Let me begin by saying how much I respect this wonderful woman. Her talent, intelligence, and wisdom are inescapably evident. Laura possesses an almost regal air, but it is wonderfully tempered by her kind welcoming manner.
As I thought about writing this Testimonial I wondered how I could illustrate the way I feel about Laura, then I remembered the day we first met. (That is ‘really’ met, like had time to talk) These first impressions I think often set the tone for the friendship.

It was at Faire (duh) I was just visiting Casa that weekend. I was going through a very tough time at that point, and it had been a particularly bad day to boot. I had finished my obligations, and I was left with nothing but time to mill around and wait for my ride home. I was not feeling up to reveling about, and projecting my well crafted carefree façade. It was me at my rawest, and most melancholy. I remember I was lying on the grass with Tyger when she approached us. I don’t recall a word she said, that part is really not that important. It was not like she came to me trying to console me or, cheer me up…thank god, it was the last thing I would have wanted at that moment. No, she was just genuinely kind to me in a way that is hard to put in to words. It was so simple, yet at the time remarkably profound. It touched me very, very deeply, and inexplicably it (at least for a short time) soothed the ache in my heart. She with out saying it told me that I was a good person, and someone she wanted to know. Not for the cartoon face I cast ahead of me into the world, but for the sad mopey me I was that day, and the real person hiding under all that haggard scar tissue. I have no idea if she knew what I was going though at the time, either way she chose just the right moment in time to offer me her friendship, and it is a friendship I have treasured ever since. In a way each moment we spend together since that day seems like a sweet echo of that first meeting.
I have never told anyone this story, and I have never actually thanked her for what she did that day. How do you thank someone for something like that? I guess I may as well do it now.

Thank you Laura, thank you for being my friend

"Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent." -Wittgenstein

That pretty much lays it out for ya'. I would say more, but I listen to the sage advice of my elders. She is a *phenomenon*, not just a "person".
It is important to realize what you're getting into when you first meet Laura and consider becoming her friend: you're stepping into a very comfortable room, with books lining the walls and strange, esoteric charts covering drafting tables with small curios weighing down the curling pages. There might be a skull in one corner; it's difficult to tell in the dim light. The smell of candle wax, roses, copper, and honeysuckle invade your consciousness like powerful memes. The corners of the room...well, the *angles* seem wrong, somehow. And what's that chalked on the floor? Did you hear something? That sounded like chanting.

There is a darkness here, it brushes at your face with ectoplasmic echoes. There is a fierce, fierce intelligence that will never be placated by more learning. There is an eroticism which -- is it directed at you? impossible to determine -- threatens to undermine society if unleashed. And there is respect, for the right people, the right...minds....who can accept what she has to say while also accepting the consequences of her saying it.

Running into Laura while sojourning in, Greece? Italy, perhaps? would possibly be the only native environment likely to provide a suitable background for the aesthetically superlative intellect and form named Laura.

My turn, my turn!

Yeah, I could tell you how smart she is, how beautiful she is, how remarkable, witty, wonderful, etc. I could, in essence, get down on my knees and plant my lips firmly on her ass. Wait a minute, what am I saying, of course I would do that!!!

But, I think I will tell you all what a fuckin rockstar this chick has become. Coming from a more traditional background of singing, this chick has taken the bull by the horns, gotten down in the dirt and wrestled w/it... and came out crystal clear on the other side. I have never sung w/anyone who's voice blended, matched and melded w/mine so perfectly. The first day I met her, I was vastly intimidated by her. By the second day, I knew that we were going to be closer than pigs in mud! I knew I wanted to perform w/this girl, cause having someone that talented next to me would only add to my performance: afterall, two hottie divas are most definitely better than one! Keith knew what he was doing. :)

I love Laura. I love everything about her, and it's an absolute honor to perform w/her. Nuff said.

How can I even sum up the beauty and charm that is Laura with meager words? I will forever deeply admire, love and respect this woman for she is truly remarkable. Laura and I are able to converse without pause. I am engrossed by her intellect and her wit. Her beauty knows no equal. She almost seems too good to exist, and yet she does, inexplicably wonderfully thankfully exist. And for that I rejoice.

Words can’t even begin to describe how truly incredible & wonderful Laura is.

When I first met Laura, she was a teenage runaway, working at Jack in the Box to make ends meet. It was obvious to me, after speaking to her for just a little while, that this beautiful girl was also an absolute genius, and needed to be in school. She said she couldn’t go to school, because she needed to work to keep a roof over her head, so I told her she was going to move in with me & go back to school.

She’s since graduated from the Honors program at Berkeley.

In all the years I've known her, I've never ceased being amazed by, charmed by, or proud of her.

She’s the type of girl who, on a whim, learns Mandarin & goes to teach English in China for a year. Besides being absolutely brilliant, she’s a shining star in everything she does. When she was priestess at Beltaine, you’d swear that she was spring itself!

Besides being stunningly beautiful & a bona fide genius, she’s an amazing singer & actor, writer, director, editor, accountant, jeweler, costumer, linguist, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. There’s nothing she attempts that she’s not absolutely brilliant at, but more importantly, she’s one of the sweetest, kindest souls I have ever had the pleasure of knowing.

I can’t even begin to express how her presence has blessed my existence. If you don't know her, I feel sorry for you.

I am eternally grateful to all the powers that be for bringing her into my life. She is probably my oldest & dearest friend. She's stood by me through good times & bad. She's always been there to remind me of who I am when I myself, and everyone else has forgotten, and as long as the stars burn in the sky, I will always love her.