Friend getting weird

Hmmm... my best friend from high school is a great gal.  Pretty, smart, funny, but over the years she's gotten strange.  She is really awkward to talk to. She has a habit of saying something obscure, then explaining herself. All the time. For instance we were at a BBQ yesterday, full of people that we don't know. In Canada there is an MP (member of parliament) who got married to his partner, it's a gay marriage. Somehow this came up and my friend makes a reference to her old coworker and whether or not her coworker congratulated him.  Huh? OK. whatever.

OK: what you need to know is this. My friend used to work in a travel agency. That agency specialized in arranging in the travel of Canadian politicians (the newly wedded politician incl.).  This coworker was in charge of this politicians file. The coworker is a born again, extreme (and I mean extreme) Christian that my friend had issues with.

Lot's of back knowledge required for a ho-hum pay off. Who the fuck cares about your ex coworker and her extremist tendancies? Why do you make me ask you to explain yourself!? This is a party full of people who don't know you!  And you don't know them, maybe they are against gay marriage. Politics and religion: not good light labour day conversation. 

Later on, some guy mentioned how he was starting to do some freelance graphic design. My husband manages the web team for a major software company and they use graphic designers. I hear this guy and I ask for a card, cause hey you never know.  So this conversation is going on, but the guy mentions how he doens't want to give out the business card yet, cause he has to finish his web page, and it's not done. And then mentions how he would rather  watch some TV show (Dresden Files for those who care). My friend hears this, and hijacks the conversation talking on and on about how the show was canceled in the US, the main actor has a new job, blah blah blah. Thereby ruining a theoretical buisiness op for this guy.  And he's like.. yeah... I gotta go.

She tells boring stories. For instance she thinks that knowing how to drive a stick shift is major stuff. There was a time when she mentioned this every time I talked to her. Drove my husband bananas.

She tramples over other people's conversations by interjecting with her own "witty" ancedotes that no one understands or cares about.

She's never had a date. She will never get one if she keeps this up... what do you do?  I mean it's embarrassing! It's jsut hard when you outgrow your friends. Anyone else out there in this situation?

BTW: Just and update: Erica is becomeing a master at sleeping!