MISS JULIA

Just spent a rather enjoyable evening with Julia, my best gal pal. Julia's shacked up with a guy now but for a few years she was as dirty as you like having one night stands like there was a ration on hot men. Julia has been there for me through thick and thin and is the first sounding board for me. Last night, she was the first person I called after my argument with my mum and she tends to take an objective point of view. Julia was in my team in BT when I started there 6 years ago. She left there at the tail end of 2003 and I left about 6 months after that. On nights out, I'd invariably end up staying at Julia's feeding the cat and going out to get breakfast for her to make on a Sunday morning where we'd all be sitting in our pyjamas watching DVDs and reading the papers. Julia has always been the hostess with the mostess and tended to always throw shindigs at her flat. However, last year was a year of change for a lot of us. Julia finally hooked up with a guy who she'd been kinda fucking for a few years and moved in with him and I moved into my own flat. Perhaps due to laziness in both our parts, but Julia and I haven't kept in touch as much as we had done. David and Jon see her regularly as they all work together for the same company so we're always aware of what each other's up to. I went for lunch with Julia last week and then made arrangements for her to come over to mine tonight for dinner whilst sitting in George Square taking in the sun and contemplating whether or not I should go to the sauna or whether she should interrupt her day of going to the gym by going home and blowing her boyfriend - we both did what we were contemplating.

Julia's always a good laugh and we bitched and laughed and speculated about our respective families and friends and offered frank and honest advice. Sometimes Julia infuriates me but we have a really strong bond and despite not seeing her or speaking for a few weeks, we can always pick up the phone and have a bit of banter. When we all went to Ibiza 2 years ago, I shared apartments with Julia and thought that 2 weeks living with someone would be a royal pain in the tits as I've never spent that much time with someone. Although there were 10 of us in Ibiza, I never felt pissed off with her and quite a few nights the two of us went out ourselves and got ripped to the titties and had the most fun. Shortly after that holiday she made it all official with her boyfriend Steven and it felt right. Julia and I had spent a last big Hurrah together before she went on to the next chapter in her life and I went on to mine.

Maybe it's because we just watched the final episode of this season's Desperate Housewives or maybe it's just because I'm feeling good but it's got me all philosophical about friends. Now read this next few sentences and pretend it's Mary Alice Young speaking at the end of each episode of Desperate Housewives:- Some friendships cross many boundaries and some don't stand the test of time, but the ones that are worth it, the ones that mean the most are the ones that always survive - no matter what.

PS - The season finale's a real zinger!!!!! (That PS wasn't in a Mary Alice voice by the way!)