I'm meeting a friend of a friend for lunch on Thursday. I've never met either of these friends in real life, but we've chatted via e-mail for years and months.

I "met" C. after I e-mailed her about her blog. She is a writer/editor (like me) and has type 1 (like me), so we had some instant connections. I asked her a professional question and we just kept talking, bouncing ideas off each other, chatting about family, etc. (She's writing a book, by the way, about pregnancy and pre-existing diabetes.)

Several months ago she e-mailed to say a friend of hers was moving from the East Coast to Phoenix. We are all writers/editors and all have type 1, so the connections are abundant. C. put me in touch with S. so I could help her find an endo, give her any ideas about job searching and to maybe form a friendship.

S. wasn't sure when she'd be in Phoenix and got to the point where she wasn't sure if she was coming at all (job and housing markets sucking and all that). But last week I got an e-mail saying she was here and had an apartment and shouldn't we get together already?!

So Thursday is lunch for us. Two peas in a pod who have never met.

Now, I know I'm going to catch a lot of flack for saying this, but I'm a little self-conscious about what I'll eat. I can't remember a time when I've met another person with type 1 and shared a meal with them. Will she scrutinize my meal choice? Will I hers?

We'll meet at a bakery/cafe that has wonderful soups, salads and sandwiches. What I typically get there is an OK meal for a diabetic (it's the bread that gets me; well, and the complimentary cookie). I am considering getting something else, though. I never really thought I was concerned about appearances, but perhaps I am.

Nonetheless, I'm looking forward to meeting a fellow writer/editor who happens to be diabetic.