Slip slidin' awayyyy

My friends, it is officially Winter in New York City.

Oh? you say. How so?

It's a simple calculation really.

Last night, we had a dusting of snow. That fluffy nothing that squeaks under your feet and turned my little brownstone-lined block into a mystery-land where every surface is crusted with crystal, and I found myself impulsively snapping photos with my camera phone and smiling at the delight that such a simple sight can bring.

But by nine o'clock this morning, this seemingly innocent accumulation of crystallized water had turned the path from my front door to the subway into a Treacherous Skating Rink of Doom, leaving me and my high heels to do the Constipation Walk all the way to the subway, lest I stumble and shatter my coccyx (read: fall and bust my ass).

Oh yes, Winter is here.

But along with the biting winds and treacherous stretches of ice-slicked concrete, she also brings.... parties! Two, yes TWO, of which I will be attending this weekend.

Saturday brings my favourite annual Christmas party, sure to be filled with much camaraderie and mutual destruction of liver and lungs.

Tomorrow, Slater is having a "low key" gathering of fellow grad students over to his place to celebrate our survival of the semester. And herein lies an itty bitty dilemma.

Significant others are invited. Which means... B is bringing The Girlfriend.

Now, for the most part, I am over this whole fiasco. Sure, he's still hot, and still one of my best friends, but I've had some time to digest the fact that he is off-limits and I'm more-or-less okay with it. As in, I'm as okay with it as I possibly can be considering I spent two months thinking I was in the midst of a budding romance as he systamatically failed to mention The Girlfriend's existence. Fine.

But now I have to interact with her, and this could go one of two ways. First, I could love her. This would be fine, though slightly irritating to discover that the man I spent two months pining after is attached to someone just as good (if not better) than me. Still, this is the best-case scenario.

Or, I could hate her. And therein lies my fear, because if I hate her, it will be solely for her personality--not because she is The Girlfriend. I mean, really, it's not her fault that she met him two years before I did and ended up embroiled in a "complicated" relationship that went unmentioned for a large percentage of his and my acquaintance. Hating her for that would be, well, illogical. And I am nothing if not logical (sic).

But if she turns out to be vile and I hate her, the above is exactly what it would look like.

There is also the possibility that he told her about my little drunken confessional, and that? That would just be a one way ticket to Awkward City for yours truly.

However, at least her being there will prevent me from getting trashed and reenacting said confessional. Well, it will prevent the confessional at any rate. I fully plan on ending the evening ridiculously intoxicated and passed out on Slater's couch, because there is no way I am navigating the ridiculously complex route required by mass transit to get from his home to mine, nor am I attempting to direct a car service from the backwoods of Queens to the backwoods of Brooklyn.

All that being said, I'm trying not to stress it. It's a party, lots of good people will be there because Slater has excellent taste. I mean, hey, he likes me, right? :) So it will be what it will be and if The Girlfriend sucks I can hopefully avoid her without being too painfully obvious and if she rocks, well, I'll swallow my wounded... whatever.

I can lick my wounds on Sunday. For the time being... let's party!