Morgan's visit however was not a case of this. It lived up to...nay, exceeded all fun expectations.
We picked him up from the SeaTac airport on a Thursday and the good times started immediately. Morgan and I have known each other for going on 12 years now, have been roommates for about five of those years and he and since Jacqui was added to the mix they've gotten along like...like...um...well like people who get along really well. All this is to say that there's a history there, a real wealth of material to work with, a common language of fun if you will. It becomes especially apparent when we haven't seen each other for awhile. All that craziness, all the thousand jokes, rejoinders and quips that were left unsaid in one another's absence come pouring out in a firestorm of concentrated humor. The first hour is especially intense. To the common observer I'd imagine we could be described as "giddy" as the laughter flows like...liquid laughter.
From that point on as an intrepid threesome Morgan, Jacqui and I conquered the West cost with style and panache. We frequented numerous Asian restaurants (Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Thai, Malaysian, Japanese again, and Mongolian) and consumed no less than 4 of our favorite summer time treats (which for fake copyright reasons I'm choosing to creatively rename): "The Cow barn feminine monarch's, extreme wintertime storm". I like mine with Reese's Pieces, Morgan goes for the fruit variety (unless he's feeling "chocolatey" in which case he's told sources close to him that he feels right at home with M & M's and chocolate soft serve) and Jacqui's into the cheesecake version.
Among other things we traveled, saw sights, talked a lot, hung out with friends, shot hoops next to the ocean, ate many delicious meals, reveled in the natural beauty of the west coast, watched many episodes of NBC's The Office, saw two Shakespeare plays and most importantly just enjoyed each other's company. It was just the right amount of activity and controlled lethargy and we loved every minute of it.
It's really hard to believe that things for Jacqui and I are almost finished here, the time has gone SO, SO quickly. But having our friends here--whether it was a shocking surprise or a much anticipated event--made the last few weeks of our Vancouver adventure a lovely thing indeed.
