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How We Met

As some of you who already know, who have met us IRL or at the daily live sessions of Co-Working for Hive @creativeworkhour, that @bitterirony (aka Devin in the photo above) and I are "an item." We met when we were 11 and 12 years of age both living with our families in the tiniest county of the biggest state of the contiguous USA.

The first time we met was at the band hall of the middle school. A very young @bitterirony was assigned to take the instruments from the students first thing in the morning, but this was news to me on the first day of the school year. So I went to the band hall as I had done every school day of the previous year, only to be intercepted by the likes of this kid, a trombone player.

He proceeded to block my entering the rehearsal hall to put my clarinet on the assigned storage shelf. Instead of moving aside, he reached for my clarinet case with some misplaced authority.

He asserted that he was his job to take the instruments for Mr. McGill, the band director, so the kids wouldn't mess up the band hall leaving him to straighten all the chairs and music stands after the bell sounded for school to start. I don't rightly remember how I expressed myself exactly to be sure, but there's a strong chance I countered his unwelcome offer to take my clarinet with the sentiment, "like hell!"

An Unconventional Relationship

We're weird. We're crazy about each other, but @bitterirony and I don't live together. That would be too conventional. Not just that, but by preference, we live in two different countries. He's in New England and I'm in Jolly Olde England.

He drives on the right side of the road and I don't drive at all. He has our one living plant and our cat, NisaBoo, while when I'm on my own I sleep with a stuffie elephant named Ellie, who travels with me all over the world.

But we're both creative and we're both technical. We're both intensely sensitive at times and we'll both offer to “take you out back and whip your ass" if we see you kicking dogs.

How Our Relationship Works

Respect. And worship. We adore each other.

For example, we have promised to only laugh when the other's joke lands. We'll bail each other out of jail if it comes to that no questions asked. And we'd clean up a patch of bad judgement evidenced from the night before, that's not our own.

Here's the real litmus test—and this is what a sixteen year-old @bitterirony said to me about the longevity of our relationship, "should you ever find a better deal than me...take it." I remember what I thought in that very moment, "Goddamn! I'm in love!"

What's a 5-Hour Time Zone Difference When You're In Love?

Interestingly this where personal and creative interests have collided. As founder of Creative Work Hour, I had hosted a couple of hundred of the Live Co-working events, before @bitterirony joined in. He says he didn't ask earlier so as to not encroach on "my thing." But now he comes every day and will host anytime I'm on a deadline or traveling.

Today was one of those days, as time is super tight for me this week as Guest Judge for @ladiesofhive Contest #275. I was in session, but he moved his work meeting to free me up to read and mark the stack of entries that have arrived, so I was just a regular attendee.

It may sound odd, but our seeing each other in Creative Work Hour everyday is how we see each other every day. Then later, after I have met the midnight UTC deadline for "The CWH Daily News 📰" posted from the @creativeworkhour account and my personal post from this account and he has wrapped up his business day on the US East coast, @bitterirony and I have our chat. Yeah, it means it's 2 or 3am before I get to bed most nights, but what’s there to do? It's hopeless, love.

How Often Do We See Each Other?

Generally, we'll meet up every six weeks. Bigger Hive events and some of my classical music concerts may hasten visits more often. He is quite good at keeping important dates in mind and sends thoughtful gifts with exquisite timing.

This time of year brings grief to me, so he sends gifts for Valentine's Day early, dripped out over three days, the first being the birthday of my departed loved one. Every year, it surprises me when his gift arrives. I find it confusing, if I'm being honest. But it helps remind me just how good I've got it. And that we've got each other.

The Lindt Valentine Day Heartis the gift @bitterirony sent on 11 February, the sad day. But just look at how cute it is! It did cheer me up. If you ask him, Bitter will tell you he had to nudge me to go get the package from Bob the Cat who guards the boxes in the concierge's office of my apartment building. 🐈

The gift that he sent on 12 February is Jo Malone Pomegranate Noir , a fragrance. It's not for me, but rather it's a diffuser for the home. This long lasting fragrance is just the thing I need to be at work when I'm away on long trips. A closed up flat does not smell like fresh daisies! I will wait until Valentine's Day to put it together.

13 February's gift is fresh flowers. After what I've been through with the moth infestation of the flat lately, I was thinking I should go to a nice florist and suggest a designed arrangement to turn the murky energy into a brighter one to restore my sense of joy about where I live. It didn't even occur to me that flowers were on their way!

So here they are! An arrangement of roses and lilies. In the love language of flowers, roses symbolize love and passion. But did you know that pink roses express deep romantic admiration? Not just that, but lilies signify devotion and elegance. I find the gold-edged pink tissue paper and the burgundy box with mauve ribbon a very fine manner to present the Valentine's Day flowers.

To Devin—
Thank you not just for the gifts sent over these three days, but for being so sly that again, I never saw 'em comin'!

I'm still nuts about you, but believe you me, should I ever find a better deal than you, I'm takin' it!! 😂

It's time to close, so I want to thank all y'all for listening to my show-n-tell Valentine's Day story.

Here's to keeping another committment. It's 13 HIVE for 13 February.

Much love! 🥰
Alessandra