Maya has the dubious honor of having been my first serious girlfriend and really my first... well... everything. We met long ago when I lived in the east bay and she lived in what was at the time the big scary city of San Francisco. We shared the once-in-a-lifetime magic of discovering love for the first time, and as you might expect, I'll never forget our time together. She was so clever, and so funny. To be fair, so was I, but it was amazing to be with someone I respected so much. Let's be honest, I'm an elitist jerk, and it's rare that I find someone to spend time with that I really consider my equal. That whole relationship (two years of it) was very cinematic as I recall. Lots of melodrama and over-the-top romance. But I guess that's what young love is all about. And maybe I just prefer to remember it that way. We were the best of friends then, and we're still close now. I don't imagine that will ever really go away.

Most of us have a lot of relationships during our lives. Sometimes you fall in love, and sometimes you just don't. But man I really loved Maya. I loved her in that way that I think you're only capable of when you're young. Every day depended on her. "The sun rose and set with her," to steal a phrase from some old poem or other. Love as an adult is... I don't know. More mature? Less blind? It's different, that's for sure.

You know how there are those people that knew you way back when, and can read you like a book? Well Maya's one of mine. So if you ever want the proverbial "dirt" on me including embarassing stories, habits, and obsessions: she's the girl to go to. If you can find her, that is. She's now living in the boonies that is the state of Wisconsin. And now I'm living in her old stomping grounds. Some things stay the same, but then, some things really do change.