for Amy

just over 24 hours ago, i was viciously fighting back the throes of sleep, willing myself to stay awake just one hour longer, checking my phone constantly to check how much time had elapsed and to ensure that i hadn't missed midnight.

why, you ask?

well, today was this one's 21st birthday.

...aaaand she is the most special chicken, whom i love ardently and cannot do without. naturally, then, i had to wish her a happy birthday as the day dawned!

it's as though my body was against me on this one - usually i'm up far later than midnight, but for some reason, last night i just couldn't keep my eyes open, resolving to compromise and doze off into a fitful bout of sleep with the lights on. thankfully, by sticking to this method, i managed to wake up just before midnight and got the message off in time. YES!

by this stage, you're probably thinking i'm a little psycho and stalkerish, which is probably fair, but i think if you have met and gotten to know Amy-Jane, you'll understand my friendly obsession ;)

for one thing, Amy and i have conversations that mainly consist of emojis. observe exhibits A-D below:


EXHIBIT A:



EXHIBIT B:



EXHIBIT C:



EXHIBIT D:


this is clearly the best way to build a solid friendship. we can communicate, nay, express deep and heartfelt emotion, in IMAGES.

there are other, more serious reasons why Amy is home and away one of the best people i know, however. for one thing, she talks AND she listens. these kinds of people are hard to find. Amy's and my friendship was forged in the fire that is the AMM's design computer lab, where we found ourselves seated alongside one another for maaaany hours. (more on that in a minute.) to survive in that soul-devouring place, you really need one another. i can't begin to describe the horror of spending hour upon hour alone in there (an experience which i lived several times and don't really wish on anyone at all). it's so necessary just to have a fat chat with whoever is around, spread some ridiculousness, talk about the most obscure and personal stuff and occasionally try to learn the dance moves in Meghan Trainor's "All About That Bass" music video or watch heartbreakingly cute animal clips. Amy is the best for this. if i were a worse friend, i'd hire her out by the hour as an advice-giver, or just a reassure-r. (i don't think that's a word. aaaanyway.) i shan't do this! i am a pretty good friend, but i can't hold a candle to Ames.

another thing i love about this girl is her passion and her discipline. she works. and by 'works', i mean she WORKS. i have not seen anything done by Amy that she hasn't poured her whole being into. that's a tough ask in design class, where you're bound to come across a project or two that just don't resonate with you. that's also difficult to do when working for a student newspaper, where the layout is often repetitive and difficult to adjust, and it's a lot simpler to stick with the most basic format, even if it doesn't look as great as it could. Amy won't stand for that, and i love her for it. she is meticulous and passionate and sticks to her guns. she's a fiery redhead and it's the greatest thing.

this leads on to another of Amy's many many virtues. as passionate as she is about her work, she is that much more passionate about the people that she loves. i have witnessed Amy fight for friendships, and it is something beautiful and rare in this world. she cares a lot more than many people i know our age, who have reached a point of ambivalence or indifference in relationships that is quite discouraging. instead of taking this approach, Ames will explore every angle of a situation and fight ferociously for what she feels is right, without demeaning or attacking whoever or whatever's in the other corner with hatred or disregard. when something has happened that has upset her, she refuses to attack the person who has caused the upset; she approaches them to talk it all over. she sends comprehensive messages of THIS length to resolve problematic situations. 2 and a half screens worth of willingness to meet halfway.





can you imagine this? she is an absolutely magical unicorn of a person.

there are so many other things i love about Amy. she has the most beautiful smile. she and her boyfriend Quentin have been dating for 5 years now and they are precious - not in a demeaning sense, but in the sense that what they have is something rare and incredibly valuable. she shares her chocolate with me. (this is clearly the best thing.) she keeps me sane and reassures me that everything is going to be alright, and even if it isn't, that she will be there. when you have someone like that fighting in your corner, don't they deserve a message at midnight? don't they deserve a blog post? they deserve a lot more, in fact. cake's on me when you get back here, Amesaroonie ;)

so: there you have it. my attempt to sum up the awesomeness that is the beautiful Amy-Jane, and to make you all jealous if she is not your friend. for the final time tonight, my sweet and ever-steady friend, i will take the opportunity to announce:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

i love you more than songs or blog posts or words (or even emojis) could say.