Evan!!!!!! (Plus or Minus an Exclamation Point)

LklAjf;ldskajflkjdsf!!! I think it is only fair to start off this post with some spirit fingers since, well, that pretty much epitomizes Evan's and my friendship. Well, so does the term "hugfest", but you can't exactly relay THAT concept via a computer keyboard... wait, can you?

Anyway! Let's back up. So, why, all of a sudden, a post about only one of my Favorite (understatement) people alive? Well, when Evan mentioned that he was stopping by Chicago en route to New York this weekend, you KNOW that my mind instantly toyed with the idea of... what else? A tribute, of course. A tribute to one of my Favorites, if you will. I don't know why I didn't think of this grand gem of an idea when he came to visit earlier in the year, but whatever. Better late than never, right? Right.

Yeah, the tribute idea was pretty much signed, sealed and delivered as soon as we reunited on Saturday. I mean, what do you get when two of the happiest people to ever grace this fine planet we call Mother Earth (deep, I know) reunite?


That's right. Pearly whites GALORE!!! (Just disregard that minor face invasion I call a godawful cold sore... darn drastic weather changes. TMI? Eh, oh well. Hahah.)

Anyway! Evan and I used to work together at my first job ever, out in San Francisco. No joke, two of the greatest highlights of my career were when:

1) I had to write Evan's project evaluation. Considering it was my first project as a senior, I knew I was supposed to be all professional and whatnot, but... well, screw it! I couldn't hold back the exclamation points!! Whatever, at least I refrained from incorporating smiley faces into that official document/permanent record. Sigh. Oh well. I tried. Kind of.

2. Evan requested that I be his mentor!!! lkjfsadlkjdsflk! lkafdsjlkj! I remember the day I got Emily's email coordinating this request as if it were yesterday. Hahahah- seriously! As a select few people know (read: Jenna), one of my FAVORITE things about my job was mentoring people... and by mentoring people, I really just mean... well, instilling the general Christie-ridiculousness (but that I like to spin as "words of wisdom", if you will) upon those lucky individuals who were my mentees. Sigh. Good times.

Sadly, I decided to peace outta Triage about a month after Evan became one of my mentees. While my adoration for dear Evan was totally OBVI from the first day I met him, I suck at keeping in touch with people so I figured that he would just be "another person that I knew at Triage". But no, no. It turns out that Evan, himself, is actually quite phenom at keeping in touch with people (and by "phenom", I just mean that he's better than me). And thank GOD! I mean, Gchat at work just wouldn't be the same without Evan on my little contact list! Hahaha. Lord, I'm divulging way too much information at this point, but I don't care! I get so excited when I pay tribute to a Favorite!!

Seriously, the few times that Evan and I actually get to reunite are such happy little hugfests, I can't stand it. (It certainly doesn't hurt that he totally has all this faith and confidence in me "making it big" with that TV show I am SO ASPIRING TO GET!!! Omg, can you imagine? He would obviously be the manager and... well, how could you NOT want to work for either of us?!!? Hahaha just kidding. Just KIDDING!) But seriously. He's just one of those genuinely good-hearted, genuinely happy people. Even when he's having a bad day, his reactions come across as more entertaining than anything else (well, at least on Gchat. And at least to me. So I find everything to be funny... so sue me).

No, but seriously. You know how you can just tell "good people" when you chat with them for a few minutes? That pretty much defines Evan. Sigh. While I do proclaim a lot of people to be my favorites, it takes a LOT to make "Favorite" (note the capital F) status. And for Evan, I can honestly say "Favorite" is a total understatement.

Lkjfdslkajfdljdslkfjlkj! TOTAL HUGFESTLKjdsflkajfdslkj! I'm already so excited for our next reunion!!

let the General Hugfest Series begin...

you know what? i think im going to start trying to blog on a more consistent basis- ive received very positive feedback with my "increased blogging frequency" as of late, and i love doing it, so why NOT update this thing regularly?

unfortunately, my life is not all too exciting, let's be honest here. therefore, if im going to blog at LEAST twice a week, i think one post will be about whatever random shenanigans ive gotten myself into (you know, the usual) and the second post will be devoted to a new favorite person ever. okay, i know that if the "favorite spotlight" is done on a weekly basis, that kind of defeats the whole "favorite" nature of the spotlight, but whatever. im a walking hugfest, what can i say? so much love to share, so little time.

with all that being said, i would like to formally start my General Hugfest Series with the one and only... SUSAN T!!! (obvi, i will not be using last names, since internet discretion is my middle name. hahahaha. how many middle names do i HAVE at this point, given my other blog posts? but i digress.)

sorry to divert. let's get right back on topic. okay, so susan t is only like one of the greatest coworkers ive ever had. and you know what the funny thing is? ive only met her, face-to-face, once! isnt that CRAZY?!?!?! it's really amazing how such a great working relationship (aka friendship aka general team hugfest aka general... well, crazy SISTERHOOD, really) can formulate after one introduction. let's be honest, it wasnt always so... well, lkafdjslkf! (sorry, but that's really the only way i can describe the two of us. hahahah.)

i mean, initially, susan and i only communicated over work email! and man, if i look back to some of our initial email exchanges, i simply cant help but crack UP at how FORMAL they sounded! i mean, who are we KIDDING HERE?

i think the true love formulated around the time we exchanged AOL instant messenger screen names. for those of you who are reading this who are not my coworkers, our work uses AOL instant messenger as a primary mode of communication in order to get things done in a more timely and efficient fashion and... oh, heck, who are we kidding here? for general merriment and entertainment purposes as well. hahahaha. GOD, I LOVE INSTANT MESSENGER AT WORK!!!! it was TOTALLY like a dream come true when i came to this company and realized that it was pretty much mandatory to have instant messenger access. i mean, you do NOT have to tell me TWICE, people! how many of you remember college? who WASN'T obsessed with IM back in the day?! ugh, the neverending barrage of away messages, the constant communication with people about like absolutely NOTHING, the furiously frantic typing speeds which people developed... sigh. those were the days.

anyway, so susan and i initially started communicating on instant messenger about work-related things. i mean, duh. why else would we have exchanged screen names in the first place? but. well. i mean, it was SO apparent right OFF the BAT that we were totally like soul sisters. hahaha. it's really amazing the stories that we've shared over the lovely world that we call AIM. intermixed with our work talk, of course. ugh, it's been glorious, really.

while i know i crack UP at a LOT of things in life (oh, sorry. if you think everytime i type "hahahah" in an online conversation of some sort, you're special and privileged because you are funny... well, you're kind of wrong. i laugh at many a thing in life), susan t is one of those people that oh-so-consistently not only makes me laugh, but actually makes me crack UP so HARD at my computer screen, sometimes to the point that my stomach aches. seriously! i mean, this lady is FUNNY. hahaha.

here is a sample of what a susan t IM conversation could involve (and yes, that IS how her screen name appears on my AOL... per my "instant messenger alias" abilities... can you imagine if that was her ACTUAL screen name?!?!? hahaha):

(3:19:39 PM) SUSANalksdfjlaksjf!!!!: hhahahahahaha just kidding man - are you not wearing your happy panties today???

HAHAHAHAH. i LAUGHED ALOUD just READING that sentence AGAIN. how can you NOT?!?!

but it's CRAZY, right?? to think that we've only met each other ONCE, and yet we're like slightly obsessed with each other. in a good, healthy sense, of course. hahahaha. yeah- i guess that cackly type of "hahahaha" didn't really help in the validity of that statement but whatever.

anyway, i LOVE the friendships that can formulate amongst coworkers. i feel like susan and i come from such different worlds (i live in chicago and am focused on making it through my 20s somewhat intact while she she lives in an cozy, adorable town in missouri and has the most cozy, adorable children and lovely husband... whom i also have never met... but i feel like i SO know simply through susan's wacky stories and... well... who are we kidding here? facebook pictures. haha. OBVI. because you KNOW we became facebook friends like the SECOND we nixed the whole "professional email tone" for, well, the wonderful world of instant messenger, if you will). and yet we have TOTES bonded forEVER. sisterhood and all that. haha.

or just a general hugfest. who are we kidding here. because you KNOW anytime someone from the chicago office goes down to the missouri office for business, i CERTAINLY send along a hug for my dearest susan t. and you better beLIEVE i follow up with said hug messenger to ensure the message (in the form of a ginormous bear hug) has been properly delivered. i mean, hello. i will NOT be tolerating any of this formal, limp noodly huggy-ness. if i know you well enough to trust you with the oh-so-privileged Susan T Hug-o-Gram, i trust you enough to deliver it with the proper christie happiness/merriment/sunshine/well, you get the idea.

so, here's to you, susan t! thanks for making the workplace that much more... well, entertaining, to say the oh so very least. hahaha.