im is one of my favorite people to karaoke with. She has such a passion for the sport, such incredible heart. Kim is also one of my favorite people to watch reality television with; we watched the second season of Survivor together, quiet during the tense times, sometimes yelling at the screen, dissecting the interplay during commercial breaks. I remember when she started dating Bryan. The paper had a going away party for my good friend Lisa Tozzi, and Lisa and I sat on the back stairs of the porch, blasted and weepy and babbling our goodbyes. Weeks later, maybe on the phone, we realized the only other people left at the party were Kim and that tall guy from production. Was there a story? There was. Bryan and Kim started dating, and this Saturday they're getting married. I've karaoked in their living room, stayed up till dawn listening to George Jones and Kenny Rogers, smoked a pack of cigarettes standing in the doorway, that kind of "I'm-not-really-smoking-in-your-house-because-I-exhale-outside" thing. For their engagement, Bryan gave Kim a ring with the cartoon character Underdog on it. Today, for their rehearsal dinner, they're going to play Laser Tag. They are perfect for each other, and it is so cool.

I went to college with Lane and Courtney, but I didn't really know them till they returned to Austin to help start a company called Deep Leap, which eventually folded, sucking their money and their passion and their patience, but only for a little while. At the 2000 SXSW Interactive Conference, Courtney proposed to Lane at an event called Fray Cafe. He accepted. They moved to San Francisco, where they are surrounded by incredible smart talented people. Ev, for example, co-founded Blogger. Maggie Berry is an editor and one helluva writer and my new favorite pen pal. Once, at a party with Lane and Courtney, I met this guy Justin, who asked me about my roadtrip and if I ever found time to write. "I do this weblog thing," I said, "like an online journal type dealie. I don't know what you know about those things or whatever." He smiled funny, and it wasn't until the next day that I discovered why. "So that guy was Justin Hall," Courtney told me. "Do you know him?" I did. Justin Hall, the subject of the documentary Home Page, the guy that basically invented (or at least brought popular acclaim to) the online diary. My hand met my forehead in one giant slap. These are the people you meet at parties with Lane and Courtney. We had a blast together in San Francisco, and even though I can't make it to their wedding tomorrow, I can't wait to go back to visit. They are perfect for each other, and it's so cool.