An Open Letter to Cupcake

Ali,

I’m going to open this letter with a final plea. Bring back Can’t Stop Reading! Seriously. It enriched my life and helped me to find new and exciting children’s literature and YA titles. You’re no longer backpacking across Australia and have not been for more than a year so what up? Having a real career is no excuse.

And speaking of careers, yours is pretty awesome. When you wrote that you were calling off the Australian Fantasy Trip to come home for an interview, I gave you mad props. Clearly, you were the perfect candidate for the job (because you got it! Shwing!) but had I been in the same position, I’m not sure I would have taken the risk. Or left the beach, for that matter. Everyday you get to do something that you love. But Ali, it’s way more than that – you are amazing at your job. You are and have always been immersed in books and literature. That you spend your days trying to spread the book love is such an exciting opportunity. While we’re on the subject, Christmas is coming and my sister has asked for books – what’s hot for 9-year olds now?

You taught me that laying down is the most superior of all positions in the Hierarchy of Rest. I only wish you were closer so that Bed Lyin’ could be on the official agenda far more frequently. In the years since we have lived in the same household, I have never once met a person who makes coffee and French toast like you.

You can be counted on for birthday phonecalls. That alone deserves an Excellent Achievement Award as I still owe people gifts and calls from 2006.

From shaky Halloween cupcake beginnings, you have blossomed into a Taker of Classes and I was amazed, over-joyed and secretly so proud of the beautiful glass beads that you busted out last holiday season. I’ll not make fun of your craft skills again. Okay, so that’s not true. Making fun will continue as per our regular mocking schedule.

When you were in The Centre of the Universe and Environs this spring, I could not have been happier. Matheson gets to hog you when you’re both trying to stay dry on the West Coast so it was fabulous to get some face time. It was nearly like old times. I say nearly, because we’ve obviously gotten smarter and better looking in the ten or so years since we first started trampling around the Byward Market. Though judging from the amount of sangria we consumed you still believe that “being drunk is the best feeling in the world and (you are) going to do everything in your power to stay that way FOREVER”.

I miss you.

A lot.

Kim