So, I'm just going to lay out some of my favorite facebook pictures (ones that I uploaded), and give them each some context. This is more of a way to document some of the happiest times of my life than to provide you with something interesting to read.
First, here's a failed video:
Now I'm going to just lay the pictures down for ya'll. Soak it up, these memories won't appreciate themselves.
1. Tyson
Tyson was my first openly gay friend. We became friends when I saw him around on Holly and Marilyn's floor during my freshman year at UCSB. I hopped onto MySpace (I know), found him, and we began talking. I have so many memories with this boy, and I couldn't be more grateful for his presence in my life. This picture was taken during one of Tyson's rare visits to my room (my roommate didn't know my sexuality so I never had gay friends over). Most of my time with Tyson was spent either in his room next to his Madonna shrine or in Isla Vista homes tracking dog shit all over the carpet.
2. Nick
The Cady Heron of my life. My Kenyan alter-ego. My doppelganger. Nick and I spent our junior year living together in arguably my favorite year at UCSB. So many nights spent dancing to Beyonce videos before heading out, so many days spent smoking off last night's pain, and so many sporadic trips to In N Out. During our junior year, Nick, Kim, Ali, Lauren, and I decided to start exploring Santa Barbara County's hiking opportunities – Earthcycling, for those in the know – and this picture captures Nick's leadership position as the CEO of this venture. This is one of the days I could relive a million times without getting tired of it or anyone I was with.
3. Gayhay!
This is a gaggle of gays that I spent far too many nights with during college. Whether it was a Friday, Saturday, or Tuesday night (despite a midterm exam the next day), you could likely find us drinking raspberry vodka and playing with a deck of cards to expedite the consumption of the vodka. Every night, when we were starting to consider the effect of our fun on the following day, Ron would shout, "It's early..." and the night would continue.
4. Ralph
Although this picture is just from a random night, my favorite and most outstanding memory of/with Ralph is when he invited me to go to a Jamba Juice party with him somewhere between Ventura and Thousand Oaks at a random bar and hotel. Ralph and I were the only friends of the group left in Santa Barbara over a Christmas break, so I guess my invite was pure happenstance. Either way, it was amazing. We got wasted at dinner, the award ceremony, and back at the hotel. At one point, I was in the hotel room talking to random people and Ralph stormed in, drunk as hell (I have no idea where he was before that). He looks around, walks over to the kitchenette, opens the microwave, sees a burrito and screams "FOUND IT!!" He was convinced that we had been hiding food from him. It was the best.
5. Santa Barbara
This was on our first Earthcycle outing. You can see Nick and Ali in the picture. We all sat in our own spots and chilled for almost an hour. I wrote and took pictures, and I think we all listened to our own music. It was incredible taking in the beauty of the coast together yet on our own. We were in our own worlds, but we shared one at the same time.
6. Lake Havasu
During our sophomore year at UCSB, Marilyn, Nick, Nikki, and I decided to go to my grandparent's home in Lake Havasu. Little did we know that it was in a mobile home park and about 20 minutes away from Lake Havasu City. All we really did was drink and tan the entire time we were there. This picture is from a hike that Nick and I took trying to scale the mountain behind the house. We didn't realize how far it actually was to the top, so we made it to – well, we didn't make it very far. We did make two new friends though: Cacti and Triangle Rock. We were stupid.
7. Nick, Ali, and Me
Not much to say about these two except that I miss them and the friendship we had.
8. Nate the boyfriend
My first boyfriend. I just really like this picture. This was during a Halloween pre-party at Nate's. I was a pilot, and he was a sailor. No connection, but he looked way better than I did.
9. Mom!
For my 21st birthday, my mom drove down to Santa Barbara to spend my special day with me. She even came to my party for the first hour or so to help me win a game of beer pong! The next morning, we went to breakfast at Sambo's on the beach and had delicious mimosas!
10. Meagan
This picture is from a trip that Meagan, Bri, and Ali took to come visit me during my senior year at UCSB. We didn't go out, we just stayed at my house and drank, played games, and took pictures. I was really happy that Meagan came with them, and it was hilarious because Meagan and Daniel (boyfriend) were both swimmers and compared times. Probably only funny to me.
11. Fight Night
This picture of Marilyn and me is from a Fight Night we attended right after I got my lip pierced. I was soooo happy with the piercing, until I told my dad about it two days later. He threatened to cut me off financially so out the piercing came. I want it back.
12. Daniel's Birthday Party
During my freshman year at UCSB, my high school friend Daniel had a surprise birthday party in the OC somewhere, and Holly and I made the trip down there to see everyone. It was SO MUCH FUN! Honestly, Daniel disappeared for a large portion of the night, but it was so much fun to see everyone from high school and take a break from Santa Barbara for a night. Plus, Ali was there. What more could I ask for?
13. Avi
This picture is from one of our trips to Avi. They were all laughing so hard in their fucking hats, it was insane. Avi already has its own post, so I'll just reiterate that these trips are the best respite from the monotony of normal life that I could ever hope for.
14. Picasso
I bought a cheap Fish Eye camera from Urban Outfitters one day, and I seriously went on a kick for like 2 weeks of taking a million pictures. I thought it would be important to have a picture of the front door that Nick and I shared. I'm glad I did. Fun fact: Ali (boy) threw up on that doorstep one night and never cleaned it off.
15. Friends
Nate introduced me to some hilarious and awesome people, and Eric (forefront) and Brett (next to me) are two of them. This picture is from a night when we went to a Sig Ep party, but it wasn't gay enough so we brought the party back to my apartment. Rachel passed out on the floor in my room (I think she slept there for the night), and I wore a tight, tiny, colorful t-shirt.
16. Lady Gaga
This picture is from the costume creation party that Daniel and I had pre-Lady Gaga concert. Daniel was so incredibly sick (I had to leave work early to take him to the doctor the next day), but it was an incredible show. We both bleached our hair (Daniel's idea), and I'm realizing now that I looked like
Amber Rose.
17. Daniel
This boy is insane. Women above 50 and below 18, watch the fuck out. (kidding...)
18. The Beach
This picture was taken during my sophomore year when Ali drove up to visit. The group had a barbecue on the beach with snacks and steaks. Marilyn and I went to Costco the day before and bought so many steaks, snacks and a salad. Then I forgot to defrost the steaks until we got back from going out at like 2:00am, so I ran them all under water for like an hour. I ran the barbecue for a bit during at the beach and I literally soaked and pounded the steaks with soy sauce, A1, and pepper to marinade them. Ali brought her mom's seven-layer dip, which was the best thing EVER. I was drunk by the time she got to the beach (straight from Canyon Lake!), and I was SO happy to see her. It was a good day.
19. Family Picture
This was during our junior year Christmas party. Nick had hosted one the year before, so it was nice this year to do everything together in our shared apartment. Nick's outfit was so fucking cute (he even wore a cummerbund!), and I wore a holiday sweater. We had nametags for everyone, and, as ghetto as the champagne and decorations were, it was the most sophisticated party I ever went to in Isla Vista.
20. The Claw
This was taken during a freshman year visit from Ali. We spent so much time drinking in our rooms before we went out, and the pictures from these experiences are my favorite. Daniel came with Ali on this trip and it was hilarious. Every time Daniel came, it was quite an experience. My gay friends doted on him; My straight friends were confused by him. It was nice to have them both there though because it made me feel like I was back in high school again in Ali and Bri's garage.
21. High School Friends
The pictures from the times I've hung out with friends from high school make me so happy. We're all growing up, growing more into ourselves, and we still come together and love each other. While meeting new people demands uncaring "So what do you do?" questions, being with my old friends demonstrates that "How have you been?" can actually be a genuine question. We care about how we are all doing, and we want to know what has changed and what has remained the same. We're all aging and growing together and apart, and it's beautiful.
