thoroughly modern minneapolis, orchallenge: phone an ex- today

visitors came in tonight.

my friend sam from college and her girlfriend kara came in. it was great. they are traveling from minneapolis to go to the super fun columbus event, comfest. it's worth it - it's a street fair in ohio where lots of people gather downtown-ish. a favorite. a community fest.

here in chicago, we are lucky enough to experience that all the time. i tried to convince them to stay for pride here on sunday, but they have no scope of just how big pride is. i remember living in ohio, and thinking pride in columbus/cleveland/cincinnati was awesome. here, it's another ballgame. i think that i'm torn on the politics of what the pride parade has become, but generally, i think it's pretty awesome. the difference in a huge city vs. a big city is this: people who are straight, big families, traditional, come out to celebrate the weekend and cheer it on - and whether it's false or not, it gives you a sense that people are moving forward and becoming more progressive. so, here, it seems like even those who are fiscally conservative, let's say, are still on board with da gayz. that was encouraging to me when i moved here. amazing. as things have changed, i still remember that feeling and how accepting i felt chicago was.

sam was my first girlfriend ever. we went through a lot. she brought her new girlfriend, kara, with her from minneapolis. they've been dating about a year - she's lovely. they are sleeping in my apartment now, in the back empty bedroom, as i type. amy, who is a great pal from high school and another wonderful ex i have, is also sleeping on our couch after a night of debauchery. this sounds insane, but it couldn't be more normal. i love that these people i have cared about have stayed close as friends - after all, after you invest in someone, why wouldn't you continue to love them somehow?

a sad part of tonight: we found out that a friend from the class above ours in high school passed away from complications of juvenile diabetes in her sleep on tuesday night. it was a huge shock, and i don't even know what to think about it. life is fragile. i feel like i haven't found a good way to deal with this kind of stuff, because all i could mumble at dinner was "that's fucked up" a thousand times. you know, i take it back - maybe you should never get good at hearing stuff like this.