Facebook with Benefits

I have this friend, let's call her Elvira. She is my all time one and only BFF. We met on the first day of primary school and were inseparable for years. Almost all of my childhood memories feature her in one way or another. We have survived different high schools, drinking binges at 12, not talking for 2 years, boyfriends, life changes and then about 10 years ago she moved interstate.

She has grown into the smartest person I know (actually I should call her Dr Elvira) and I have grown into ... Well I don't know who she thinks I have grown into but I know she finds my talking openly about vaginas challenging. No matter what we have changed into over the years she is still the one person I can call and just plow back into the conversation like we talk everyday.  Truth is though that we only talk once a month or so and we only see each other a few times over the christmas period.

But these days I feel like I know more about her than ever. I mean I have always known who she is on the inside but 10 years of living in different states could take its toll on a friendship. That's where facebook comes in. Being that she is an avid facebooker and an even more avid tweeter I know more about her day to day activities than I have since we were little. I also know the kind of things that are on her mind and days when a call would be good/or bad.

Mostly facebook and twitter doesn't really seem that important. I mean sure its helped me reconnect with some old friends, which is brilliant, and even keep in touch with some new ones but the real value to me is the connection it gives me with loved ones who are far away and its not just Elvira. Its cousins and aunts who live OS and new friends who like me are too time poor for phone calls or weekly catch ups.

Take away the stupid barnyard games and the quizzes about which Twilight character you are there are some very useful parts of these internet networking programs and I for one am glad to know that Elvira is waiting for her BF to get out of the optometrist and I also needed to share (and be given some sympathy) about the fact that I dropped my coffee all over the rug and broke my favourite cup.  And sure I could have called Elvira and told her ... But she is out waiting outside the optometrist *grin*