Just one of the guys...

I am not a tomboy. I’m not a jock.

I think I’ve already mentioned that I like shoes. And shiny things. Sparkly makeup... that kind of stuff... I was captain of the cheerleading squad in high school fer cryin’ out loud! (And I will have to kill you if you tell anyone that, y’know...)

So why then are my close friendships almost overwhelmingly with guys? Hell if I know – but it really takes a bite out of time spent shoe-shopping, let me tell you!

Of course, there are exceptions. The Monster, for example (one of my closest friends ever but – dang it! – she’s in California). Adrienne, for another. Definitely NOT a guy. Danielle? Oh, heck no. But her husband sure is.

Like I said, I have girl-friends, but when I start to count the majority of my friendships, the fog of testosterone rolls on in. My absolute best friend in the world? That would be my boyfriend. Goes without saying, he’s a guy (and, in fact, the last pair of shoes I bought, he picked out – but that was a rare excursion. Normally, shopping with me drives him to utter distraction)...

This is by NO means a complaint. Heck - one of my favourite things to do in the world is hit the pub on Hockey Night and scream along at the big screen with the guys. The Theatre Company I’m involved with is heavily weighted in favour of boys (mostly because we do Shakespeare and the list of Dramatis Personae is almost always dude-heavy – in fact, it’s almost more like a hockey team than a theatre company). And really? I was always more interested in the relationships between the Knights of the Round Table than the one between Guinevere and Lancelot, anyway.

So sure. Interesting observation but what does it mean? Well... I dunno. I think it means that my support system is a little different than that of a lot of other women I know. I don’t get to do heart-to-hearts that often. Or – as I said – anywhere near as much retail therapy as I’d like (boys do NOT understand the intrinsic, spiritual value of browsing, I tell you!)...

But what I get instead is rock-solid, unspoken camaraderie. Or barely spoken: “How’s the book goin’?” “Good. Really good.” “Cool. Don’t stand in front of the TV.”

It’s also funny, then, to me that I now find myself here, grogging along with a bunch of chicks. *grin* And, more to the point, I find myself really enjoying it. It’s kind of a new dynamic for me and I owe you guys (girls!) a debt of gratitude for that friendship.

Of course, I wouldn’t trade my lads for anything. Because, really? If I’m designated to spend my life as one of the boys, I can still count on the fact that I’m usually the cutest one of the boys.