Avoidance, But Not Quite

I just checked my e-mail to find a picture of me kneeboarding wearing, I kid you not, pearl earrings. Only me. I rock so hard accidentally. Also, my dad sent the picture to me, and in the message body he wrote, "I hope it's not too big." I didn't even need to open the picture to know what I would find, because I have known the man for 23-odd years. I had to scroll and scroll and scroll and scroll even to find my body, the file was HUGE. Which I like, don't get me wrong; it's just weird to play Where's Waldo with a picture of you instead of an animated stripey shirt guy in a book from the children's section of the library.

All this is to avoid talking about how I found out this morning that a friend of mine died last night. I got the message, and I didn't believe it at first. Even now, I think that maybe it's a joke, as sick as that would be. This kid was amazing - at 22 he graduated from a top-20 law school, and he always had time to come over and play video games. He even put up with my foolishness and participated in the only two mini marshmallow roasts this world has ever or will ever see. You were a good kid, James Bodell. I kind of just assumed you'd keep on shining in this world forever. Shine in the next, my friend. Shine in the next.