Goodbyes

Just found out another old friend passed away. A guy I grew up with, my first roommate & a coworker for several years - pretty much 8 years of my life that we spent in near-constant contact.

Years of gaming at least three nights a week. Exploring what passed for ethnic cuisine in West Texas at the time. Trips to the range, or just going for drives and bs'ing late at night. Acting or working backstage in plays; television production and years of shared stories. I've never met anyone else who could do a perfect Don Quixote while drunk, and the few times we ventured into traditional parties were just as epic as everything else. We shared fun & lessons in learning about life, the real world and all that other stuff - all while never abandoning our other dreams.

Come time we didn't so much go our separate ways as paths - he stuck around where his career was progressing, and I headed off to the military and my job here. But we still stayed in touch, swapping notes and brief updates here & there and venturing into those "someday we need to get together" comments.

Unfortunately we'll never have that chance again.

Goodbye my friend - I'm proud to have known you. You were a great friend, and always joyful in life. I know I'm not alone in treasuring the memories and smiles you brought to those around you. The world is a bit darker without you in it.