How did you guys meet?

When Angry and I are out and about, people occasionally ask us that.

That’s not the story I’m going to tell you though.

My friend Judy (of pancake fame) and I have known each other for 30 years.   We obviously met before we were born since we are both only 29!!  Well, maybe not. . . but that's not the point. 

Judy attended a Catholic grade school and junior high while I was at a public school for those years.  She graduated 8th grade and moved over to the public high school I was attending.

I was in an English class in 9th grade without any of my friends from junior high.  My teacher announced that we were going to do an assignment that required us to pick a partner.  Everyone else grabbed their friends and there I sat without a partner.  The person sitting directly in front of me didn’t have a partner either so I tapped her on the shoulder and asked her if she’d like to work with me.  She was sort of stuck with me at that point so she said "sure."

The project consisted of us being videotaped doing something akin to a TV news interview.  We were to learn how to ask valid questions and give valid answers.  And, we had to learn how to handle speaking in front of a camera.

Each pair had to come up with a scenario of who was interviewing who and why.  Judy was the interviewer and picked Betty Babtrock as her character’s name.  I was Cecile Cameal, the interviewee.  I was being interviewed because I was going to teach Pygmies in Africa how to play flute.  Yes, you read that right.  Pygmies. Playing. Flute.  Now, we both actually played flute but who comes up with that Pygmy shit?  We did for some reason!

I, unfortunately, can’t recall what grade we got on our project but I’ll tell you it was an A.

I can also tell you that to this day, 30 years later, we still call each other Cecile and Betty!

Those memories of a great, lifelong friend can’t be beat.

But wait!  I've got another funny story about her to tell you soon.  She may not be happy with me after that but I need to share.