Talking to Lindsay last night, I discovered that California schools have a retarded three-week "semester" between New Year's Day and the start of the real second semester. So, if you don't take classes, you get a month off from late December to late January; the downside is that the second semester doesn't let out until the end of May, even later than Narwhal Day (May 23). I asked her what she's doing in January. She said, "You don't want to hear it, but Jake and I are going to Mexico." It is actually the first part of that statement which is bothering me. I don't like it, but her boyfriend (whom I'm going to dehumanize in the manner of Curly's Wife) is a very important part of her life (dark bastard: way more important that I've ever been). So, though she calls me her best friend, I'm shut out from probably the single most important thing in her life. She is doing it to protect me, because she knows that the idea of him causes me physical pain; Lindsay cares about me and doesn't want to see me hurt in any way. Nevertheless, by protecting me she's excluding me. As a consequence, I'm not going to know how important he is to her. I won't even know about the marriage until I get a wedding invitation.