Weekends in New York

I am spending the next two weekends in New York City.

This coming weekend is July 4th, and we're going to do three things:
1. Coney Island & Nathan's hot dog eating contest
2. Fireworks, as seen from Roosevelt Island
3. Yankees/RedSox game

The weekend following, I'm celebrating a group 40th birthday gathering. I'm not sure how to better describe it. I still am in (relatively) close touch with my 4 best friends from high school. This year, we all turn 40. Due to lots of different schedules, families and locations, we're going to get together for one weekend to celebrate.

The 5 of us have managed to keep close through 4 marriages, 4 kids, 3 adoptions, 2 parental divorces, 1 parental passing, 1 PhD, 3 Master Degrees, 2 college dropouts (hiatuses), 21 years of a hand-written chain letter and countless "i'm in town for one day, let's do lunch" type drop-ins.''

For a group of women, we've managed to only have one disagreement about boys, thankfully. Compared to my other friends, this is apparently quite the accomplishment.

Yet, despite all this, I still remain a bit anxious about our Birthday Gathering. Its now taken on the importance of capital letters, I guess.

I honestly can't remember the last time the 5 of us were together. I think it might have been our 5th-year high school reunion. I'm not counting weddings because one of us was (obviously) otherwise occupied during those occasions.

So what if we have nothing in common but crazy memories of our halcyon days? (side note: i have no idea exactly what that means but always wanted to drop it into conversation or blogversation). Will we be stuck with minutes of uncomfortable pauses? Will I fall back on babbling like I always do to fill an uncomfortable silence?

I'm probably more curious than worried. There is a part of me, the unsocial part, that will just be curious to sit back and observe the dynamic like I'm examining lab rats. That probably won't go over to well.

None of the girls going on the trip read this blog. Hell, I don't think anyone reads this blog. So there is no chance they will be influenced by my nerves, but I am wondering if they feel the same way I do...