Thursday, January 31, 2013

Jackie Bery

I'm gonna be straight with you, I'm kind of annoyed about this post because I distinctly remember a time in high school when I was with Jackie Bery and laughing my ass off, but for the life of me I cannot remember what it was about.  This bugs me because Jackie is freaking awesome, and I can't stress this enough,  freaking awesome.  We were never all that close but I always liked her because she just felt so...real.  When she smiled, it was always warm.  When she laughed, you knew something was funny.  And when you talked to her, you felt like she actually gave a shit about what you had to say.  Everything about her felt genuine, and I loved that.

Jackie and I were both in theater, but the defining difference between her and I in that field would probably be that she had talent.  You can just see it in her when she's in front of an audience, she radiates, she has an aura that only real actors have.  For me, unless it's a legend like Jack Nicholson or Bill Murray, the way I assess whether an actor is good or not is if I know the person but while I'm watching them on screen or stage, I forget I do.  I thought Jackie was on her way there in high school, I can't imagine seeing her now. 

It's been years since I've seen or talked to Jackie, but as I'm writing this, a picture of her showed up on my Facebook and I must say, she looks absolutely fantastic.  I'm not sure what she's doing these days, but if she isn't already on it, I hope she's fighting to get on that big stage.  And when she does, I hope she knows I'll be in the crowd watching with a smile.

Cheers,
Andrew

Shi Jimerson

I met Shi my fifth year state through, can you guess it?  Kirsten.  Another member of the Wharton crowd which I have learned to be one of the wildest group of coworkers I've had the pleasure to meet.  The first time that I met Shi, it was on Halloween and pretty much consisted of her walking into my house covered in glitter while I was walking out and us saying a quick hello to each other.  Glitter which I might add can still be found in our living room, and that to me just reaffirms the whole "herpes of craft supplies" idea.  So yeah, it was a very in-depth introduction, but since that time I have spent a fair amount of time with her and have learned that she's pretty damn cool.

As I said early, the Wharton crew is wild, so naturally they had a bar crawl like three weeks into the semester, and it was while crashing this bar crawl that I would say I had the best time hanging with Shi.  They were a few hours into it when I showed up, and since I didn't really know anyone that well besides Kirsten who was being her lovely, social butterfly self, I gravitated toward Shi.  She had to drive as did I, so since we couldn't focus so much on liquid fun, we made fun other ways.  The bar we were at was Dublin Square, which is a place I dig...except when it's like 8:30 PM and where there's usually a dance floor, there's a birthday party with a bunch of adult looking people sitting down.  I think Shi was in the same state as me because she brought up how weird it was being there without music or dancing and whatnot, which led to us coming up with ways to try and get the tables and old people out of there.  We came up with a few gems, including getting everyone in the bar crawl to crowd around the table and just stare at them until they left.  It was pretty fun just observing stuff that was going on then commenting on it...it was just amusing.  The music did eventually come on and we danced a bit, but while this certainly wasn't the wildest night I spent with Shi, it was the one when I feel like we became more like friends than just two people who happened to know Kirsten and went to the same places sometimes.  Here's to hoping there will be more times like this to come.

Cheers,
Andrew

Jessica Mondine

Jessica Mondine is a pretty hard person not to like.  She's gorgeous, has a great smile, she's a sweet heart, she's got a good sense of humor, and damn, can that girl sing.  I remember hearing her sing for the first time and being blown away.  Now that I'm looking back and actually making myself think about her as I'm writing this though, I'm realizing that I didn't really spend all that much time with Jess.  All I know about her is pretty much what I learned when we were doing theatre stuff, which is unfortunate because I was hoping I would have a good memory to share about her.  Maybe I'm blanking, which in that case, if it comes back to me I will make some additions to this post.  Until then though, what I can say is this, as long as I've known Jess I always thought highly of her.  I thought she was a kind person and someone who I always felt comfortable being around.  She's a lovely person, and I hope she has someone who tells her that all the time.

Cheers,
Andrew

Jon Broderson

Jon is another person that I met through Kirsten my fifth year at MSU.  He is one of Kirsten's closest/most entertaining friends bar none.  I'm just going to be straight with you, but in the lovingest way possible, when they are together things can get freaking weird.  For instance, they have a series of noises and faces that they make at each other that are so off the wall that I don't even know how to describe them...I'll try to put together a sample conversation for you.

Jon: "Murrr"
Kirsten: "Gurr"
Jon: "Urpakerr"
Kirsten: "Kerrrrrrr" (she says as she curls her upper lip up making "the face")

It's seriously unlike anything I've ever witnessed, and that's probably the main reason why they're so much fun to hang out with.  Now let's get to the memory that is the basis of this post.  So it's New Years Day, Kirsten and I are on the couch, hung over, possibly still drunk from the insane night that took place just a few hours prior when Jon walks in the door, about equally drained of life as we were.  Naturally, we started to do a recap of the night before, which, as anyone who parties right knows, the recap is the best part.  The hazy highlights from the night get talked about until we get to some story where Jon gets to a point where the descriptive phrase he chooses to use is "smells worse than a wolf pussy."  Now I was kind of out of it and not paying attention for several minutes...but this turned my head.  "I'm sorry...did you just say, wolf pussy?"  Yes, he did in fact say that.  And I don't know why, but I immediately felt like I had to conjure up different scenarios where I could use it.  A little bit of water spilled on the carpet "Dammit, this carpet is wetter than a wolf pussy."  "There was more hair than on a wolf's pussy."  You get the point, but this went on for about ten minutes where the three of us (let's be honest, mostly Jon and I) continuously used that ridiculous combination of words at any point where it made sense.  Maybe we were all still a little tipsy, maybe the dehydration was getting to us, maybe innovative cursing is really that entertaining, who knows?  All I can say is that of the various weird things that have come out of their mouths when they're together, wolf pussy is the one I'll probably keep with me for years to come.  So thank you for that Mr. Broderson.

Cheers.
-Andrew

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Brent Burleigh

I met Brent summer of 2012, and he is one of the few people I can only say is unlike anyone else I've ever met.  Sometimes he can be a bit of a caricature, kind of like an "uber bro" if you will, but it's for that exact reason that he is one of the most fun people to hang out with.  He also knows exactly who he is and what he stands for, and I respect that.

A memory that I think encompasses Brent is a party he and I went to with our other friend Brett.  It was a party thrown by Brett's co-workers, so Brent and I didn't know anybody.  We also didn't have any booze, but we made friends and made do.  For example, after we were done taking shots with someone who lived there, Brent found a couple beers in the fridge and brought them over to us.  They were obviously someone else's beer, so when a pretty girl came over and asked us if those were beers we brought, I wasn't all that surprised.  We played it cool said sorry and what not, then she smiled, told us to have a good time just not take anymore, then walked away.  After she was gone I said something along the lines of "Well, we need a new supply."  To which Brent responded with "Pft, whatever dude, she probably doesn't even drive a Benz" then proceeded to grab another beer.  It was such an off the wall thing to hear, and it got me cracking up.  That's Brent though, he can brush off anything and continue doing what he wants to do. 

Cheers,
Andrew

Saturday, January 26, 2013

Stephanie Lajdziak

There are a few special people who you come across in your life, a few who when you look back and remember, you smile until that smile falls to a slight frown which accompanies one, single thought: "What the hell was I thinking?"  Stephanie is the first person who I felt like that about. We met in our AP World History class when we were seniors in high school and I have to say, it was pretty cute introduction.  We were doing some random activity where we were using pipe cleaners and while we were playing around, doing nothing, I started to make something which looked like a lion, a Gryffindor lion to be exact.  From the moment I commented on it and we realized we were both Harry Potter nerds, she quickly started to become one of my favorite people.  I'm a bit of a closet geek, and whenever we talked all of our guilty pleasures seemed to come out...as did our laughs.  Sometimes I would talk to her and literally start crying from laughing so hard.  Sure it was partly because I was infatuated with her, but she is seriously one of the most entertaining people to be around, I highly suggest anyone reading this to have at least one conversation with her.

She and I had a series of running jokes while we were in class together, but my favorite was definitely the night we came up with our stripper names.  I was watching some shitty teen drama, One Tree Hill maybe, and two of the characters were talking about how you combine your first pet with your mother's maiden name to create a stripper name.  Naturally I brought it up to Stephanie, who goes by the name Licorice Bleu in stripper land, which, by the way, is a freaking awesome name.  Anyway, so I brought this up, then the conversation escalated to the point where we started coming up with a porn film...it was so ridiculous.  I enjoyed every minute of it, and it was they way I could talk to her about something as innocent as Harry Potter one moment then being a stripping porn star the next that made her so appealing to me. 

I don't like to think I have regrets, but the way I went about things with Stephanie is probably the closest I have to one.  She actually told me that I was her "nerd crush" one time, which to me was quite flattering.  There was a period when Stephanie, a girl who is just about always in a relationship, was single for a few months, and I should have made a move.  I didn't, and it was a mistake.  The last time I saw her was around four years ago when I met her up for some putt-putt and coffee.  We hung out for a few hours, and it was really nice talking to her, catching up on how her life was going.  After that, our relationship pretty much faded out, and it's been years since I've heard about her.  I hope she's doing well, and I hope she's with a man who can give her everything that she wants, because she deserves it.

Cheers.
Andrew

Chuck Marchese

Chuck is one of my cousin Joe's best friends and after hanging out with him numerous times over the years I've come to find that he's a pretty damn good dude.  I have had some good times hanging out with Chuck, Joe, and the other De La Salle boys, but one of the most memorable times was actually the one that happened not long before writing this. 

It was MLK weekend and I decided to come in town to see my cousin Jenny and her husband Rob who were in town for the weekend as well as Joe and Julie.  I was hanging out at their parents house for most of the day then around 9:00 or show Chuck showed up and him, Joe, and I went out to meet up a couple other people, Jeff and Zack, then go out on the town.  Things started off pretty normal, kicking back a beer at a brewery in Warren, but after that beer we decided to turn the night up a notch and head to Royal Oak.  When we arrive in Royal Oak, we start off at Zack's house because he lives a couple blocks away from the bars, unfortunately though, we didn't bring any beer.  Lucky for us, Jeff has a stockpile of wine in the trunk of his car, so at the house we decide to play a game of slap the bag with some of the "highest rated boxed Sangria in the world."  We got about ten minutes into the game, myself only getting two slaps in before Jeff takes a swig then gives the bag a slap, a slap which Chuck deemed insufficient.  Jeff takes the bait, and with a big smile on his face, winds up and slaps the shit out of the bag which proceeds to explode and shoot dark red wine all over the white kitchen.  Oh, and did I mention that there were about ten people none of us knew watching Blades of Glory in the living room?  Because there were, and they heard me laughing my ass off to the point that tears were literally falling down my face because, and I shit you not, that kitchen looked exactly like a blood spatter scene from Dexter.  Luckily for that house, we weren't a group of douchebags, so we cleaned up the place pretty damn well, but God was it hilarious.

The night ended back at Joe's parent's place with just me, him, and Chuck drinking a couple late night beers, smoking cigars, and listening to good music, specifically The Rolling Stones Exile on Mainstreet, one of the best albums ever made.  And this end to the night is what makes hanging out with Chuck great.  We can have the insanity at one point in the night then follow it up later with some good, old school hanging out.  I expect I'll have plenty more chances for nights like this with Chuck and Joe, and there isn't a doubt in my mind that regardless of how much time passes between those times, we'll all pick up right where we left off.

Cheers,
Andrew

Kyle Wilden

Kyle is one the first people that I met when I started going to Morgan Elementary in the second grade after my family moved. 

Knowing Kyle for the majority of my life made it hard for me to come up with a single memory, so I decided to go with a relatively recent one from the past year that I think will aptly describe the benefits of being his friend.  Last summer, my good friends John and Greg had a group of people over their apartment in East Lansing one weekend.  We've done this numerous times, and have a lot of great memories from these nights, like for instance the time Kyle leaned inside the passenger side door of a cop and started chatting with him outside of the bar.  But the memory that sticks out to me wasn't from one of the epic nights, but from one of the hung over mornings after.  Kyle, John, and I were hanging out in the living room, just relaxing and shooting the shit when this commercial came on TV with a bunch of guys doing construction.  Without hesitation, Kyle says "Ooohh, men at work!"  John and I look at each other, back at him, then start dying.  For those of you who don't know Kyle, he's a really cool dude but he also has a feminine side which he uses for loving the movie Titanic, being a fan of guys like Justin Timberlake, and brushing his mom's hair on the dock at his cottage.  Hearing him say that at the TV was bizarre, but also weirdly in character, which I think made it the funniest. 

I get to see Kyle several times a year, and every time I do it's a good time.  Hopefully those good times will go on for years to come.

Crab cakes and football, that's what Maryland does!
Andrew

Caitlin Cipri

Caitlin is a girl who I met through my roommate Kirsten and let me tell you, this girl is a riot.  As of this writing she is living in Chicago, a city which I love and she inexplicably loathes...well, I guess she did explain why, but that's here nor there.  The windy city may not be for her, but as her about her thoughts on East Lansing and you might just start to think you're hearing a new parent talk about their first born child.  She loves it!  I mean I have thoroughly enjoyed my time spent at MSU, but my admiration for the area is shameful compared to hers.  There's a scene from Parks and Recreation where Leslie Knope says that Pawnee is "the best city in Indiana, probably America, possibly the world." and the energy that Caitlin brings to her conversations about EL make me think of that scene every time.

I actually have a pretty great memory with Caitlin for how little I know her.  She was visiting town for Halloween 2012 and while she and Kirsten were planning on going out later in the night, if I remember correctly Kirsten had to go to work for a few hours in evening.  I've been in situations with friends of friends who are awkward as hell when our mutual connection isn't around...this was not one of those situations.  My cousin Joe was in town as well so the three of us got all dressed up in costumes and started pre-gaming and getting ready for the night.  As is always necessary when getting ready for a great night, we were jamming to some music, music which Caitlin more often than not had never heard before.  So the pre-game also became somewhat of a drunken lesson in music for our new, musically un-enlightened friend...it was a ton of fun and a great start to a great Halloween.  But my favorite part about that night was actually morning.  I walk in the door and there Caitlin is sitting on the couch, so I say hey, and Caitlin looks over at me and yells "Oh damn! Someone's wearing the same clothes as last night!" then proceeds to burst into laughter.  I had a great time with her the night before, but that was the defining moment when I knew I liked this girl.

Caitlin is a friend of a friend, and while she's great, chances are we're never going to become super close and get to know each on a much deeper level.  What I do believe is this: if at some point in the future she and I are in the same city, she's the kind of person who I could send a message and we would go out for a drink and a laugh or two.  And honestly, those are some of the best people that you could ever know.

Cheers!
-Andrew

Jocelyn Cunanan

Jocelyn is one of the most entertaining people I have ever met, and thus one of my favorite people.  Jocelyn and I met on my ISV trip to Australia in 2010, she was actually the first person that I met who was going to be in my group for the next month.  I remember her walking down to the gate in LAX and taking a seat in the circle I had been in with a bunch of other people for quite a while.  This was right about the time that Katy Perry released that shitty song California Girls (you may remember it as the music video where Katy shoots whipped cream out of cans attached to her knockers), so when Joce told me she was from L.A. I was pretty stoked to meet her.  I'll be honest, I had some preconceived notions of what it meant to be a person raised in L.A., I thought they would be a little more wild than your average person, and I have to say...Jocelyn lived up to all of my expectations.

I had many a good time with Joce in Australia, but I think that may favorite time was when we were walking around what I believe was downtown Cairns...don't hold me to that, it's kind of a blur.  But anyway, she and I were walking down the street with the rest of our group when somehow the topic of our sexual prowess came up.  Now, at the time, I was still pretty green in that area which led to a lot talk of "innocence" when it came to me.  So we're talking and what not, the Jocelyn says "I'm a virgin."  We all look at her, silent for a moment, then start laughing.  And it was that laughter that led to one of my favorite line deliveries of the trip, "Wait guys, don't you think I look innocent?!"  She would say it with a straight face then start laughing her great laugh every time...it was hilarious and became a running joke for the rest of our time there.

Unfortunately, Jocelyn and I have lost touch over the years.  I haven't heard from her in sometime, and while that does make me a little sad because she brought so much fun to my life in the short time I knew, it was also probably inevitable.  We go on trips, we meet these amazing people, and for a time they're the best things in our life, but then we go home.  And we realize that we live hundreds, if not thousands of miles away, and as much as we would like to have them in our lives forever, that's just not the way life works.  I have memories of Jocelyn that will make me laugh for the rest of my life, and to me at least, you can't devalue that.

Cheers,
Andrew