hung out with some of my peeps at artifacts. it's our place. we are regulars and the owner loves us. they make sangrias with crisp fuji apple chunks, mini golden raisins, and walnuts. so yumm. and o is an old friend of theirs back in town who g has been been trying to get me to meet. love o. good heart, smart, funny kid from arizona. he and i have hung out the last two nights and it's great. and not even remotely a love interest. phew. but we talk non-stop and laugh. it feels strange that my friends are the boy's friends. but it is coincidental. as in, i met them before i met him. i pursued and connected with them before he even got back into town. and now boy is in qingdao, trying to finish his movie. so i get to really spend time with these people without the torment of his presence. so of course, because beijing is another tiny planet, ted's ex joined us last night with a few other people. and it was great. i didn't know it was her until an hour had passed because no one had said her name. and then i definitely felt weird. not at all threatened. but i paid attention to where i might feel that way. she has been in a very strong relationship with someone else since right after her and boy's break-up more than 5 months ago. and she's smart and funny. a little too hard on her deliveries but i liked her. asian american from vermont. vermont! we had a LOT to laugh about. and i DID like her but i didn't love her which was, in my dysfunction, kind of a relief. his consistent disappointing behavior is making things s i m p l e. thanks for that. we were all sitting on the comfy couches with low ceilings at artifacts, drinking and watching the second big snowstorm. it's fucking cold here, kids. but it's the best. and you should really meet helen.

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