happy birthday to renenet! (original) (raw)

Today is the day that my favorite was born. Just two weeks ago she was HERE and we were watching Star Trek: TOS and talking about fandom and drinking way too much Diet Coke (her) and eating way too many Oreos (me).

We've been friends for fifteen years, and in that time we've watched a lot of media together. We watched the original run of The X-Files while knitting. She showed me Buffy and then sent me VHS tapes of all the eps as they aired on FX. We watched the first episode of Firefly together and marathoned the whole run of the show after it ended. We watched a bizarre selection of Farscape episodes on SciFi one winter, complete with ads that appeared to feature a carnivorous artichoke, and later we marathoned S3 and part of S4 while I was loopy on cough syrup and wrapped up in the same ridiculous floral comforter on which I sprawled when we watched Buffy for the first time. We've marathoned Wonderfalls and Doctor Who and Charlie Jade and Slings & Arrows. We never watched Due South together, although by the time I watched it I'd heard so much about her theories of the characters that it was like having her there with me. We've shared movies ranging from Moulin Rouge to the Lord of the Rings trilogy to Anaconda (for our sins). I think I may insist on a Leverage marathon the next time she visits.

Eight years ago we grabbed hands and jumped into fandom, and we've been splashing around together ever since — sometimes in slightly different parts of the pool, but always within earshot of each other, the better to share exciting discoveries, dorky insights, and general weirdness. Here's to as many more years as we can get away with. And then some.

I like you, lady. Happy birthday.