The best valentine I ever got...

When PLT tagged me with the Keepsake Award, I didn't hesitate for a minute on what item I would select as my favorite keepsake. In fact, the item I've selected will probably suprise the giver of the gift more than anyone else.

The rules of the keepsake award are simple:
1. Post a funny or sweet keepsake that tells something about you.
2. Pass the award on to 10 other bloggers that you think are keepers.

Almost anyone can attest that I'm a sentimental packrat and hold onto anything of value. My favorites, of course, are the things that people have made for me. And that's why, when tasked to blog about my favorite keepsake, I immediately went to my college photobox and pulled out this.

Doesn't look like much, right? Just a roll of paper.

Here's another angle:




Getting a better idea of what this is? No, probably not. Well let me tell you.

Valentine's Day. 2004. My college roommate, Spoogy, gave me a rolled up strip of paper-- a scroll-- in lieu of a Vday card. On it, she listed her favorite things about me and our friendship. She wrote:

[Mb]- my roommie, sidekick, wife, partner-in-crime- how do I heart thee? Let me count the ways:

She went on to list 15 things that could inspire 15 individual blogworthy stories. Since I want to prevent this post from being too lengthy, I'll highlight my favorite items on the list.


12. we wear leis and pearls when and where we want

Spoogy and I were (and still are) infamous for our spontaneity and creativity when it came to dressing up in costume. Outrageous attire was not reserved for Halloween only. In our dorm room you would find leis, long string of pearls, oversized sunglasses, silly hats, and various other items for accessorizing that would be sported on the regular. Once we even went to the Starbucks on campus in prom dresses, claiming that we just came from an exclusive party. I've always appreciated Spoogy's love of randomness, and seeing this item included on the scroll of paper let me know that she thinks the same of me.

8. tambourine

Um, kay. So apparently, tambourines are my thing. I stole one for SuziQ recently, but she is not the first person to be gifted with one. One Christmas in college, I bought Spoogy a tambourine. As a musician at heart, she adored the instrument and kept it at close hand. The tambourine would come out whenever we needed a study break, pregamed, or played our favorite game...which really wasn't a game. It just involved turning up the radio and watching MTV on mute while laughing insanely as the song and music video attempted to sync up. You've never truly laughed until you've watched a rock or country music video while listening to "Country Grammar" by Nelly.

Even now, when I see the word tambourine written on that scroll, I'm reminded of how lively my life has been. I've been blessed to be an energetic and creative person who comes up with wacky gift ideas or activities that bring joy to the group as a whole.


2. you kept me after i peed on your shoes by the shuttle stop...

Yeaaah, that smells like a TMI post, right? In short (and I've mentioned this before) Spoogy is a stealth pee-r. When the girl's gotta go there is no stopping her. Whether its' in some parking lot at Dewey Beach or, in one case, on public transportation, she's gonna bust a move and release. The first time I ever witnessed Spoogy's sneaky pee habit, we were waiting for the campus shuttle to take us to our dorm freshman year. Keep that in mind. Freshman year. This means I knew her for less than one year.

We were waiting for the shuttle for what seemed like entirely too long. And unfortunately there was no bathroom available because it was late at night, and everyone knows that unlike the big apple, "D.C. sleeps alone tonight" (2 pts to anyone who can identify that reference). We tried to find a nearby spot to pop-a-squat, close enough to the shuttle so that if it pulled up we wouldn't miss it. But we were in the wide-open, too far from an alley or parked car to give us shelter. So, as any sane college student would do, Spoogy leaned up against a building and I covered her with (what I remember to be) a coat as she did her quick-business. It wasn't until after she had done the crime that I saw the pool of pee surrounding my foot. Homegirl peed on my shoes. And yet, I kept her around. Cause that's how we do. Some people have blood brothers. I have pee ponies.

I guess, what this item means is that the bonds I share with people run deep. I've said before that I'm overly caring, to a fault sometimes. But this means that if you're in my inner cirlce, I pretty much have your back for life and I'd like to think that people I surround myself who share that sentiment.

So there you have it, bbs. That's my keepsake and what it says about me. Now tag, you're it:
1. Gilahi
2. JFo
3. HeadBitingPrincess
4. Chelsea Talks Smack
5. Miss Scorpio
6. PaulBeck
7. KtMac
8. Existenceet
9. Malnurtured Snay
10. DC Princess