a hundred and ten years ago I had a roommate, Shawn. I met Shawn at work in a tech support gig back at the beginning of my tech career. Shawn was from Nebraska, was an Army veteran, and looked and sounded uncannily like this guy. he was both the cheapest man I've ever known and unfathomably generous, both stubborn as fuck and a total sweetheart. he chain smoked, loved a good beer or a good Jack and Coke, and his diet consisted almost entirely of brown food. the man never met a vegetable in his life. when he wanted to make me laugh on the phone at work with a customer he'd whisper, "hey baby, whatcha wearin'?" in his Butt-head voice, and it worked every time, because we were both perpetually twelve years old. he was my best damn friend in the world for about five years. he died last year and I miss his dumb ass every day. here's to you, buddy, you cheap-ass motherfucker. <3 <3 <3