I just had dinner with my friend Jenny. She's the coolest. And the dinner was pretty cool, too. Any time you can satisfy your hunger for only $2.50, and splurge on some te frio for an extra $.80, that's gotta be worth thinkin' about.

I have come to the conclusion that, while my tast in men leaves something to be desired, I have great taste in friends. I would never have been able to get my master's project turned in in time without the assistance of three friends on three separate occassions. Breakups would not be nearly so satisfying without my friends there to tell me what a jerk that guy was. And they can usually point out to me when I'm making a mistake with a new one. And there's always someone available to pick me up from the airport.

I have a friend who laments that all of his romantic relationships have turned into friendships. To me, that's the best part. Lovers come and go (no pun intended), but friends will generally stay forever. Very often, it takes as much work to maintain a frienship as it does a romantic relationship - and when the lovey-dovey stuff is all over with, you can go hang with your friends and feel better about yourself. And the older I get, the better the friendships get.

So here's to you, Marisa, Jenny, Jen, Joey, Joe, Kristy, and all the others who have been there for me. I hope that when all is said and done, that I can honestly say I gave as much as I received.