The One With the Other Anniversary

While I'm reminiscing, watching the Spurs win their second title in the last three years reminds me of another anniversary: the two year anniversary of Ross and I becoming friends. Most of you know the story of how we worked together for two years and never really talked before having a conversation at a meeting about both having dogs named Muggsy. He invited me to watch the Spurs-Mavericks in the Western Conference finals, but I didn't get the e-mail until after I had called him and asked him to come to Game 6 with me because I wanted to camp out for tickets. David Robinson was my all-time favorite athlete, and I had never seen him play live. Since he was going to retire and just happened to be playing in Dallas, I figured this was my last chance.

He liked me, but he reminded me a lot of the boyfriend I had recently broken up with, who we'll call Paolo, after three years, and I certainly wasn't ready to put myself through that again. We watched all of the finals together except one game when he was home visiting his family. I remember that he called me on the drive back to ask me if I wanted to watch a movie, and even though I didn't want to date him, I thought that was so sweet. It always makes you feel special when you know someone is thinking about you and wants to spend time with you. I dated around a little, but I always enjoyed spending time with him more than anyone else I hung out with.

The more I got to know him I got to see what really makes him special. He wasn't like Paolo at all. Yes, he was quiet and kind and insecure and didn't have a lot of dating experience, but those in themselves aren't bad traits. He also had things I missed from my first relationship, with Barry -- Barry and Paolo were exact opposites but I needed something in the middle -- he was funny in a silly way and liked to go out and try new things. And he's got a smile that makes me want to melt -- or give him a big hug. He's naive and loving and he had confidence, just not with women. He knew who he was and was secure in that. As soon as I showed interest back, his confidence came full circle. Being around him comforted me. We had so much fun together whatever we were doing. I'd go over to his house to watch a movie -- I never liked anything he picked out -- and I'd end up hanging out until 3 in the morning. As one of my friends put it, there's a reason the two of you always end up together at the end of the night -- you're good together.

It just took me getting over my painful breakup to give him a chance. And, of course, he had to win over Muggsy, which is no easy task. You have to have a little bit of staying power for that job. But when a single mom starts dating again, her boyfriends have to like her children.

I know this has been cheesy, but watching the Spurs win last night reminds of me watching the Spurs win two years ago, when I developed one of the best friendships I've ever had. Those are my favorite memories of Texas, when I started making a new group of friends and found someone very special who I knew would always be a part of my life. I made a lot of new friends in that time span, a lot of whom I still talk to, and it was so fun to just blow off the day and go sit on a patio drinking beer instead of working. That's the one thing about being a reporter -- flexible hours. There was always someone who wanted to do something with me. But the best times were those quiet evenings, usually recovering from a hangover, where Ross and I would just sit and watch a movie and talk all night.