My Dinners With Joanna

I've been trying to get together more often with my friend Joanna Leiva. We have known each other for over 15 years and were once almost inseparable. She lives in Silverlake, just south of Sunset. In fact, we have the same zip code. She also works at a neighborhood legal office, some four blocks away from my house. You'd think we'd make time to see one another more often, but in the last couple of years, I have only seen her on three separate ocassions. And in the last five years, I have met with her only one additional time.
After playing phone tag for a while, we decided last month to meet for dinner at Masa's, on Sunset and Lemoyne (where Carmelo's used to be). We had such a fun time. It was great trying to catch up with her and learning what we've both been up to with our lives. We both ordered salads and we shared a delicious plate of green mussels. We also shared Masa's bread pudding, which is quite delicious. That night, we decided we would start getting together once a month.
Yesterday, in the early evening, we ate at La Autentica, a Mexican restaurant, also in Echo Park, at the corner of Sunset and Douglas. She ordered a burrito mojado in green sauce. And for some stupid reason, I ordered a hamburger, which was only as good as a hamburger gets in a Mexican restaurant. (I highly recommend anything served in their mole sauce and their chilaquiles.) We ate everything! We talked. We reminisced. We caught up on news on old friends. And had a great time once again. What I love about my friendship with Joanna is our understanding that although we do not see each other more often, we still hold special places in our heart for one another. We are still the same people. We will always be friends.
We are planning another outing in the coming three weeks. I can't wait!