
Friend Files is a feature I added to my blog, Away With Words, a while back – this being the 26th installment. Past installments appear under the “Friend Files” tag on my blog. I will be interviewing a friend of mine and showcasing why they are a friend to me and what I like about them, and also a mini-interview (five questions) that detail what they think of me. It’s a way to acknowledge my friends out there and what they’re up to and also to introduce them to my larger group of friends, acquaintances, and anyone else who might be interested in reading online.
Today, I will be talking about Kate Salvato. Before I get into what I think of her, here is my mini-interview with Kate (exchanged over Facebook) where she jotted down just a few thoughts:

Kate Salvato – Wife, Mother, Buffy Fanatic, Lover Of Comics.
KATE SALVATO’S FRIEND FILES INTERVIEW
ME: Give me some details about your life.
KATE SALVATO: I work at Corsetti’s Market in Windham, Maine and also Starbucks! I’m a mother of a very-spirited three-year old, and I’m also a mechanic’s wife. I don’t have much “me” time but when I do it usually involves pizza and Netflix.
ME: How exactly did we meet?
KATE SALVATO: We met when I was a borrowed partner at the Saco, Maine Starbucks. Six years ago, now.
ME: What is one good memory you have involving me?
KATE SALVATO: I honestly have too many good memories to pick just one, but one I hold really close to my heart is that you were one of the only people who showed up for our after-wedding party.
ME: Why exactly are we still friends?
KATE SALVATO: Because we both have a weird, twisted sense of humor and we love comics!!
ME: Anything you want me to plug?
KATE SALVATO: Nope, not at this time.
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Now, if I’m being completely honest – I don’t remember meeting Kate at my old Starbucks in Saco when she was a borrowed partner. (Sorry, Kate!). Not saying it didn’t happen, but just that my brain is messy once in a while and I tend to forget things. The first time I truly remember meeting and interacting with Kate was when I came into her store (my current store) in Portland as a customer. I remember that I stayed to do some work, and she sort of knew me because my then-girlfriend worked with her, also at Starbucks. She was always one of the nicest people to me at the store, initially – and when I finally transferred and started working in Portland with Kate – she really helped make my transition easy with her help and her humor.
Since I’ve gotten to know Kate, she has moved to a different Starbucks (sad face) and she’s also gotten married (happy face). She’s a great mom to a really cool and funny little boy. She has also seen me at a comic convention or two, and is a big supporter of my cosplay endeavors.
Though Kate and I don’t really hang out a ton, she is a really great person and I look forward to getting to know her better in the future. She’s super-funny, and one of the things I like the best about her is seeing her interact with her son. That kid has lots of love being thrown his way. You should see some of their Snapchats. So cute!
With that, I will leave you with some photos that showcase the kind of person I think Kate is, so you can see for yourself.

One of Kate’s Snapchat filter photos. She’s a Snap Queen.

Kate with her boy, Matty. He’s such a cool kid.

Kate with my girlfriend and a mutual friend during her wedding.

Kate with her husband, Brandon, on their wedding day.

Me working with Kate on her last day at my store.

Kate goofing around with our fellow co-workers.
Tagged: Away With Words, Blog, Blog Post, Buffy, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Comic Books, Comics, Corsetti's Market, Friend Files, Friends, Friendship, Interview, Joseph Carro, Kate Salvato, Life, Maine, Mechanic, Mother, Netflix, Pizza, Portland, Saco, Starbucks, Wedding, Wife, Windham