Anna Oseran

In reading through all of the beautiful tributes that have flooded in over the last couple days, it is impossible not to notice some reoccurring themes, namely that Julie loved the phrase "douche bag" and that she knew how to make people feel seen. Nearly every post, article, or text mentions her innate ability to help the people she loved understand how great they are. She was our biggest cheerleader.

My knee-jerk reaction to seeing other people write about this was, "What the fuck, Julie? I thought that was just our thing!"

Upon further reflection, though, I've come to realize that Julie's unique ability to make you feel like the only person in the room goes hand-in-hand with her love of foul-mouthed insults. She was discerning. She knew who she loved, and who was a fucking douche bag she didn't have time for. How lucky were all of us, then, to fall into the former camp?

Julie ended almost every conversation we had by saying, "I so love you." There was always something about her use of the adverb "so" before "love" that packed a punch. It wasn't a throwaway line one says habitually at the end of a conversation. The "so" made it intentional, intimate, and heartfelt.

I so loved Julie and I will miss her deeply.