Friday, July 25, 2008

Yes, I actually have friends (3)

Jeffy-poo.
What else is there to say?

El Jefe and I met originally in middle school to my best recollection. My first memory of him is talking with him in 8th grade Science class about "Doug" who worked at a comic shop and looked and talked almost exactly like the comic book guy from the Simpsons ("But Aquaman, you cannot marry a girl without gills. You're from two different worlds!") The other thing I remember is him being the school's "Mystery Science Theater 3000" dealer.. People would borrow tapes from him, and give them back later on. I could be thinking of some one else, but for some reason I always associated Jefe with that.

I really started to get to know him Sophmore year of high school. Generally we'd shop for CDs and talk about TV and music. He had impeccable taste in music then, and still does. He offered up his grandparents' lake house to his friends for fishing trips leading to such memorable adventures as:
1) the scrotum turtle (not as bad as it sounds... a turtle in the stream followed one of our friends around and seemed to be trying to attack his... ahem... yeah... it was funny)
2) rescuing Ben from Boy's State ("Bluebird this is Eagle, we have secured the Hippy.")
3) the... wait I probably shouldn't say that one...
4) ... or that one... you know what let's move on from the fishing trips.

He contributed the name to my band for our sophomore junior year of high school: "The Chocolate Russels." Which I believe was modified several times to either "Ben G. and the Chocolate Russels" or "Zach G. and the Chocolate Russels." He also introduced us in our first big concert at some Unitarian church fund raiser, and survived an entire set without covering his ears or running from the room screaming. Now that's friendship :P

At some point we skipped morning classes to drive out all the way to a Best Buy (on the other side of town) to buy the new Weezer album. It was the Green album so... after hearing it I returned it with some lie about buying it for a friend who already had it. In honesty the Green album wasn't that great. Skipping school to buy a CD though... priceless. Yes... I'm a nerd.

He instituted the legendary "Bad Movie Night", and is to blame for why I talk through EVERY movie, much to the horror of my family and friends. Movies are just so much more fun when you make your own commentary and enjoy them with friends. We rented such classics as:
The Ice Cream Man, Jack Frost (not the Michael Keaton movie... the one about a killer serial killer snowman), Jack Frost II (yes there was a sequel), Leprechaun 5: Leprechaun in Space, Ticks, Beezbo: a Community Service Movie on Manners, Monkey Kung Fu, and the award winning (for worst.. movie... ever) Ninja Commandment. We would sit and make fun of these movies while they were rolling. Eight to ten people watching a horrible movie is really good fun once you get into it.

Senior year he became one of only two (or is three?) white "Mr. Hornets" to be crowned by popular vote in our school. In a majority black school, in a black neighborhood, that is an achievement. It also led to a classic picture of him in a white tux with an orange cape. El Jefe was pretty much well liked by everyone in the school, and it was no secret why. He's a great guy.

So I was pretty psyched when I found out he was going to the same undergrad I was. We did not live together the first year. Same dorm, but different floors. I think we were both concerned about the problem of friends living together and then ending up hating each other. By our second year, we had two very different (sometimes good sometimes bad) living experiences, and decided we were mature enough to handle being roommates and friends. Plus it was cheaper. We rented an apartment which my sister had decided not to move into after making a down payment (ahhh, bait and switch), and we lived there in relative peace for three years.
He actually put up with my bad habit of leaving dishes in the sink, which I must say kudos to him for. It really does get nasty when I do that, and I tried to keep up with it. Bad habits die hard.
While in college he DJed the best radio program on the university radio. Again, I can't stress his good taste in music. I've never gone wrong with any of his suggestions (among them: David Bowie, Prince, the White Stripes, Wilco, the Pipettes, and so on). Unfortunately for the rest of the campus, his first radio posting was from two to four in the morning on Sunday, but he soon got his own program during the day.
He was the best roommate I've ever had. If I had a bad day or good day I could talk with him. He was a little cleaner than I was, but never got on me too much about the messes I made (except the dishes, which was justifiable). He didn't judge any of my strange living quirks, and how could I judge him for his? He had a GameCube, a TV, and a Netflix subcription after all...

Jefe disappeared into law school like so many of my friends. I know how it goes down there. You can't expect to hear much from them for three years, and when you do, don't be surprised if its just a short IM conversation while they're supposed to be listening to a lecture in "torts" (rhymes with jorts?).

There's more to el Jefe's story than all this, but really its gotten pretty long already and you get the point. He is probably the most likable character you will ever hope to meet in your life.


Next up... the Seoul Man?

1 comment:

hombre guapo said...

What about me??