Today is Elvis Costello's Birthday.

There is a reason that I love him. We are eternally linked by the stars. And it turns out that many of the people I love most in the world also have virgo/leo birthdays: Family members (my brother Ian, nephew Aiden, sister-in-law Scarlette), celebrities (elvis!!! Sean Connery, Claudia Schiffer, Tim Burton, Leonard Bernstein, Monty Hall, Regis Philbin and Billy Ray Cyrus and I all share the same birthday!) and many good friends over the years including Jessica Bartley with whom I shared my baptismal date in 1986. That was meant to be!

But today I'd like to highlight my favorite and best birthday partner. A(AKA alie, alta, nipta, niptuck, Niptucky...the list goes on). Here are just a few reasons why this girl is one of my favorites-

1. Endless energy for creating nicknames. I've always always always wanted a nickname, but KaRyn doesn't really lend itself to good ones, unless you think KaRyntintin (after a dog???:( ) or KaRynnie (simple but not really very practical for everyday use) are good. Alie gives EVERYONE a nickname. She calls her mom and dad, merna and poobah. She calls her daughter, the Lady, sareenade which she then shortened to nader and then to ralph nader and then to ralph. She has also developed creative nicknames for our friend caitlyn who has gone from Caitlyn to Portland to Portlandia to Landy to Landia to landycane and so on and so on. Can you see how it works? You can't be near her without getting a nickname or giving a nickname. It's addictive. I think I've been Ninny, Ryn, nipta, and on and on and now I AM ninny beth because alie decrees it so.

2. Perfect party partner. A and I discovered that while we both enjoy being the center of attention, we didn't compete! It's the most beautiful relationship. We would go to a party, say "see you later" to each other and come back together at the end of the evening having respectively made new friends and debrief about the experience. She can hold her own.

3. EXCELLENT songwriter. I learned everything I know from A. She is the author/co-author of many of Portland's best hits:
CUTE BOYS: The musical
The Park Terrace Hos: A lullabye
We Are Friends (which lyrics include only the words "WE ARE FRIENDS!" Brilliant in their sparse beauty)
And my personal favorite (sung to the tune of John Mayer's "You're Body Is A Wonderland") My Body's Not A Garbage Can which is a functional song meant to inspire and shame you into not eating anything with dairy products in it.

4. Easy to spend hours and hours and hours accidently spooning with her. You'll probably need to ask her husband tovey for an update as A and I ended our spooning relationship about 5 years ago but The memories are still sweet. (Caitlyn: Um, are you guys SPOONING????)

5. Funniest person I've ever met. (AND I know ryan hamilton...so that says a lot) Alie is the kind of funny you don't see coming. For example: Sitting in a wendy's one night just eating a potato and chili, talking about something completely silly. Suddenly, A starts to hum along with the muzak that is loudly being pumped into the dining area. She starts swaying and closes her eyes, enraptured by this nana muskori version of something that we should all probably know. She finally opens her eyes, seriously, and says, THIS. is. my. favorite. song. Closes them again and starts to hum and sway out of sync with the music. I think I laughed till I peed and now I steal her joke. Most of my best "Material" comes from A.

6. She's married but she's not an annoying married friend who is condescending or doesn't think you can handle her life because she has to put the toilet seat down before she goes to the bathroom. She's still just as funny, engaging, motivated and fun to talk to as she ever was only now she tells weird stories about the Lady and has a darling husband playing Guitar Hero in the living room when we talk.

A, Happy Birthday two days before me! Thanks for all the dairyfree trips to Fred Meyers and helping me discover Trader Joes and being my party partner and teaching me how to have fun again after being a boring missionary and ringing in our 25th birthdays together so many years ago. I wish we were in the same place to do it all again! I'll come back to the US when you name a kid after me.