Ode to Danni-L

I decided that I want to do an "Ode to _____" for each one of my closest friends to let them know how much I appreciate them and why they rock my socks. This first one is to Danni-L (Dannielle). You may wonder why the picture of Dove. I was thinking about her this morning as I was showering because my mum bought me this Dove conditioner and the smell reminds me of her. You may be snickering now wondering why I am thinking of Danni in the shower and conditioner smells remind me of her. Well, for the longest time Danni used Dove shampoo and conditioner and whenever she'd shower or bathe the scent would linger in the bathroom and go throughout the house, gently covering up the smell of kitty litter (thank the heavens).

Danni and I also had a brief stint as roommates and we both used Dove at the time. There is no one else I know that uses it, or at least whose house I am at to smell it as much as I was at Danni's house. We've been friends for 7.5 years now. We met back in December 2001 during a winter solstice party that she and her then boyfriend were throwing at their house. A friend of mine brought me over to the house and that's where I met Danni. Danni was loud, tall and entirely too energetic to possibly allow gravity to keep her where she was in one piece. I liked her! A burly 6'1 girl with long blond hair and a beautiful and charming smile. She asked me how I was and I said "Peachy!" and she was startled I think because she often used the same word to describe her state of joy. We were linked. Inseparable from that point on. We listened to Garth Brooks' Greatest Hits, drank slushies incessantly over the following spring/summer to get through those BC heat waves. We'd take my putt-putt (My 1991 Pontiac Firefly) all over the lower mainland from Agassiz to Vancouver and back on beautiful sunny days, cranking the music that consisted of plenty of country, folk, and alternative. Namely: Matchbox 20, Great Big Sea, Arrogant Worms, and plenty of other names to keep us grooving.

Eventually she moved into a small 2 brm apartment in the downtown core of the city. She started going to university with me and she got hooked...on criminology and psychology. Criminal psychology? I remember she had a ton of books about serial killers---BTK was one I remember. Here are a list of things that remind me of Danni and things that I believe are very "Danni-esque". They are in no particular order:

• Blue Kitchen-Aid products/utensils.

• Her "tea-maker" which was a blue coffee maker but she told Ian to never make coffee in it. One day he did and tainted it. She was furious. She was very particular about her tea-maker.
• Tea, in general. She got me hooked on it.
• Rusks (those dutch crunchy flat breads upon which you'd slather margarine and sprinkles. I don't know the dutch name for those sprinkles.)

• Delft! It's dutch too. It's those china dust catchers that are blue and white. I should really show a picture here.

• Cats (Indigo and Orange...such sweet little kittens. RIP Orange :) )
• Post-it notes and white-dry calendars. She is an incessant organizer.
• Beaches: One of her all-time favourite movies.

• SCA: Society for Creative Anachronism. It's that crazy troupe enthusiastic for all things medieval. She's been involved for five or six years now and loves loves loves it!
• Rob Thomas. Dreamy. Nuff said.

• Spaghetti Sauce: She makes the best!
• King Bones. I can't even explain this one well enough...it's her favourite painting that her and Ian shared in their home that she now keeps because she loves it. It's probably the tackiest painting, at least on its own in a neutral livingroom, but so awesome at the same time.
• Sarongs: In summer she used to live in them.

Those are just a few things that say "Danni" to me. She's an honest, totally untactful, beautiful, charismatic, amazonish, valkyrie who seeks justice in the world. She's a strong-willed, intelligent dreamer. She's about to finish her schooling and graduate with a degree in Criminology. I'm so so proud of her and want her to know that. I love her a lot and I don't know what I'd do without her in my life. Here's to you Danni!