My Posse

I hadn't seen the Ducks 'n Puppies/Duck My Puppies/those who duck the puppies all in one place in quite some time.

It's possible we hadn't all been together since S&M got married last September which doesn't actually count since S&M were a LEETLE busy that day.

Oh sure. I see O probably once a month. I see Devowasright about as often. Bomb Betsy and S&M? Maybe every couple of months randomly at the grocery or driving down the street. Do I ever see Sarah Williams? Never. Not unless there is an actual Ducks 'n Puppies organized event to which we drag her kicking and screaming. We promise her liquor. She eventually complies.

Most often though, our interactions with each other are online...all except Sarah Williams who also refuses to join Facebook choosing, instead, to maintain her MySpace profile. I think she's just being contrary *laugh*.

A couple of weeks ago, I decided I'd had enough with the no-see-each-other shenanigans. And so I put out the request for a gathering and all responded overwhelmingly YES! Let's do it. Hence, Saturday night found the Grotto full to brimming with the ducks, the puppies, a couple of belfry bats who were welcomed with open arms, and a Lurky Lex hiding in his bedroom.

Everyone stayed to the bitter end - the ducks and puppies all leaving in a pack around a quarter of 2. The belfry bats stayed just a bit longer since they had nowhere to go but up.

It was a perfect evening with a great group of friends.

Not too long ago, someone told me this group of friends were a "posse"...my posse. Strictly speaking, we're not all men, several are unarmed (although I do have ossim defcon knives), and no law enforcement agency in the world would ever call on any of us for assistance.

Yes, we're good friends who occasionally get together and hang out - apparently we sometimes don't wear pants while hanging out which gives a whole new meaning to the idea of hanging out (I digress). Overall though, we each have our own set of close friends we see on a regular basis who know in much more indepth detail the ins and outs of the monotony of our lives. So...a posse? Really?

When I think of a posse...my posse...I didn't ever really think I had one of those. I mean, I have wonderful, gorgeous, intelligent, funny friends from all walks of life and from all sorts of communities. But I don't have just one core group of friends I hang out with all the time like, you know, in a gang...or a speech team.

Unless, of course, you count Lex and Vinny but they're my family. It's not the same.

Acr0nym...he's about as close as I come to a posse but I don't think a posse can just be two people...can it? And certainly he and I share any number of acquaintance friends and even good friends but nothing you could ever consider a posse. He's got 303. I guess I'm now something of an "official" 303'er. I mean, I got my handle and all but I don't fit in there. Not exactly. That's his posse (I think). It's not mine. They accept me (generally) because of him, because of TC, because of Spux. I can't stand on my own in that crowd. So no, they aren't my posse.

This was a bit upsetting to me when I first started to consider it. Why don't I have a core group of friends who I just see and concentrate on all the time? Maybe it's because I was shoved unceremoniously out of the first posse I can remember and spent the last 3 years of my elementary school career friendless and now...what? Don't put all my eggs in one basket?

Maybe. Partially.

I think it has more to do with just being excited by all sorts of people I meet. I develop intellectual crushes on so many! I love so many people for what they offer and don't hesitate to tell them - each and every one. So many people are shiny, sparkly, fabulous people and I really like the diversity. I really like the challenge. I really like that they like me. Me. Just Jane.

And I'm also glad and consider myself extraordinarily fortunate to have such varied, lovely people in my life...people I can honestly call "friend".

Anyway, so yeah, at first, I was a little distressed over the fact that I didn't have an official posse. And then I stopped to consider something very important...very very important. Just because I don't see the Ducks 'n Puppies as often as I'd like or as often as I think I should in order to give them the designation "posse" doesn't mean we aren't important to each other, that we are fair weather friends, and that we wouldn't share life's most important moments with each other (we were all there for S&M's wedding, for instance).

For one, we spend holidays together - both Thanksgiving and Christmas.

But it goes beyond that.

I actually stopped to consider something WAY more important.

If push came to shove, who the hell would I call to bail my ass out of jail? The list goes a little something like this...

1. Lex and Acr0nym
2. One of the Ducks 'n Puppies
3. Big Matty
4. Spux

If I needed to get to the hospital, who would I call? (This is largely dependent upon caring, proximity, and transportation):

1. Lex and Acr0nym
2. modchen and #himself
3. One of the Ducks 'n Puppies (O, Mo, Bomb Betsy)
4. The Divatologist

If my mom or my cat just died?

1. Lex and Acr0nym
2. One of the Ducks 'n Puppies
3. modchen and/or #himself
4. Mom = Divatologist. Cat = Spux

This doesn't mean I wouldn't want or need the help of other people in my life for any and all of these scenarios. But it's good to know who you'd call first in the event of an emergency.

And that is what makes a posse.

Who would you call? Who'd call you? Are they your posse? No really. I want to know.