An Ode to Ryley

Hello, fellow Ryley Remedios fans! If you have been keeping up with her blog you may have heard of me... the self proclaimed famous roommate and best friend, Emily. I have been pestering Ryley for a feature on her blog since she started it a couple of months ago and finally she has given me the pleasure of letting me write my very own post. I have been wracking my brains on what to write about; all I knew is that I wanted to get the chance to yak about something I'm passionate about. Instead of writing about something I'm passionate about, I have decided to write about someone I'm passionate about. I think you can guess who that is.

Ryley Debra Remedios, despite being one of my best friends in the whole world, is still somewhat of a mystery to me. Some days I wish that I could read her mind but I'm honestly scared of what I would see if I did. You all know a few things about Ryley from her "Why I Am Who I Am" post but I assure you there's much more to this human bean than she lets on. Thats why I have decided to dedicate my feature blog post to this special lady, and what better day to post it on than her birthday? If you would like to see the amazingly talented, beautiful and kind Ryley Remedios through my eyes then keep reading.

I consider myself lucky to know so much about such a mysterious human. I am now familiar with all of her peculiar habits and consider myself a Ryley expert. Sometimes I just watch her in action and pretend to be a reporter for National Geographic, silently narrating her every move. “Here we see the elusive Ryley Remedios emerging from her cave. She comes out at the same time every morning and starts the kettle for her green tea; she is a creature of habit.” “Here we see the wild Ryley Remedios emerging from the shower and immediately slipping into her favourite shoes - black crocs.” You get the idea. She really is something out of those Planet Earth documentaries though. You know the scenes dedicated to predator hunting prey? Well Ryley is the stealthy lion who sneaks up on the oblivious antelope (me) and scares the living crap out of it. Seriously, she loves scaring me and when I don’t know exactly where Ryley is, I walk around the apartment like an FBI agent checking if the house is clear, sliding against walls and jumping in to every room to make sure she isn’t hiding at a corner waiting to startle me. She is a truly odd specimen but I love her for it.

When I moved away from home last year one of the hardest things for me was leaving my family, but living with Ryley is like having a whole new family. She is simultaneously a disapproving mother whose tough love helps guide me to better choices and a goofy dad whose cringey humour helps me get out of even the worst moods. She is the fun aunt who I tell all my secrets to and the weird uncle that always shows up at family gatherings. She is my older brother who beats me up and teases me when I'm being an idiot, and she's my little sister who I love with my whole heart and would do anything to protect. She's my cousin that I have an inseparable bond with, my grandpa who tells stories from "back in his day" and my grandma who makes me food and urges me to eat more (seriously, whenever we make dinner together she puts more on my plate than hers). She's the family dog who everyone wants to cuddle, but most importantly she's my best friend. She gives me the best advice even if it's not what I want to hear. She braids my hair, she's my personal photographer, and she's the best (but probably only) John Mulaney impersonator on the planet.

If you asked Ryley to tell you something about herself she would tell you she's a photography student, that she's from Guelph and works at Booster Juice or that she's going into her second year at Concordia University. If you asked me to tell you something about Ryley I would tell you the important stuff, not the first impression small talk stuff. I would tell you that Ryley is the most selfless person I've ever met. I would tell you how talented and driven she is, and how sure I am that she is going to be famous one day. She works harder than anyone I know and I am so proud of how far she has come in such a short period of time. I would tell you how proud I am of her for being so dedicated to what she loves and I would tell you how much I love her for being so original. Ryley is so unapologetically Ryley and would never change herself for another person and I admire her endlessly for that.

Ryley, I now speak directly to you instead of your fans. I love you more than I will ever be able to put into words and I’m so glad to have you as the person I get to share my adventures with. You're the best first roommate I could ask for and I’m so thankful to have you in my life. Montreal isn’t the same without you and I'm counting down the days until you come back (Ryley left for the summer and I cried). I wish you the happiest of birthdays and hope you have the best day ever. I wish I could be with you to give you a big squish but instead of a hug I guess I'll give you a blog post.

Happy Birthday Ryley!

I love you!

-E