An Ode to Mala (in progress)
My best friend in the world, Mala, will be moving at the end of the month to New Jersey. Why she would want to live in that cesspool, I'll never know... Oh yeah, I guess working for Princeton is an understandable reason...I guess.
I know that she'll come back to good old PA in time (even if I have to kidnap her), but for now, I'm sad. It feels like only yesterday that I just stole her back from Virginia. So, to fend off my sorrows, I've written this blog in dedication to Mala, immortalizing our love by projecting it across that magical ether known as the Internets.
I present to you my list: 51 Reasons I Love Mala. I challenge all my readers out there who know and love that little brown girl (and by god, I know there's quite a few of you) to send a shout out below and add to my list. How high can we go?
1. Her head has been the same size since (at least) 1984.
2. She once got viciously attacked by a beagle.
3. "I think Michael has been compromised."
4. She always explains who all those people I can't remember are when they try to friend me on Facebook.
5. Sometimes she laughs and hyperventilates at the same time.
6. She never judges me, and she always listens.
7. She is so damn cute - irresistible, in fact.
8. In 6th grade, she made her own nametag: William Tell.
9. When she gave her maid-of-honor speech at my wedding, we both cried.
10. I can remember one of the first times I heard her say the F-word out loud.
11. She has great sense of humor and can always give you a smile.
12. Someday, our kids will be best friends. Oh, they will be, whether they like it or not.
13. The word "panties" makes her shudder and blush.
14. She's the first person I always call when news arises.
15. She's genuinely interested in the books I read.
16. She may appear tiny and meek, but she can snap you in two with her kung fu ways.
17. That girl has got some funky rhythm.
18. Seriously, she knows everything about everything.
19. "Is it raining? I hadn't noticed." This line makes her want to die.
20. She doesn't let being afraid stop her from doing something or going somewhere.
21. Who else do you know that ever carried fetal chickens around in her purse?
22. She's still in school, and she's 29 years old. I love it.
23. Her mother gave me a Riesen every morning while I waited for Mala to get ready and finish her breakfast.
24. She is willing to wear a shirt I made her, no matter how cheesy it is.
25. All of our bus rides with Dugan, talking about boys.
26. My dad called her "Oops" - and apparently, he was right.
27. She always puts everyone else ahead of herself.
28. When she finds out I wrote a blog about her, she'll be completely mortified, but under all that embarrassment, I know she'll be secretly loving it.
29. Almost every good memory I have - hell, almost every memory I have - has her in it.
30. We almost saw Radiohead together once (a band that she, in fact, introduced me to).
31. Sometimes, if we're lucky, she comes to the Lovely house on Christmas Day to hang with my family.
32. My enemies are her enemies. And vice versa.
33. When she would go to India in the summers when we were young, she would always write me letters - real letters (and I still have them all).
34. She fell in love with the tallest man I know. Go figure.
35. She tried so hard to find Jesus Fever a home. When she couldn't, she cried.
37. I don't know when her real birthday is.
38. The only speech I've ever given in public was about her.
39. We always have fun together - even when we're just playing Apples to Apples into the wee hours of the night.
40. We can go weeks without talking, and it never, ever matters.
41. She trusts me to take care of business when she's too shy to do it herself (FP's much).
42. She's pretty much obsessed with Pride and Prejudice - the mini-series.
43. Rolling around on the floor during middle school study halls in the cafeteria.
44. Few people are as truly selfless as Mala is.
45. The one time I slept over her house, Becky and I were eating coffee grains while I'm pretty sure Mala was rubbing her face against the TV screen because a movie starring Ethan Hawke was on.
46. She can't digest food without punching herself in the gut.
47. Someday she's going to be the most successful person I know.
48. She recognizes the awesome power of the Stipe Effect.
49. No matter where she goes, she'll always live "right down the street."
50. She slept on a tent I made in my dorm room. And she cowered with me in fear...of Jesus.
51. I know she'll always be willing to participate in a game of online Scrabble.
52. This picture, as well as our love, is over 20 years old. It's my favorite picture, and I still have that little clown.
WHY DO YOU LOVE MALA?
(P.S. If no one comments on this, Mala, don't be dismayed. I don't know if anyone is reading! It's certainly no reflection on you.)
I know that she'll come back to good old PA in time (even if I have to kidnap her), but for now, I'm sad. It feels like only yesterday that I just stole her back from Virginia. So, to fend off my sorrows, I've written this blog in dedication to Mala, immortalizing our love by projecting it across that magical ether known as the Internets.
I present to you my list: 51 Reasons I Love Mala. I challenge all my readers out there who know and love that little brown girl (and by god, I know there's quite a few of you) to send a shout out below and add to my list. How high can we go?
1. Her head has been the same size since (at least) 1984.
2. She once got viciously attacked by a beagle.
3. "I think Michael has been compromised."
4. She always explains who all those people I can't remember are when they try to friend me on Facebook.
5. Sometimes she laughs and hyperventilates at the same time.
6. She never judges me, and she always listens.
7. She is so damn cute - irresistible, in fact.
8. In 6th grade, she made her own nametag: William Tell.
9. When she gave her maid-of-honor speech at my wedding, we both cried.
10. I can remember one of the first times I heard her say the F-word out loud.
11. She has great sense of humor and can always give you a smile.
12. Someday, our kids will be best friends. Oh, they will be, whether they like it or not.
13. The word "panties" makes her shudder and blush.
14. She's the first person I always call when news arises.
15. She's genuinely interested in the books I read.
16. She may appear tiny and meek, but she can snap you in two with her kung fu ways.
17. That girl has got some funky rhythm.
18. Seriously, she knows everything about everything.
19. "Is it raining? I hadn't noticed." This line makes her want to die.
20. She doesn't let being afraid stop her from doing something or going somewhere.
21. Who else do you know that ever carried fetal chickens around in her purse?
22. She's still in school, and she's 29 years old. I love it.
23. Her mother gave me a Riesen every morning while I waited for Mala to get ready and finish her breakfast.
24. She is willing to wear a shirt I made her, no matter how cheesy it is.
25. All of our bus rides with Dugan, talking about boys.
26. My dad called her "Oops" - and apparently, he was right.
27. She always puts everyone else ahead of herself.
28. When she finds out I wrote a blog about her, she'll be completely mortified, but under all that embarrassment, I know she'll be secretly loving it.
29. Almost every good memory I have - hell, almost every memory I have - has her in it.
30. We almost saw Radiohead together once (a band that she, in fact, introduced me to).
31. Sometimes, if we're lucky, she comes to the Lovely house on Christmas Day to hang with my family.
32. My enemies are her enemies. And vice versa.
33. When she would go to India in the summers when we were young, she would always write me letters - real letters (and I still have them all).
34. She fell in love with the tallest man I know. Go figure.
35. She tried so hard to find Jesus Fever a home. When she couldn't, she cried.
37. I don't know when her real birthday is.
38. The only speech I've ever given in public was about her.
39. We always have fun together - even when we're just playing Apples to Apples into the wee hours of the night.
40. We can go weeks without talking, and it never, ever matters.
41. She trusts me to take care of business when she's too shy to do it herself (FP's much).
42. She's pretty much obsessed with Pride and Prejudice - the mini-series.
43. Rolling around on the floor during middle school study halls in the cafeteria.
44. Few people are as truly selfless as Mala is.
45. The one time I slept over her house, Becky and I were eating coffee grains while I'm pretty sure Mala was rubbing her face against the TV screen because a movie starring Ethan Hawke was on.
46. She can't digest food without punching herself in the gut.
47. Someday she's going to be the most successful person I know.
48. She recognizes the awesome power of the Stipe Effect.
49. No matter where she goes, she'll always live "right down the street."
50. She slept on a tent I made in my dorm room. And she cowered with me in fear...of Jesus.
51. I know she'll always be willing to participate in a game of online Scrabble.
52. This picture, as well as our love, is over 20 years old. It's my favorite picture, and I still have that little clown.
WHY DO YOU LOVE MALA?
(P.S. If no one comments on this, Mala, don't be dismayed. I don't know if anyone is reading! It's certainly no reflection on you.)
She looked at me, and saw Simon Cowell creationism, and thus "Traegerspice" was born.
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When I see her, - I want to PICK HER UP & HUG HER!!! I just loved the comments... I got a little teary eyed!
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This made me cry. How lucky you both are to have each other.
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She's one of the best people I know. You can't help but smile when you hear "Mala."
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53. No matter how much you are against doing something, as soon as Mala asks you to do it, you're hooked. I can't say no to her.
54. She's the only person I know that would ever bring goat cheese sweet potato casserole to a Christmas party.
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55. Much like an alligator, Mala can digest a turtle shell to completion. No wait...that's Bill Brasky. Amanda's right; Mala pretty much has trouble digesting all food.
55a. I lived with Mala, and we had a Christmas tree up for like 2 years.
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as a 4th daughter I've always enjoyed her "interesting" outlook on life. I know she will be back (at least for Christmas). Good luck!!
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I wasn't sure what to say about this, so I decided to think about it for a night. Also, it took me that long to stop blubbering. How should I react? Should I counter with 51 (+1) things I love about Amanda? Wouldn't be much of a challenge. Should I say a few lines about how Amanda is my brother, my sister, my hero, my guru, the carrots to my peas, and the thumb to my index finger? Or should I just concede that I'm the luckiest person I can think of, and leave it at that?
For now, I'll just say Thank You, and that I'm glad we're in it together 4 LIFE.
Also, thanks to everyone who commented. You're some of the best people I know. I hope to see you all soon.
And finally, this: 52.
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Awhhhh! You two are adorable! (Still are...you look exactly the same!) Two of my favorite people!
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Mala you have always been a important part of our family and you are always welcome in the Lovely home. There are so many memories I have of you, I couldn't just think of one. Mostly, you have been a great friend to Amanda and I have enjoyed watching you two grow up and have that special friendship. Good luck and don't forget us!! Love ya
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- She looks better in an orange unitard with one arm and one leg than anyone else in the world possibly could.
- She's my homecoming queen.
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I still have my exclamation mark sweatshirt for MALA! She's the greatest!!
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Yesterday, Mala and I went to lunch at a small family establishment. After a while,our talk turned to the character of certain cities we had visited and the kind of generally pretentious or nasty elements those cities attract. Mala was talking about one city in particular and she struggled to find the right word to describe its characteristically Bougie citizens.
"It's not that they are all weenies," she began and then paused.
Now, keep in mind this is a very small restaurant and usually it is filled with doctors, Pitt professors, and any number of people who may be Mala's colleagues...So, when the word she was looking for finally came to her, and she yelled "That city is full of Poop-Butts" and then commenced laughing hysterically...well, it was pretty endearing.
Also, if you ignore the obvious physical differences, are fathers are basically identical, which must have somehting to do with why we get along so well.
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- She makes other people's parents proud of her in a way that only their genetic offspring should. My dad teared up when he heard that Mala got her PhD. God only knows how many other parents out there have wanted to trade in their kids for a Mala.
- Her many, many well-intentioned attempts to set me up with pretty much any dude with a pulse...
- ...which culminated in her being totally, albeit completely accidentally, responsible for me meeting my future husband. Seriously, I owe you for that, Mala.
- For being the nicest person I know who could also stone cold kill a man. I love that even though Mala is the best person ever, even she has this tiny box of rage that can be deployed in extreme instances - like when her friends are hurt or at the mere mention of Charles Martel.
- For laughing at my bad jokes.
- For probably being upset that I know the jokes are bad ("Don't talk about Becky that way!")
- For getting our high school math teacher to shake his hips to a hula hoop. An invisible hula hoop.
- For letting her friends (or at least this friend) off the hook without a second thought when we(I) have behaved like asses, but always holding herself to a much higher standard.
- Mala is Xtreme - she does everything to the max. Oh, Mala's doing kung fu...and now she's a black belt. Mala has taken up running...and now she's training for a marathon. Oh, Mala's into biology...now she's a PHD WORKING FOR FRIGGIN PRINCETON. Take a breather, lady. Dang.
- For having the last name Misra so I got to sit next to her in just about every class we had together.
- Like Teresa mentioned, any idea/activity/event, even one thought previously to be horrendous, becomes a must-do once Mala suggests it. I'll add to that that there is very little that Mala won't do, and the more ridiculous the suggestion the better. Mala will roll with anything and anyone. Just name the time and place.
- For giving everyone who knows Mala a standard by which to measure the goodness of a person. I have WWMD tattoed on my arm for moments of moral crisis.
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OK, this whole blog is O.O.C. You're all O.O.C.
Incidentally, in reference to Teresa's and Becky's comments on the subject, I can't think of a single ridiculous idea/activity/event that I've ever talked anyone else into. (Other than the underwater ballet set to whale songs. I still get chills, y'all.)
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OOOOhhh, Mala, I am certain to a reasonable degree that hiding on the top shelf of the cupboard from Mrs. Coletta, the principal's secretary, when we were supposed to be in some class somewhere during sixth grade but all chose instead to play hide and seek - that I am pretty sure might have been your idea.
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I too don’t like New Jersey but some people like that place. I too think that she would want to live in that cesspool for working for Princeton. I have read the 51 points you have put forwarded as the reason why she is your best friend and really enjoyed it. I haven’t even thought about finding points why someone became my best friend. You are really a brilliant girl and this post itself shows that how much you two are attached and how much you love and care about her. Don’t break your relationship even though she is away. Keep your friendship forever.
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