Olivia

I have this friend. We'll call her, um ... oh, nevermind ... it's Olivia.

Olivia is so awesome, people. I know that both Adrienne and Katherine have posted odes to Olivia on their blogs, and I'm not trying to steal their thunder, but Olivia rocks. She inspires people to sing her praises.

Like today. I'm sitting there, in my swivelly chair at Avanti, talking to the girl (Stephanie) cutting my hair. Stephanie has just finished this book Olivia loaned her, Eat Pray Love, and she could not stop raving about it. And I was like, I know, right? Just hearing Olivia talk about it, I want to read it too. So our conversation gradually shifted from how awesome the book is to how awesome Olivia herself is.

And I said, "She is so amazing. I mean," (and I raised my voice in case Elisa could hear me) "I'm not knocking my other friends, 'cause I love my other friends too, but there is just something special about her."

And Mary Alice, the owner of Avanti, walks by and says, "You are talking about Olivia, right?"

And I'm like, "Yes!"

And Mary Alice said, "I knew it! She's just so amazing! She was in here the other day, just hanging out, and when she left, it was like the whole energy in the room was different."

And that is such an awesome way to describe Olivia. She has that effect on people. She's like an electric charge. She really brings out the best in people. I can always tell when she is on the phone because Jonathan gets so animated (and usually speaks with an outrrrrrrageous French accent). She's the person I always want everyone to meet. I remember Leila asking me, about some gathering I was having, "Is that funny blond chick going to be there?" and I knew she meant Olivia, even though it had seriously been years since they were introduced. But Olivia is very memorable. I can't wait for Andy to meet her this fall. He is going to love her.

She was talking about her trip to Scotland, and how the people everywhere were so friendly. How everyone would just come over and talk to her. And I thought, She has no idea. It's not the people everywhere she goes who are friendly and outgoing. It's that she is friendly and outgoing and it rubs off on everyone she meets.