Happy Happy, Marissa!

This is Marissa. She is one of my dearest friends from Dartmouth, and her birthday was a month ago. (Oh dear, how did I get so behind on birthday posts?)

I love Marissa for lots of reasons. Some of them are:

1. When she thinks something's funny, she laughs so hard she stops breathing. (While it makes her friends worried for her health, it also makes them feel very witty.)

2. Marissa is remarkable at keeping in touch. Not only does she have a job that allows her to fly all over the country, visiting everyone, but she is also always remembers birthdays and Christmas cards.

3. Marissa knows how to have fun, more than almost anyone else I know. One night in college, we went on an adventurequest that still ranks among the best saturday nights I've ever had. More recently, she came to visit for her birthday and we drank whiskey, sang Backstreet Boys songs and went dancing at a dive bar. It was ten times more fun because she was there.

4. While Marissa knows how to be silly, she also knows when to be a grownup, and how to do it with grace and style. Need someone to help you write that note to your landlord? Marissa will help you compose one that sounds much better than anything you could come up with.

5. As different as we are, Marissa and I have really similar world views. One day last fall, we were sitting in a cafe, listening to these Harvard grad students get into a heated debate about something really dumb, and we just looked at each other and burst out laughing. There aren't that many people with whom I share brain waves like that.

6. Marissa likes feelings almost as much as I do. As such, she is my go-to person when I need to spend four hours dissecting an emotional crisis.

Happy Happy, Marissa!

I'm so glad you were born.