This year, Brad and I have developed a very close friendship with a couple that I would not have pictured us being so close with. Friendly? Of course. Friends? Sure. But get-together-once-a-week BFFs? Not so much.

So, why did I never envision Stu + Hayley and Brad + Elyse being the poster children for perfect double dating?

Simple.

We are on completely different planets when it comes to politics—which might not matter most places, but in DC it matters. Oh boy, does it matter.

First of all, when I say “we” I am mostly referring to Stu and myself. Stu is a pro-life, pro-gun libertarian with Anne Coulter creepily peering at me from his bookshelves. Essentially, Stu agrees with Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, but not when it comes to immigrants in Arizona. As for me, I’m a pro-gay rights, pro-women’s rights, pro-everything-except-the-right rights, so yeah…it makes for some pretty intense tongue-holding when it comes to socializing.

But we have a mutual understanding. We never talk politics. Never. Not on Twitter. Not on Gchat. Not in real life.

Anyway, the point of all of this back-story is that one little television show with a giant cultural impact stranded us all on our own little island of obsession.

Yes, I’m talking about LOST.

Every Tuesday for the last several months, the four of us gather around the television. We pop open a (few) bottle(s) of wine, do some home cooking (on the non-lazy nights) and talk about our weeks—our job frustrations, our big life decisions, our mutual friend gossip until 8:58. Then we shut the hell up (as best as we possibly can) and LOST comes on.

I can safely say that this ritual is the highlight of all four of our weeks—because more than loving the show itself, we love watching it together. We bond through the joint confusion (“Wait, didn’t that guy die? Is this in the future?”)

For us, watching LOST is a team effort. After all, no single brain could possibly soak up all the easter eggs, plot twists and inter-personal relationships of such an epic, long-winded, non-linear show like LOST. We depend on one another to fill in the gaps. To predict future plot twists. To spot the inconsistencies, ironies, themes, and moments of deep, ominous foreshadowing.

It’s funny to me how we disagree on such huge issues, but that we can come together every week to agree on how obnoxious Jack is, how creepy Mocke is and how J.J. Abrams better have a damn good explanation for all this in 2 weeks.

The irony? LOST in itself can be incredibly polarizing, having nothing to do with political platforms. It sharply divides people into camps—the LOST-lovers and the Others (the ones who don’t get it, don’t care and don’t want to hear one more damn thing about polar bears on a damn island in the damn South Pacific).

It’s nice to know that Stu and I are finally on the same side on an issue. We are both deeply, deeply pro-LOST.

Maybe some of the bigwig politicians should start doing LOST nights or something. Might help ease some of the tension.

Just a suggestion.

I am pleased to announce that one of my most hilarious, sassiest, inappropriate friends (Roberta) has started a blog!

This is GREAT news. I don’t get to see her too much and will be seeing even less of her once Brad and I make the big M in 2 weeks—but she always has the most hilarious, over-the-top anecdotes and I so miss hearing them every day. When we were coworkers and shared an office I heard every rant, every complaint, every eye roll, every train of thought rolling through the station of her brain, every ingredient of her lunch…God, it was great and hilarious.

And now I will have the pleasure of reading Roberta’s rants at my leisure, and THAT is excellent news :)